People

Dr. Chi-Hung Lin, President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University: Humanizing Science — From Lab to Society [ 下載 PDF ]

Claire Lin

Precision Medicine and Biomedical Sensing

Special Issue Introduction to “Precision Medicine and Biomedical Sensing” [ 下載 PDF ]

Zong-Hong Lin

Applications of a Multi-target Sensing Platform Integrating Extended-gate Field-effect Transistors and Biotechnology in Biomedical Sensing and Precision Medicine [ 下載 PDF ]

Yu-Lin Wang, Chia Kai Lin

This study has developed a multi-target biomedical sensing platform centered on an extendedgate field-effect transistor and deeply integrated with biotechnology. The platform adopts a replaceable extended-gate architecture combined with various biorecognition elements, including aptamers, antibodies, and molecular sieves, enabling high selectivity and modular expandability to address different analytical targets. With only a 10 μL sample volume and a reaction time of 15 minutes, the platform exhibits excellent electrical sensitivity and quantitative performance, achieving a detection limit improved by one order compared with conventional analytical methods.

Innovative Electric Double Layer Electrochemical Sensing Architecture and Applications [ 下載 PDF ]

Hung-Hsiang Wang, Qiuzhe Xie, Hsiao-Ting Hsueh, Chih-Ting Lin

The solid-liquid interface plays an important role in electro-chemical responses, especially in the biomedical sensing applications. Although the capacitance change of electrical double layer (EDL) can be a good indication of label-free biomolecular reaction on the surface, capacitive measurements have limitations of debye screening effects at solid-liquid interface and ionic noise in solutions. It can not perform a good sensing performance at low-concentration biomolecular targets. Therefore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been a major technique in biomolecular sensing applications. However, the complicated interface-circuit design and device fabrication still hurdle implementations in point-of-care technologies (POCT). Utilizing the nanomicro fabrication technologies, in this work, we focus at the development of nano-gap device structure to overcome the above constrains. Based on the nano-gap dielectric structure, the sensing signal path is transferred from bulk-water path to near-surface path, i.e., at the solid-liquid surface to conquer the the debye screen effects. At the same time, vertical-stack microwell array (VSMWA) design is introduced to overcome the cost issue in nano-scale lithography for mass productions. Based on the design, the asymmetric edge effect within the VSMWA promotes the limit of detection to few hundreds of fM. Different from traditional electrode-surface modification, in addition, this work also investigates the stability issue of aminosilane modification. To overcome the problem of deprotonation-induced hydrolysis, the post-curing protonation strategy is introduced. In summary, this work introduces physical-model validation, device-design innovation, and surface-modification improvement to next-generation low-cost and high-reliability POCT applications.

Enhancing Rapid Disease Screening Interpretation with Image Generation and Deep Learning Under Limited Data [ 下載 PDF ]

Jian-Ming Lu, Chien-Fu Chen

AI-driven disease diagnosis typically relies on large-scale datasets, yet data scarcity remains a major barrier for infectious disease detection. To alleviate this issue, we adopt the Wasserstein generative adversarial network (WGAN) to improve diagnostic performance in low-data scenarios. By incorporating Wasserstein distance-based optimization, the proposed approach enhances training stability and synthetic image quality. We evaluate the method against conventional data augmentation using classification neural networks for rapid, portable, and cost-effective diagnostics. With half of the original data (n = 150), the model maintained 95% accuracy, highlighting its potential in resource-limited settings.

An Online Uremic Toxin Monitoring System for Hemodialysis Based on Multi-wavelength UV Absorbance and Data-driven Model [ 下載 PDF ]

Jin-Xun Zhang, Yi-Ting Chen, Yu-Hsiang Chou, Chen-Dong Chang, Shuei-Liong Lin, Yen-Wen Lu

In the era of precision medicine, hemodialysis (HD) requires online monitoring tools that can provide patient-specific, in-session information to support timely assessment of dialysis adequacy and early surveillance of potential complications, while minimizing reliance on intermittent blood sampling. Here, we report a UV LED-based multi-wavelength spectrophotometry system that tracks absorbance changes in spent dialysate using a quartz flow cell, and integrates optical measurements with personalized patient characteristics and dialysis-machine parameters through a data-driven model to estimate multiple uremic toxins with improved cross-patient applicability and clinical interpretability. To facilitate clinical use, we further establish a mapping between dialysatebased estimates and serum concentrations, enabling direct comparison with routine laboratory metrics. Clinical evaluation on nine ESRD patients across thirty HD sessions demonstrated strong agreement between estimated and reference serum concentrations, with R² values of 0.953 (BUN), 0.952 (creatinine), 0.959 (uric acid), 0.822 (β2-microglobulin), 0.853 (phosphorus), and 0.621 (potassium). These findings support a practical pathway toward patient-specific, near-real-time decision support for HD adequacy monitoring without increasing clinical workload.

Microneedle Patch-based Blood-free Biosensors: From Chronic Disease Management to Point-of-care Testing [ 下載 PDF ]

Hung-Wei Yang

This article explores biomedical detection platforms centered on microneedle patches (MNPs), specifically designed for blood-free analysis. These technologies aim to address the critical pain points of traditional blood testing, such as invasiveness, the requirement for trained professionals, and time-consuming procedures. By integrating three recent breakthrough studies, this paper highlights innovative modules for managing diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and inflammatory or infectious diseases. 1. Smart Closed-loop Diabetes Management: By leveraging nanozymes and glucose-responsive nanovesicles (IG-NVs), researchers have developed a closed-loop patch that integrates both diagnostic and therapeutic functions. This system enables blood glucose quantification via smartphone and facilitates automated, “smart” insulin release. 2. Rapid Screening for CKD: By combining high-swelling hydrogel microneedles with a lateral flow cassette (LFC), a new rapid screening method has been established. This platform enables visual interpretation of cystatin C (Cys C) levels in subcutaneous interstitial fluid (ISF) within 25 min, identifying potential renal abnormalities without laboratory equipment. 3. The “Lab-on-the-Needles” Concept: Utilizing HRP@ZIF-8 signal probes and a portable sensing box (SenBox), this technology overcomes the inherent limitations of testing high-viscosity samples (such as saliva) and detecting in-situ inflammatory factors directly on the skin.These advancements underscore the significant potential of microneedle platforms in point-of-care testing (POCT) and mobile healthcare, offering more efficient and accessible solutions for personalized health management.

Microneedle Patch-based Blood-free Biosensors: From Chronic Disease Management to Point-of-care Testing [ 下載 PDF ]

Ting-Wei Wang

Conventional wearable devices rely on photoplethysmography (PPG) for cardiovascular monitoring; however, their performance is sensitive to variations in skin tone and optical conditions. This article presents a wearable biomedical eddy current sensor (BECS) that enables non-contact cardiovascular sensing by detecting resonance frequency shifts induced by electromagnetic coupling between a coil and biological tissue. The BECS can be integrated into smartwatches, offering skin-tone-insensitive and structurally robust monitoring as a promising alternative to optical sensing.

Self-powered Sensors: A Bioinspired Technology Platform for Smart Healthcare Monitoring [ 下載 PDF ]

Ho-Sheng Wu, Sheng-Chun Hung, Zong-Hong Lin

In recent years, rapid advances in smart healthcare and precision health monitoring have driven the development of wearable and clinical sensing systems. However, most existing devices still rely on external power supplies and complex circuitry, which limit long-term continuous operation and increase maintenance burden and clinical implementation barriers. The integration of bioinspired design with triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology provides a novel biomedical sensing solution that combines self-powered operation, high sensitivity, structural flexibility, and diverse material and design adaptability. By mimicking natural structures and interfaces such as skin, scales, and biological tissue surfaces, the sensing platform can significantly enhance signal stability, mechanical durability, and output quality. At the same time, small-scale mechanical energy from the human body or surrounding environment can be directly converted into electrical signals, enabling a truly battery-free intelligent sensing system. Our research team has extended this technology to multiple physiological monitoring scenarios closely related to daily life and healthcare, integrating data analysis and intelligent interpretation to demonstrate its potential in smart healthcare and precision medicine applications. This article introduces the design principles, key engineering challenges, system integration strategies, and representative achievements of self-powered bioinspired sensing technologies, highlighting their significance as a next-generation platform for advanced biomedical sensing and intelligent healthcare instrumentation.