Stephen Quake

Stephen Quake 

 

 

Stephen Quake got his B.S. in physics from Stanford University. He is currently a professor of Bioengineering and a professor of Applied Physics at Stanford university. Broadly, his research focuses on using physics principles to construct next-generation DNA sequencing technology that can be used to explore questions in human genetics, immunology, and clinical diagnostics. Recently, he has made breakthroughs in single-cell sequencing by using microfluidic chips that trap single cells which can then be isolated for genomic analysis. He has also been interested in applying his DNA sequencing technology to analyze aspects of immune response by sequencing expressed antibodies. For example, his lab studied immune response by sequencing antibodies in blood samples of people who received flu vaccination. Lastly, he is interested in cell-free nucleic acid sequencing. It turns out that when a cell dies small pieces of DNA (cfDNA) circulate the blood stream. His lab developed the first non-invasive diagnostic tool to detect cfDNA as a means to diagnose people with down syndrome and other aneuploidies. His research into detecting cfDNA is also being applied to monitoring the health of transplanted organs. When an organ is being introduced into a body, the body may recognize the organ as foreign and that triggers an immune response. As a result, people undergoing organ transplant have to take strong immunosuppressant drugs to monitor an immune system attack. Another way the body may respond is by killing off the cells within the donor organ. As stated before, when cells die they release their DNA (cfDNA) into the blood stream. Thus, if there is more cfDNA in the bloodstream, then it is indicative of a organ that is unhealthy or is being rejected by the immune system. Quake is trying to find ways to directly monitor the quantity of this DNA in the bloodstream as a means of determining the health of transplanted organ non-invasivley. This may save patients from having to take immunosuppressant drugs if his technique can verify the health of the organ. 

References:

https://quakelab.stanford.edu/research/overview