David R. Walt, Ph.D. — Special Lecture and Open House Breakfast

The Center for RNA Biomedicine presents microwell array pioneer, David R. Walt, PH.D.

On Thursday, September 12, the Center for RNA Biomedicine will host life sciences industry expert David R. Walt, Ph.D. for a special lecture titled, “Why sensitivity matters for clinical diagnosis (see abstract below).”

Following the lecture, there will be an open house breakfast with opportunities to socialize with peers and connect with Dr. Walt.

Schedule — Thursday, September 12 | 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. | David Walt, Ph.D. Lecture — Koessler Room, 3rd Floor, Michigan League
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Open House Breakfast with Dr. Walt — Henderson Room (directly across from Koessler), 3rd Floor, Michigan League
**A hybrid option is being offered via Zoom — click here to register.**

Whether in person or virtual, we hope you’ll join us for learning, coffee, and socializing with one of the top minds in fields of bio-inspired engineering, RNA-based clinical diagnosis, and life sciences startups.

Abstract and Speaker Info

Abstract:
A major challenge for many clinical diagnostic applications is the quantification of low-abundance proteins and other biomolecules in biological fluids. For example, traditional techniques, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), can only measure several hundred proteins in human blood, which is limiting because there are thousands of proteins present at low concentrations that are of potential diagnostic utility. Single-molecule technologies allow for digital counting of individual protein molecules and have enabled 1000-fold increases in sensitivity over conventional protein detection methods. We have pioneered the development of these technologies that provide for multiplexed measurements with femtomolar sensitivities or below. I will discuss the technologies and describe their application to neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and infectious diseases.

About David R. Walt, Ph.D.:
David R. Walt is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Associate Member at the Broad Institute, and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. His lab’s research focuses on creating and using novel technologies to solve unmet clinical diagnostics problems. Walt is the Scientific Founder of Illumina Inc., Quanterix Corp., and has co-founded multiple other life sciences startups including Ultivue, Inc., Arbor Biotechnologies, Sherlock Biosciences, Vizgen, Inc., and Protillion Biosciences. He has received numerous national and international awards and honors for his fundamental and applied work in the field of optical microwell arrays and single molecules including the 2023 National Academy of Engineering’s Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize and the 2021 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, a Member of the American Philosophical Society, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and is inducted in the US National Inventors Hall of Fame.