The Faculty of Engineering at the Annual Conference of the Israeli Society for Chemical and Biological Sensing

The 2^nd Annual Conference of the Israeli Society for Chemical and Biological Sensing (ISBCS) was held on July 7 at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University. Researchers, students, clinicians, and industry representatives from across Israel came together to discuss the latest advances in chemical and biological sensing. 

Prof. Amos Danielli, from the Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at Bar-Ilan University, one of the founders of the Society, served on the conference's scientific committee and chaired the third scientific session. He was joined by Prof. Hadar Ben-Yoav (Ben-Gurion University), Prof. Gili Bisker (Tel Aviv University), and Dr. Zvi Yaari (The Hebrew University).

Lectures: Molecular Assays and Non-Invasive Sensing

During the conference, Prof. Amos Danielli delivered an invited lecture on the Concentration-Enhanced PCR (CE-PCR) method, developed in his laboratory. The method improves the sensitivity of molecular assays for detecting genetic material (DNA and RNA) by concentrating the target molecules and reducing background signals, thereby enabling the accurate detection of minute quantities of genetic material.

As part of the scientific program, Prof. Zeev Zalevsky also delivered a lecture titled Non-Invasive Photonic Sensing of Chemicals in the Bloodstream. Zalevsky presented light-based approaches for the non-invasive measurement of substances in the blood, aimed at developing more accurate, convenient, and accessible medical monitoring methods.

Additional lectures were delivered by leading researchers from academic institutions across Israel, including Prof. Yael Hanein (Tel Aviv University), Prof. Oded Shoseyov (The Hebrew University), Prof. Amnon Bar-Shir (Weizmann Institute of Science), Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich (Tel Aviv University), Prof. Mindy Levine (Ariel University), Prof. Alina Karabchevsky (Ben-Gurion University), Prof. Shimshon Belkin (The Hebrew University), and Prof. Ori Green (Technion).

The Poster Competition: Chopped Optics-based Biosensing and Cultured Meat Development

The conference poster competition featured projects by 46 graduate students, two of them members of the Optical Imaging and Biosensing Laboratory, led by Prof. Danielli.

Ph.D. student Shmuel Burg presented a poster titled Chopped optical biosensing enables temporal background subtraction for high-sensitivity fluorescence immunoassays. The research presents a new technology that enables temporal separation between the measurement signal and background signals, thereby improving the sensitivity and reliability of fluorescent assays. The technology has the potential to serve as a basis for developing compact and portable diagnostic systems.

M.Sc. student Tom Rotman presented a poster titled Advancing cultivated meat: High level expression and sensitive detection of chicken and bovine growth factors. The research focuses on developing methods for the efficient production of growth factors and the sensitive measurement of their concentrations, aiming to improve cultured meat production processes. Rotman was among the six recipients of the conference Best Poster Award. Congratulations!

Pictured, right to left: Prof. Amos Danielli, Prof. Hadar Ben-Yoav, Prof. Gili Bisker, Tom Rotman, and Dr. Zvi Yaari.