Next-generation biosensing and bioimaging with nanoplasmonic structures
Our March webinar, ‘Next-generation biosensing and bioimaging with nanoplasmonic structures‘, was presented by MOBIUS Affiliated Researcher Dr Ying Zhu (University of Technology Sydney) on Tuesday 17 March 2026.
Abstract
Nanoplasmonics is a field of science that explores how light interacts with metal surfaces at the nanoscale. When light hits these nanostructures, it excites a collective oscillation of electrons known as surface plasmons. These oscillations are extremely sensitive to their immediate surroundings. If biological molecules bind to the sensor’s surface, they alter the local refractive index, causing a measurable change in the light’s properties.
In this webinar, I will introduce the fundamentals of nanoplasmonic biosensors and their potential as robust point-of-use analytical platforms. I will share recent breakthroughs from our group, including a new multiplexed colorimetric platform that uses the phase response of light to detect multiple targets simultaneously. Furthermore, I will discuss how we leverage unique near-field properties of these structures to bypass the traditional diffraction limits of microscopy, enabling super-resolution imaging of biological nanoparticles like extracellular vesicles.
Overall, these platforms offer versatile solutions for a wide range of applications, from in-vitro diagnostics to environmental monitoring and food safety, providing powerful new tools for detection in the field.
Chair
Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey, La Trobe University.
About the speaker
Dr Ying Zhu is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where she leads the Laboratory of In-Vitro NanoDiagnostics. Her research focuses on engineering novel nanotechnology to create real-world analytical platforms that solve critical challenges unmet by traditional methods.
Dr Zhu is an expert in nanophotonic biosensor development, completing her PhD in this field at UNSW (2015). She expanded her expertise into translational cancer research and the clinical application of biosensors as a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth College, USA (2015–2017). Her work on advanced nanoplasmonic biosensors for diagnostics has been continuously supported by prestigious fellowships, including a Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship (2017–2020) and an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (2024).
As an Affiliated Researcher for the ARC Research Hub for Molecular Biosensors at Point-of-Use (MOBIUS), Dr Zhu’s research directly aligns with the Hub’s core mission. She contributes her deep expertise in nanophotonic sensing and translational diagnostics to the development of novel optical platforms. Her work focuses on engineering robust, field-deployable optical biosensors tailored for rapid, multiplexed and point-of-use healthcare applications.