Heather Clark
Analytical Chemist, Biomedical Engineering Group
Task Leader, Optical Nanosensors
 Heather Clark had some specific requirements for her job search when she finished her postdoctoral fellowship at the
University of Connecticut’s Center for Biomedical Imaging Technology. “I was looking for a place where I could do more
than fundamental research. I wanted to be able to take a discovery through to an application,” says Clark. At Draper, she
found that balance: “Draper is unique. Here I can be creative and research new ideas, but then take the results and work
with engineers to actually develop a usable application.”
Task leader on the Optical Nanosensors project, Clark has developed fluorescent polymer beads that bind to specific ions.
Because intensity of fluorescence is dependent on the numbers of ions present, the beads can provide a quantitative
measurement of ion flux in single cells. A number of diseases are related to ion channel dysfunction, including cystic
fibrosis, and this technology can be useful for noninvasive testing of drug treatment protocols.
Her team is investigating how to bind the beads to small molecules like glucose. This could lead to a new in vivo glucose
measurement tool for diabetics that would eliminate blood-based glucose testing. She imagines the system as glucose-binding
fluorescent beads periodically injected under the skin, like a small tattoo. A laser device attached to a watch or bracelet could
read fluorescence through the skin for accurate, continuous glucose measurement.
Clark believes Draper is a perfect place to conceive of and build this type of monitor: “A lot of engineering skills, particularly
in microscale devices, are necessary to construct it. You need a place like Draper to address all of the components.” |
