Adrienne Garcia
MIT Department:
Biological Engineering
Faculty Mentor:
Mercedes Balcells-Camps
Research Supervisor:
Daniel Torres Suñé
Undergraduate Institution:
University of New Mexico
Biography
Adrienne Garcia is a chemical and biological engineering student at the University of New Mexico. Seeing the challenges women face in accessing preventive and cancer care, Adrienne aspires to pursue a PhD and lead translational research to improve access to and the quality of cancer interventions and treatments. As an MSRP intern, Adrienne works in the Edelman Lab under Dr. Mercedes Balcells-Camps, contributing to two different biomaterials projects: creating bone bio-ink using salmon and biochip technology for diagnosing depression. At her home institution’s King Lab, she studies protein-nucleic acid interactions. Previously, she conducted research in the Francis Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on drug-loading experiments. Adrienne’s commitment to improving the world through research earned her the 2026 Barry Goldwater Scholarship in addition to being recognized as Chemical and Biological Engineering’s Outstanding Sophomore of the year at the University of New Mexico.
Biofunctionalization of Field-Effect Transistor (FET) Biosensors for
Diagnosing Depression
Adrienne Garcia1, Daniel Torres Suñé2, Dr. Mercedes Balcells-Camps2
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico
2Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Major Depressive Disorder affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, yet its diagnosis still relies largely on subjective clinical assessments and self-reporting rather than quantitative measurements. The development of graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) based biofunctionalized FET-biosensors would allow for real time detection of biomarkers related to depression found in biological fluids and a quantifiable way to diagnose and monitor depression. In this project, graphene-based biosensors were biofunctionalized through a surface immobilized biorecognition elements specific to Interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory protein and target biomarker related to depression. These biosensors were tested for their ability to accurately detect concentrations of IL-6 in protein solutions, blood, tears, saliva and urine against Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA). Additionally, MoS2 surfaces were evaluated for biofunctionalization potential with the promise of a cheaper, easier manufacturing process in comparison to graphene.
