Biography

Dr. Demir  Akin  is a well-known expert in Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine and a pioneer interdisciplinaryscientist in the areas of diagnostic and therapeutic micro/nano-fabricated devices, nano-based targeted drug and imaging agent design and deliveryfor cancer as well as infectious diseases. His formal education includes a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, a master's in clinical and diagnostic microbiology and a PhD in pathology and molecular virology. He has 30+ years of experience in biomedical sciences and 13+ years of expertisein Electrical Engineering (biosensors) and Medical Nanotechnology. Prior to moving to Stanford School of Medicine, he was at the School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University as an Assistant Research Professor (Nanomedicine) and there he also managed six of the BioMEMS and Nanobio laboratories of the Birck Nanotechnology Center. Dr. Akin joined the Department of Radiology at Stanford in 2008 and has been directing a Cancer Nanotechnologyresearch portfolio of more than $30M during the past six years. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation (CCNE-T; http://mips.stanford.edu/grants/ccne-t, PI: Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, MD, PhD) in the School of Medicine at Stanford University. The Center consists of a consortium of prominent nanoscientists, engineers and physicians from top universities in the country working together to solve problems in cancer early detection and prediction as well asmonitoring of response to cancer therapy using nanotechnology-based in vitro diagnostics and medical imaging tools. During his earlier carrier, Dr. Akin worked in the areas of artificial intelligence-based In-Silico Biology and Genomics atthe School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue and,in 2002, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department there as a Senior Scientist and was instrumental in the ground-up design, operation, and leadership of the Birck Nanotechnology Center until his move to Stanford in May 2008. Dr. Akin carried out research in the areas of diagnostic and therapeutic micro/nano-medical devices, microchip and BioMEMS/NEMS-based devices for applications in cancer andinfectious disease detection, in particularultrasensitive detection of air-borne pathogens with pandemic/biothreat potential.  Dr. Akin’s current research interests are focused on the development and clinical validation of wearable/implantable micro-fabricated devices for continuous and minimally invasive monitoring of cancer relevant biomarkers (protein, nucleic acid and circulating tumor cells) in bodily fluids, intracellular nanomedical robotics, analysis of cell:cellsignaling in cancer, biomimetic medical devices, and bionics for function restorative medicine. Among many of his distinctions, he is a member of the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer and nanoHub, a founding member of the American Academy of Nanomedicine, a founding member of International Society for Human Simulation, and serves as panelist on numerous grant and scientific review boards nationally and internationally as well as being an editorial board member of twojournals. Dr. Akin has also contributed to two very important U.S. National Nanotechnology Policy Recommendations and Plans:  a) Cancer Nanotechnology Plan 2010-2020. National Cancer Institute, NIH (this landmark plan outlines the next 10-year national goals and milestones for the use of nanotechnology in cancer); b)Nanotechnology Research Directions for Societal Needs in 2020, National Science Foundation (this important publication lays the groundwork for phase 2 of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, outlining the visions until 2020, assesses the needs and offers recommendations for the use of nanotechnology in biology and medicine).Dr. Akin is open for collaborationsaround the areas listed above and can be contacted by one of the means below.