(she/her/hers)
University of Toronto
nano-communication, Terahertz intra-body applications, biosensing, protein signaling
Hadeel Elayan is a PhD candidate at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Profs. Ravi Adve and Andrew Eckford. Her research focuses on stimulating molecular interactions, specifically protein folding, using electromagnetic waves, where she proposed a stimuli-responsive intra-body model that is controlled using Terahertz nanosensors. The models she formulates contribute towards a paradigmal shift in the field of body area networks and specifically in the area of intra-body communication. Hadeel has published several papers in high-tier conferences and journals. She received various awards during her PhD including the 2019 and 2021 Ontario Graduate Scholarships, the 2021 Photonics Expansion Grant and the Mitacs Globalink Research Award. Hadeel is also a Junior Fellow at Massey's college and she serves as the vice-chair of the IEEE ComSoc Chapter, Toronto Section.
On the THz-EM Control of Protein Interactions: A Novel Paradigm for Nanoscale Communication
One open research area in molecular communication (MC) involves establishing interfaces to connect the MC network with its external environment. These interfaces permit conventional devices in the external environment to control the location and timing of MC and increase its capability. Despite the diverse works presented in the literature, the problem of designing suitable interfaces that interconnect MC processes with the macro-world remains unresolved. To bridge this gap, we propose an interactive paradigm which couples MC and THz-EM communication by stimulating proteins in the human body. Interestingly, for our purposes, proteins exhibit vibrational spectral features in the THz frequency regime, corresponding to functionally relevant modes. These modes are discussed as the dynamics leading to possible conformational changes, ligand binding and oxidation state.
Our research goal is to show how directing the mechanical signaling inside protein molecules using THz signals can control changes in their structure and activate associated biochemical and biomechanical events. To establish that, we formulate a selectivity metric that quantifies the system performance and captures the capability of the nanoantenna to induce a conformational change in the desired protein molecule/population. The metric provides a score between ‚àí1 and 1 that indicates the degree of control we have over the system to achieve targeted protein interactions. The presented work sheds light on the potential associated with the electromagnetic-based control of protein networks, which could lead to a plethora of applications in the medical field ranging from bio-sensing to targeted therapy.