In this section
The long-term vision of the Intelligent Textiles for Health Research, Engineering, Augmentation, and Design Lab (I-THREAD Lab) is to revolutionise and pioneer advanced textiles for Health, Sustainability, and Beyond through transdisciplinary strategies.
The I-THREAD Laboratory focuses on developing and applying flexible devices for human-oriented applications through multidisciplinary, multiscale, and AI-assisted engineering approaches. Our research includes intelligent wearable devices for monitoring applications, closed-loop diagnostic and therapeutic biomedical systems, functional and smart textiles (including electronic fibers, intelligent yarns and fabrics, silk protein materials, and biomedical textiles), augmented sensing technologies powered by AI for human-robot interaction, renewable energy harvesting devices, and large-scale fabrication and manufacturing technologies for producing textile devices.
As global challenges in healthcare and sustainability continue to intensify, the integration of intelligent textiles with multidisciplinary technologies offers transformative opportunities to address these critical issues. Our research focuses on the development of advanced wearable devices and closed-loop biomedical systems, designed to provide accessible and cost-effective personalized healthcare solutions. Beyond advancing healthcare innovation, our work also contributes to the design of renewable energy harvesting systems, aligning with the urgent need for environmental sustainability. By leveraging scalable manufacturing techniques, we aim to deliver impactful, bench-to-bedside solutions that benefit both society and technological progress.
Our work aims to benefit patients by enabling continuous health monitoring, accurate diagnostics, and personalized therapies through intelligent wearable devices and close-loop biomedical systems. These innovations improve treatment outcomes, enhance patient comfort, and reduce the burden on traditional healthcare systems. By integrating renewable energy solutions, we also ensure sustainable and cost-effective medical devices. Additionally, our augmented sensing technologies support advanced rehabilitation and assistive systems, enhancing interactions among surgeons, patients, and robotic systems to improve healthcare outcomes.
@article{Chen:2025:10.1021/acssensors.5c02685,
author = {Chen, K and Loynachan, CN and Thanapongpibul, C and Zhang, J and Ma, L and Yeow, J and Najer, A and Stevens, MM},
doi = {10.1021/acssensors.5c02685},
journal = {ACS Sensors},
pages = {8778--8779},
title = {Photo-PISA driven in situ encapsulation of nanocluster-based sensors within stimuli-responsive polymersomes for AND logic gate sensing},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c02685},
volume = {10},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Colorimetric sensing is a widely utilized analytical technique due to its simplicity, accessibility, rapid response, and broad applicability in medical diagnostics. However, improving the sensitivity and specificity of these assays remains a critical challenge in complex disease states, especially when sensing endogenous enzymes as biomarkers. In this study, we have developed a hierarchical AND logic gate dual-sensing platform that integrates peptide-templated, catalytically active gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), acting as nanozymes tethered to a carrier protein (AuNC-protein complex nanosensor), and loads them within pH-responsive polymersomes synthesized via in situ photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly (photo-PISA). Under physiological conditions, the AuNC-protein complex is stably encapsulated within the enzyme-impermeable polymersome but becomes released under acidic conditions. In the presence of a target enzyme, the AuNCs can then be cleaved from the supramolecular protein complex, separated, and quantified by a colorimetric readout, yielding a positive signal only when the sensor encounters both an acidic environment and the target enzyme. This AND logic gate design minimizes background signals and enhances specificity, making it particularly suitable for complex biological environments. We envision future use of this system for dual-responsive in vivo sensing of overexpressed enzymes in acidic tumor or inflammatory microenvironments, with a simple colorimetric urinary readout.
AU - Chen,K
AU - Loynachan,CN
AU - Thanapongpibul,C
AU - Zhang,J
AU - Ma,L
AU - Yeow,J
AU - Najer,A
AU - Stevens,MM
DO - 10.1021/acssensors.5c02685
EP - 8779
PY - 2025///
SN - 2379-3694
SP - 8778
TI - Photo-PISA driven in situ encapsulation of nanocluster-based sensors within stimuli-responsive polymersomes for AND logic gate sensing
T2 - ACS Sensors
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c02685
VL - 10
ER -
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