The mission of the Locke Biosensing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University is to reimagine and advance human health through the development of accessible, rapid, and clinically translatable diagnostic and screening technologies. We leverage biomedical engineering and chemistry to develop novel technologies with applications in women's health, gastrointestinal diseases, and global infectious diseases. Our research philosophy is rooted in accessible point of care technology in clinics and hospitals, adaptive discoveries for low-resource communities, and at-home tests to empower individuals in their healthcare needs. We are committed to reaching our goals through strong collaborations with clinicians, basic scientists, and engineers while fostering interest and curiosity through community outreach and STEM education.
Research Focus Areas:
1) The design and synthesis of novel bioassays for sensing of bioanalytes within complex biological fluids
2) The development and application of various portable Biophotonics-based spectroscopic tools for point-of-care sensing: surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, colorimetry, etc.
3) The design of low-cost, fluidic platform: paperfluidic, microfluidics, 3D printing, microencapsulation
For more information, please email andrea.locke@vanderbilt.edu
Dr. Locke has received the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center Mentoring award for the year 2025-2026. Her amazing work mentoring graduate, undergraduate, and high school students is celebrated by the center and Vanderbilt.
