Fischell Institute Fellow Spotlight: Don DeVoe

Don DeVoe (ME) is a Fischell Institute Fellow who has been a part of the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices since its launch in 2017.

In 2018, DeVoe moved his Maryland MEMS & Microfluidics Laboratory to A. James Clark Hall, where his group currently operates dedicated facilities for cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, microfluidic fabrication and characterization, and silicon microsystems testing. DeVoe is interested in the development of novel microfabrication techniques and harnessing these techniques to yield new capabilities in the biomedical sciences.

Beyond the Fischell Institute, DeVoe serves as ME Associate Chair of Research & Administration, and holds affiliate appointments in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

DeVoe’s current work includes the development of 3D cell culture and tumor-on-a-chip platforms for cancer biology, low-cost and highly portable nucleic acid diagnostics, and microfluidic tools to probe immune system dynamics. His lab is also developing several microscale platforms for advanced aerobiology studies, with a particular interest in determining the distribution of viable viruses across different size populations of aerosol particles, with single particle resolition.

“We have been fortunate to have opportunities to engage with clinical partners at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the National Institutes of Health, and several local hospitals,” DeVoe said. “These collaborations are key in helping us shape technologies developed in our lab for clinical use. Moving these technologies toward clinical translation is a central motivation for the entire lab.”

One of DeVoe's long-standing research interests is the development of microfluidic technologies for continuous-flow nanomedicine synthesis. DeVoe believes there is enormous potential for emerging microfluidic systems to vastly improve the agility, throughput, and performance of nanomedicine manufacturing, particularly for RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines.

Outside of work, DeVoe enjoys anything alpine. He spends most of his free time rock climbing, skiing, and backpacking locally and further afield.

Published November 30, 2022