Ella Pickell

My research focuses on using droplet microfluidics to detect and quantify rare biological targets with high sensitivity and precision. Individual targets are encapsulated with reagents in pico- to nanoliter droplets, preserving single-particle identity and increasing local target concentration. This enables more uniform amplification across targets and improves detection at lower concentrations compared to bulk PCR. Unlike traditional qPCR, droplet-based methods allow for direct target counting, eliminating the need for calibration curves and reducing variability. I apply this approach to study challenging targets such as cancer-associated circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the genome of Influenzavirus A.