Dimitrov-06 Annual Report
	Dimitrov PhD projects
	PhD Scholarships
	Contact Krassen Dimitrov

Dr Dimitrov’s current interests are in the area of electronic detection which poses numerous interesting challenges at the boundary of biochemistry and nanoscience. Recent advances in fabrication and characterization of nanoelectrodes opens up the possibility for their use in detection of individual biomolecules, while at the same time overcoming the limitations of optical detection posed by the diffraction properties of light.

Krassen is in the process of building a diverse multidisciplinary group with expertise in nanoelectronics, electrochemistry, molecular biology and microfluidics. He completed a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Systems Biology in Seattle. Prior to joining AIBN Dr. Dimitrov was the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NanoString Technologies, Inc.

Research Projects

Nanobarcodes for electronic detection of biomolecules - Single molecule detection techniques reveal the most intricate quantitative detail, far exceeding the performance of traditional analytical methods that quantify gross statistical samplings for a given analyte. Single-molecule techniques allow for each molecule to be individually identified and counted so that the output of the assay is direct digital data, rather than an analog value.

The project’s goal is to investigate and develop a highly multiplexed single molecule barcoding system based on electrical detection. Such system will have the advantages of low cost, high speed and high sensitivity.

To achieve this goal the following Specific Aims are being pursued:

1. Fabrication of an electronic nanodetector for electrochemical readout of molecular nanobarcodes. 
2. Development of DNA-based nanobarcodes, consisting of an affinity probe and a barcode segment.
3. Controlled movement of nanobarcodes in a mirofluidic channel using magnetophoresis.

Key Publications

1. Matynia, A.; Dimitrov, K.; Mueller, U.; He, X. W.; Sazer, S., Perturbations in the spi1p GTPase cycle of Schizosaccharomyces pombe through its GTPase-activating protein and guanine nucleotide exchange factor components result in similar phenotypic consequences. Molecular and Cellular Biology 1996, 16, (11), 6352-6362. 
2. Dimitrov, K.; Sazer, S., The role of fnx1, a fission yeast multidrug resistance protein, in the transition of cells to a quiescent G(0) state. Molecular and Cellular Biology 1998, 18, (9), 5239-5246. 
3. Wang, Y. X.; Dimitrov, K.; Garrity, L. K.; Sazer, S.; Beverley, S. M., Stage-specific activity of the Leishmania major CRK3 kinase and functional rescue of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc2 mutant. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 1998, 96, (1-2), 139-150. 
4. Baliga, N. S.; Pan, M.; Goo, Y. A.; Yi, E. C.; Goodlett, D. R.; Dimitrov, K.; Shannon, P.; Aebersold, R.; Ng, W. V.; Hood, L., Coordinate regulation of energy transduction modules in Halobacterium sp analyzed by a global systems approach. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2002, 99, (23), 14913-14918. 
5. Prinz, S.; Avila-Campillo, I.; Aldridge, C.; Srinivasan, A.; Dimitrov, K.; Siegel, A. F.; Galitski, T., Control of yeast filamentous-form growth by modules in an integrated molecular network. Genome Research 2004, 14, (3), 380-390. 
6. Halvorsen, O. J.; Oyan, A. M.; Bo, T. H.; Olsen, S.; Rostad, K.; Haukaas, S. A.; Bakke, A. M.; Marzolf, B.; Dimitrov, K.; Stordrange, L.; Lin, B. Y.; Jonassen, I.; Hood, L.; Akslen, L. A.; Kalland, K. H., Gene expression profiles in prostate cancer: Association with patient subgroups and tumour differentiation. International Journal of Oncology 2005, 26, (2), 329-336. 
7. Gary K. Geiss, R. B., Brian Birditt, Timothy Dahl, Naeem Dowidar,; Dwayne L. Dunaway, H. P. F., Sean Ferree, Renee D. George, Tammy Grogan,; Jeffrey J. James, M. M., Jeffrey D. Mitton, Paola Oliveri, Jennifer L.; Osborn, T. P., Amber L. Ratcliffe, Philippa J. Webster, Eric H. Davidson, Leroy; Hood, a. K. D., The NanoString™ nCounter™ System: A Highly Sensitive, Digital Technology for Multiplexed Measurement of Gene Expression Without Reverse Transcription or PCR. Nature Biotechnology 2007.