Shichao Ding's Research

Fingertip wearable microgird

Finger wrap uses sweat to provide health monitoring at your fingertips

Sweat health monitor measures levels of disease markers

A wearable health monitor can reliably measure levels of important biochemicals in sweat during physical exercise.

3D‑printed sensor detect glyphosate in beverages

A newly developed, low-cost sensor can detect and accurately measure the amount of the widely used and controversial herbicide, glyphosate, in droplets of liquid in a laboratory test.

Earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease

a method to detect the biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease that is 10 times more sensitive than current blood testing technology.

Recent publications

  • Z. Li, Z. Guo, F. Zhang, L. Sun, H. Luan, Z. Fang, J. L. Dedrick, Y. Zhang, C. Tang, A. Zhu, Y. Yu, S. Ding, D. Wang, A.-Y. Chang, L. Yin, L. M. Russel, W. Gao, R. H. Fang, L. Zhang,* J. Wang.* Inhalable biohybrid microrobots: a non-invasive approach for lung treatment, Nature Communications, 2025, 16, 666 .
  • S. Ding,¹ T. Saha,¹ L. Yin,¹ R. Liu, M. I. Khan, A.-Y. Chang, H. Lee, H. Zhao, Y. Liu, A. S. Nazemi, J. Zhou, C. Chen, Z. Li, C. Zhang, S. Earney, S. Tang, O. Djassemi, X. Chen, M. Lin, S. S. Sandhu, J.-M. Moon, C. Moonla, P. Nandhakumar, Y. Park, K. Mahato, S. Xu, J. Wang*. A fingertip wearable microgrid system for autonomous energy management and metabolic monitoring. Nature Electronics, 2024, 7, 788–799. 
  • K. Mahato, T. Saha, S. Ding, S. S. Sandhu, A.-Y. Chang, J. Wang*. Hybrid multimodal bioelectronic wearable platforms for comprehensive wellness, health, and disease monitoring. Nature Electronics, 2024, 7, 735–750.
  • S. Ding, J. A. Barr, Z. Lyu,* F. Zhang, M. Wang, P. Tieu, X. Li, M. H. Engelhard, Z. Feng, S. P. Beckman, X. Pan, J. C. Li, D. Du, Y. Lin.* Effect of Phosphorus Modulation in Iron Single-Atom Catalysts for Peroxidase Mimicking. Advanced Materials, 2024, 36, 2209633.
  • J. X. An, Y. Meng, L. Fang, Z. Lyu, S. Tang, H. Shin, J. Lee, T. Li, C. Liu, S. Ding,* I. D. Kim,* J. C. Li.* Surface Engineering Strategy to Synthesize Bicomponent Carbons for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries. Energy Storage Materials, 2024, 70, 103520.
  • C. Chen,¹ S. Ding,¹ Joseph Wang*. Materials consideration for the design, fabrication and operation of microscale robots. Nature Review Materials, 2024, 9, 159-172.
  • F. Zhang, Z. Guo, Z. Li, H. Luan, Y. Yu, A.T. Zhu, S. Ding, W. Gao, R. H. Fang, L. Zhang,* J. Wang.* Biohybrid microrobots locally and actively deliver drug-loaded nanoparticles to inhibit the progression of lung metastasis. Science Advances, 2024, 10 (24), eadn6157. 
  • Y. Cai, R. Yang, J. Fu, Z. Li, K. Li, Y.-C. Chang, S. Ding, Z. Lyu, J.-R. Zhang, W. Zhu, J.-J. Zhu, L. Xie, Y. Lin. Self-pressurizing nanocatalytic capsules for CO2 electroreduction to acetate or propanol. Nature Synthesis, 2024, 1-12.
  • C. Chen,¹ S. Ding,¹ Joseph Wang*. Digital Health for Aging Populations. Nature Medicine, 2023, 29, 1623-1630. 
  • E. Vargas,¹ P. Nandhakumar,¹ S. Ding,¹ T. Saha,¹ J. Wang.* Insulin Detection: From Centralized Lab Assays to Self-Testing and On-Body Monitoring. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2023, 19, 487-495.

News

2025

Jan, Dr. Ding joined Organizing Committee of IEEE Biosensors 2025 and served as Publicity/ Local Activities Chair. Link

Jan, Dr. Ding‘s co-author paper about inhalable biohybrid microrobots for lung treatment, was published in Nature Communications. Link

Jan, Dr. Ding was back-to-back selected as the Winner of the 2025 Biosensors Travel Award. Link

2024

Dec. Feartured on CNN’s Vital Signs: “Can sweat measure our medication levels?”

Oct. Entitled into Marquis Who’s Who list.

Oct. Featured on Lexicon Podcast about “The future of non-invasive healthcare: wearable sweat sensors.” Link

Sep. Research highlighted on Nature Electronics and Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering. 

Sep. Featured on Fox News “Your sweat could hold secrets about your health” Link

Sep. Dr. Ding‘s first author paper on fingertip-wearable microgrid was published in Nature Electronics. Link

Sep. Dr. Ding‘s co-author paper on hybrid multimodal wearable sensor was published in Nature Electronics. Link

Aug. Our single-atom catalyst boosted Zn-air battery work and was selected as the Journal Cover of Advanced Functional Materials. Link

Jun. Dr. Ding‘s co-author paper on nanoscale capsule catalysts for CO2 electroreduction was published in Nature Synthesis. Link

Jun. Dr. Ding‘s co-author paper on biohybrid microrobots for inhibiting the progression of lung metastasis was published in Science Advances. Link

Jun. Dr. Ding’s corresponding author paper on bicomponent carbons for rechargeable zinc-air batteries was published in Energy Storage Materials. Link

Mar. Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Jiachi Zhou for accepting the Ph. D. offer at MIT.

Mar. Dr. Ding’s corresponding author paper on single-atom electrocatalysts for zinc-air batteries was published in Advanced Functional Materials. Link

Jan, Dr. Ding was selected as the Winner of the 2024 Biosensors Travel Award. Link