About

Dr. Kiana Aran is the Principal Investigator at the Aran Lab at UC San Diego, where she directs research at the intersection of engineering and biology. Her lab focuses on merging the precision of modern electronics with the complexity of biological systems to create biointegrated platforms that can detect molecular signals, interpret cellular behavior, and convert biological information into actionable knowledge. The research under her leadership emphasizes the development of novel bio-microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS) and the integration of electrical, mechanical, chemical, and bioengineering approaches to address unmet clinical needs in diagnostics and therapeutics. Current projects in the lab include biosensing, lab-on-a-chip systems, drug delivery, and implantable devices aimed at identifying age- and cancer-related biomarkers and enhancing the delivery of biologics. Dr. Aran's work envisions a future where machines do not merely measure biological phenomena but actively collaborate with biological systems to heal, adapt, and evolve.

Research topics

• Biology
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Immunology
• Endocrinology
• Virology
• Chemistry
• Cell biology

Selected publications

• Red Blood Cell-Derived Exosomes as Mediators of Age-Related Neurodegeneration

  Rejuvenation Research · 2025-06-04 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are marked by progressive degeneration of the nervous system. Current diagnostic approaches, such as neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, are invasive, costly, and lack early diagnostic reliability. Recent studies highlight the potential of extracellular vesicles, particularly exosomes, derived from erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs), as emerging indicators of aging and age-associated diseases. Exosomes carry noncoding RNA, lipid, and protein molecules, and modulate cellular pathways at distant sites, providing neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we isolated RBC-derived exosomes of young and old mice. MicroRNA sequencing analysis revealed differential expression of several miRNA species between young and old mice. We report an upregulation of miR-125a-5p and a downregulation of miR-302a-5p in old mice that are potentially linked to neurodegenerative pathways. This study underscores the potential of RBC-derived exosomes as noninvasive biomarkers for NDDs.

  PublisherDOI

• Meet the winners of the 2024 Sony Women in Technology Award

  Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering · 2025-05-08

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Age-dependent neuroinflammatory effects of red blood cells and their exosomes in a human brain-on-chip model

  Blood Red Cells & Iron · 2025-12-15

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The systemic blood milieu profoundly influences the cellular function across tissues, acting as a key driver of age-related cognitive decline. Therapeutic plasma exchange and heterochronic parabiosis have widely explored the role of plasma and blood age on various tissues. However, the role of red blood cells (RBCs) remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the impact of RBCs and their exosomal cargo from young (aged 20-40 years) and old (aged 50-70 years) donors on human brain cells using a human brain microphysiological system (hB-MPS). The RBCs and their exosomes from the donors were circulated in the vascular channel of the hB-MPS device. Compared with that obtained from young donors, RBCs and their exosomes from old donors exhibited elevated levels of the inflammatory marker CD68 and increased the accumulation of heme in the brain cells. Molecular profiling of the RBC-derived exosomes using proteomics and microRNA sequencing analysis revealed age-associated differences in cargo, including downregulation of proteins linked to neuroprotective pathways and upregulation of those involved in inflammation and synaptic dysregulation. Proteomic analysis of the brain cells in response to the RBC-derived exosomes from older donors altered brain cell homeostasis by modulating key signaling pathways directly correlated to neurobiological processes such as cytokine signaling, neurotrophin signaling, metabolic activity, and DNA repair. This highlights a novel role for RBCs in brain aging and neuroinflammation and points toward RBCs and their exosomal profiling as a biomarker for age-associated pathologies.

  PublisherDOI

• Real-Time Monitoring in Biomanufacturing with Graphene Field-Effect Transistor Sensors: Detection of pH, Glucose, and Antibodies

  GEN Biotechnology · 2024-12-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  In high-efficiency smart biomanufacturing, continuous monitoring of products, byproducts, and reagents is crucial for optimizing production processes, improving yield, and ensuring product quality. This monitoring maintains optimal conditions, reduces waste, and enables swift corrective actions, minimizing the risk of producing out-of-specification products. With advancements in cell-free biomanufacturing, the importance of in-line sensing technologies has increased, as they provide real-time tracking of biochemical processes, allowing immediate adjustments to keep manufacturing efficient and consistent. In this study, we successfully developed a graphene field-effect transistor (gFET) sensor to monitor key parameters such as glucose, pH, and immunoglobulin G antibody levels in cell culture media from a CHO cells bioreactor. The gFET sensor accurately detected pH levels between 6.8 and 8.2, glucose concentrations from 5 to 30 mM, and antibody levels ranging from 25 to 100 µg/mL, highlighting the potential of graphene sensors for inline sensing in advanced biomanufacturing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CRISPR quality control on a chip

  Nature Reviews Bioengineering · 2024-02-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Applications of Graphene Field Effect Biosensors for Biological Sensing

  Advances in biochemical engineering, biotechnology · 2024-01-01 · 3 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Development of Single Molecule Techniques for Sensing and Manipulation of CRISPR and Polymerase Enzymes

  Small · 2023-05-24 · 3 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and polymerases are powerful enzymes and their diverse applications in genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics have revolutionized the biotechnology industry today. CRISPR has been widely adopted for genomic editing applications and Polymerases can efficiently amplify genomic transcripts via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Further investigations into these enzymes can reveal specific details about their mechanisms that greatly expand their use. Single-molecule techniques are an effective way to probe enzymatic mechanisms because they may resolve intermediary conformations and states with greater detail than ensemble or bulk biosensing techniques. This review discusses various techniques for sensing and manipulation of single biomolecules that can help facilitate and expedite these discoveries. Each platform is categorized as optical, mechanical, or electronic. The methods, operating principles, outputs, and utility of each technique are briefly introduced, followed by a discussion of their applications to monitor and control CRISPR and Polymerases at the single molecule level, and closing with a brief overview of their limitations and future prospects.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CRISPR-Cas-Based Biomonitoring for Marine Environments: Toward CRISPR RNA Design Optimization Via Deep Learning

  The CRISPR Journal · 2023-07-13 · 15 citations

  articleOpen access

  Almost all of Earth's oceans are now impacted by multiple anthropogenic stressors, including the spread of nonindigenous species, harmful algal blooms, and pathogens. Early detection is critical to manage these stressors effectively and to protect marine systems and the ecosystem services they provide. Molecular tools have emerged as a promising solution for marine biomonitoring. One of the latest advancements involves utilizing CRISPR-Cas technology to build programmable, rapid, ultrasensitive, and specific diagnostics. CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPR-Dx) has the potential to allow robust, reliable, and cost-effective biomonitoring in near real time. However, several challenges must be overcome before CRISPR-Dx can be established as a mainstream tool for marine biomonitoring. A critical unmet challenge is the need to design, optimize, and experimentally validate CRISPR-Dx assays. Artificial intelligence has recently been presented as a potential approach to tackle this challenge. This perspective synthesizes recent advances in CRISPR-Dx and machine learning modeling approaches, showcasing CRISPR-Dx potential to progress as a rising molecular tool candidate for marine biomonitoring applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Single Multiomics Transistor for Electronic Detection of SARS‐Cov2 Variants Antigen and Viral RNA Without Amplification

  Advanced Materials Technologies · 2023-04-04 · 19 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic caused a public health crisis throughout the world and highlighted the need for rapid and sensitive testing as a countermeasure. A sensitive and specific biosensor platform is developed for the detection of antigen and RNA of SARS‐CoV‐2, and its variant (B1.1.529). The demonstrated biosensor platform combines unique protein catalyzed capture bioreceptors (PCCs) for antigen capture and a chimeric (RNA‐DNA) probe for RNA detection using LwaCas13a collateral cleavage activity atop graphene field effect transistors (gFETs). The reported biosensor is able to differentiate unprocessed 10 4 pfu m −1 samples of SARS‐CoV‐2 from Influenza and Rhinovirus. The limit of detection (LOD) calculated for SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen is 10 3 in buffer and 10 4 PFU mL −1 in 10% saliva, while LOD of ≈65 a m calculated for viral RNA isolate without amplification. To provide a high reliability of detection, the role of internal and external factors with respect to gate voltage is further analyzed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Based on PCA analysis, the authors are able to classify the samples as pathogen positive or negative ( Y > 0: Positive for pathogen, Y < 0: Negative for pathogen). The reported platform can be quickly adapted for multi‐omics and multiplexed diagnosis of continuously evolving biothreats and global pandemics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Development and integration of protein catalyzed capture agents as novel receptors for pathogen detection

  2023-06-14 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  For over two years, the world has endured a coronavirus pandemic resulting in over 470 million illnesses, 6 million deaths, and substantial supply chain disruptions. Prior to effective treatments, experts estimated that in the United States alone as many as 20 – 30 million tests should be conducted weekly to safely reopen, while highly effective vaccines took nearly a year to enter general distribution. This global event has highlighted the importance of developing and deploying rapid testing and treatment options for emerging pathogens. Currently, antibodies are the gold standard for biorecognition elements used in biosensors and may also be utilized to treat infection. Unfortunately, they can be challenging to mass produce and are sensitive to biological and temperature degradation, limiting broader distribution and equitable global access.Protein Catalyzed Capture agents (PCCs) present an alluring alternative as these small peptide macrocycles are comprised of unnatural amino acids and exhibit thermal and enzymatic stability. Their chemical synthesis enables scalable and reproducible production at diminished cost, while modular functionalities allow versatile applications in sensing and therapeutics, expanding the potential for more ubiquitous access to sensing & treatment options. This work sought to derive PCC receptors with high affinity and specificity for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from a one bead one compound peptide library. Chemically synthesized epitope fragments of the SARS-COV-2 spike protein were screened against the library and PCC receptor leads identified through entropically favored, un-catalyzed “click” reactions. Mass spectrometry and multiplex affinity assays then enabled down-selection of promising receptors. Modular chemical modifications were made to selected receptors to enable effective integration into a graphene field effect transistor (gFET) sensor which demonstrated a practical limit of detection of 103 pfu/mL inactivated SARS-CoV- 2 virus and the ability to discriminate between SARS-COV-2 and Influenza or Rhino viruses.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• New Generation Blood Exchange Devices for Enhancing Tissue Regeneration and Health

  NIH · $1.6M · 2018–2023

• CAREER: High bandwidth nano-transistors to understand the kinetic basis for CRISPR/CAS enzymes to enhance their applications for diagnostics and therapeutics

  NSF · $465k · 2021–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Jonalyn DeCastro

  Keck Graduate Institute

  28 shared

• Maryam Moarefian

  University of California, Santa Cruz

  24 shared

• Deependra Kumar Ban

  Keck Graduate Institute

  18 shared

• Antonia McDonnell Capossela

  Keck Graduate Institute

  17 shared

• Ryan Eom

  Claremont Colleges

  17 shared

• Irina M. Conboy

  University of California, Berkeley

  16 shared

• Michael J. Conboy

  University of California, Berkeley

  12 shared

• Chao Liu

  11 shared

Labs

• Aran LabPI

Awards & honors

• Sony and Nature Award for Top Women in Technology (2025)
• Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (2024)
• Distinguished Engineer of the Year by the San Diego Society…
• New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2023)
• Inc. USA’s Top 200 Female Founders (2023)