Della Dx
Project Overview
University
Year
About
Many diseases require precise measurement of biological markers, yet quantitative testing usually depends on centralised laboratories, costly equipment and trained personnel. Della Dx uses cell-free biological systems, containing cellular machinery outside a living cell, that are programmed to respond to specific proteins. When a target is detected, the test produces a colour change indicating its concentration. Its modular design allows components to be exchanged for different markers, potentially accelerating the development of affordable tests for conditions including cancer, heart disease and pregnancy complications, with women’s health as the initial focus.
Team
Lex Patterson
Lex Patterson is a NIH K00 research fellow studying translational therapeutics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She received her PhD from Georgia Tech in 2026 were she led multiple efforts in point-of-care diagnostic development. She was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, a Georgia Tech Presidential Fellow, and won Georgia Tech’s 2024 Three Minute Thesis competition. She is passionate about translating bioengineering solutions from the benchtop to the bedside in a user-centric way.
Felicia Oentoro
Felicia Oentoro is a fifth-year chemical engineering PhD candidate in bioengineering with diverse experiences spanning engineering and entrepreneurship. After her undergraduate work in chemical engineering at The University of Texas, she joined the Venture For America fellowship program that placed her in Cleveland with a nonprofit organization; her role focused on helping entrepreneurs and scientists in the water monitoring space find resources to grow their technologies and businesses. This sparked her interest in entrepreneurship and led her to pursue a PhD at Georgia Tech, where she was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and is part of TI:GER, an entrepreneurship and innovation education program.