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Professors & Pizza: Yi Zuo
February 12, 2021 @ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Please join us for Dr. Yi Zuo’s seminar on “Airborne Transmission of COVID-19.”
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), due to infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now causing a global pandemic. Considering the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, there is an urgent need to study the possibility of airborne transmission and its impact on the respiratory system. In this seminar, I will review the complete pathway of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from aerosol dispersion in air to subsequent biological uptake after inhalation. Focus will be given to the colloidal mechanisms of aerosol transmission and deposition in the lung, and biophysical interactions with the pulmonary surfactant film, which acts as the initial alveolar-capillary barrier and first-line host defense against inhaled particles and pathogens. I will also discuss our latest efforts of using exogenous surfactants as a supportive therapy to treat COVID-19 patients, and the importance of wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Yi Zuo, Professor, ME
- Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto, 2006
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing 2001
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing 1998
Research interests: General colloid and surface science and its applications in area of biomedical and biotechnological interest. In particular, I am interested in: (1) Biophysical and biomedical studies of pulmonary surfactant and self-assembled monolayers; (2) Pulmonary toxicology of nanomaterials and nanoparticle-based pulmonary drug delivery; (3) Development of surface tension and contact angle measurement methodologies; and (4) Biocolloidal systems related to particles and microorganisms, such as cell sorting and bacterial adhesion.
The Zoom link for his seminar is: