Bio

Sushruta Surappa is a postdoctoral researcher at the Canary Center for Early Cancer Detection at Stanford University, supported by an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. His current research focuses on developing various MEMS-based tools for the separation and capture of extracellular vesicles for medical diagnostics. Sushruta received his MS (‘15) and PhD (‘21) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, where he developed a new class of nonlinear MEMS transducers with applications in wireless power transfer, sensing and energy harvesting. He is passionate about developing low-cost, miniature technologies for medical diagnostics and is a keen proponent of science communication.

Institute Affiliations

Honors & Awards

  • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (2025)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute (2023)

Professional Education

  • Master of Science, Georgia Institute of Technology (2015)
  • PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology (2021)

Stanford Advisors

Contact

  • Academic
    ssurappa@stanford.edu
    University - Scholar Department: Radiology Position: Postdoctoral Scholar

Additional Info

All Publications

  • Dynamically reconfigurable acoustofluidic metasurface for subwavelength particle manipulation and assembly. Nature communications Surappa, S., Pavagada, S., Soto, F., Akin, D., Wei, C., Degertekin, F. L., Demirci, U. 2025; 16 (1): 494

    Abstract

    Particle manipulation plays a pivotal role in scientific and technological domains such as materials science, physics, and the life sciences. Here, we present a dynamically reconfigurable acoustofluidic metasurface that enables precise trapping and positioning of microscale particles in fluidic environments. By harnessing acoustic-structure interaction in a passive membrane resonator array, we generate localized standing acoustic waves that can be reconfigured in real-time. The resulting radiation force allows for subwavelength manipulation and patterning of particles on the metasurface at individual and collective scales, with actuation frequencies below 2 MHz. We further demonstrate the capabilities of the reconfigurable metasurface in trapping and enriching beads and biological cells flowing in microfluidic channels, showcasing its potential in high-throughput bioanalytical applications. Our versatile and biocompatible particle manipulation platform is suitable for applications ranging from the assembly of colloidal particles to enrichment of rare cells.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-55337-0

    View details for PubMedID 39814720

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11736025

  • Integrated "lab-on-a-chip" microfluidic systems for isolation, enrichment, and analysis of cancer biomarkers. Lab on a chip Surappa, S., Multani, P., Parlatan, U., Sinawang, P. D., Kaifi, J., Akin, D., Demirci, U. 2023

    Abstract

    The liquid biopsy has garnered considerable attention as a complementary clinical tool for the early detection, molecular characterization and monitoring of cancer over the past decade. In contrast to traditional solid biopsy techniques, liquid biopsy offers a less invasive and safer alternative for routine cancer screening. Recent advances in microfluidic technologies have enabled handling of liquid biopsy-derived biomarkers with high sensitivity, throughput, and convenience. The integration of these multi-functional microfluidic technologies into a 'lab-on-a-chip' offers a powerful solution for processing and analyzing samples on a single platform, thereby reducing the complexity, bio-analyte loss and cross-contamination associated with multiple handling and transfer steps in more conventional benchtop workflows. This review critically addresses recent developments in integrated microfluidic technologies for cancer detection, highlighting isolation, enrichment, and analysis strategies for three important sub-types of cancer biomarkers: circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA and exosomes. We first discuss the unique characteristics and advantages of the various lab-on-a-chip technologies developed to operate on each biomarker subtype. This is then followed by a discussion on the challenges and opportunities in the field of integrated systems for cancer detection. Ultimately, integrated microfluidic platforms form the core of a new class of point-of-care diagnostic tools by virtue of their ease-of-operation, portability and high sensitivity. Widespread availability of such tools could potentially result in more frequent and convenient screening for early signs of cancer at clinical labs or primary care offices.

    View details for DOI 10.1039/d2lc01076c

    View details for PubMedID 37314731

  • Programmable Shape Morphing Metasponge ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS Soto, F., Tsui, A., Surappa, S., Ahmed, R., Wang, J., Kilinc, U., Akin, D., Demirci, U. 2023

    View details for DOI 10.1002/aisy.202300043

    View details for Web of Science ID 000974241500001

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9415-0434