Dr. Jan Halamek Lab
About Us
Currently, there is a lack of techniques for rapid on-site screening of body fluids, such as blood, fingerprints, and sweat. Each body fluid contains a specific set of clinical biomarkers that can be exploited for the determination of originator properties via point-of-care (POC) diagnostic approaches. These metabolites can be detected in various combinations to allow for a range of applications from the identification of an individual to the diagnosis of a disease. This concept has successfully been used for the determination of age from blood, of biological sex from fingerprints, and of individual differentiation from sweat. Biomedical diagnostic systems capable of detecting and monitoring metabolites related to an individual’s state-of-health facilitate a diagnosis and treatment by less-skilled medical professionals. Our research requires the identification of new metabolic markers for the development of rapid and non-invasive methods with forensic, clinical, and security applications.
News
- Jan Halamek and graduate student Gianna Biddle published a paper in Electrochemical Sciences Advances titled “Non‐Traditional Encryption Methods: Moving Toward Electrochemical Cryptography.” (December 2021)
- Jan Halamek will be instituting a new course in Homeland Security in the Spring 2022 semester at the Institute for Forensic Science.
- Jan Halamek was appointed Associate Editor for Forensic Chemistry, a specialty section of the journal Frontiers in Analytical Science. (June 2021)
- Jan Halamek and graduate student published a paper in ACS Omega titled “Determination of Time Since Deposition of Fingerprints via Colorimetric Assays.” They were also chosen to submit an alternate cover for this edition of the journal. (May 2021)
- The Halamek Research Group joined the Department of Environmental Toxicology at Texas Tech University, the Institute for Environmental and Human Health. (August 2020)
Current Interests
- Noninvasive sensing: detection and/or quantification of metabolites and other compounds found in sweat from the skin surface, can be applied to biometric, forensic, and biomedical purposes such as determination of biological sex, or age of fingerprints
- Forensic Serology: using biometric analysis of compounds found in blood for originator differentiation, similar to that of DNA comparison methods
- Fingerprint content analysis: utilizing the compounds contained in latent fingerprints to determine originator attributes for forensic investigative purposes
- Noninvasive detection of illicit drugs: sensing of illicit drug metabolites such as THC from individual sweat samples for forensic and biomedical purposes, as well as possible future law enforcement applications
- Novel approaches in chemical warfare agents (CWAs): ultra-sensitive detection and dosimetry of CWAs such as organophosphates (OPs) for military and homeland security application
Graduate Students:
Giana Biddle
Giana is from Lombard, IL. She received her Bachelor of Science in 2018 from Illinois Wesleyan University, where she double majored in chemistry and biology. Her undergraduate research focused on inorganic synthesis and redox catalysis. Giana joined the Halamek lab in Fall 2019. She followed him to arrive at Texas Tech in Fall 2020. Here, her research aims to employ enzymatic assays for trace analyte detection. Specifically, she is working on techniques which signal the presence of fentanyl and organophosphates, both of which as highly toxic classes of compounds. This research aims to increase safety for those who encounter drugs, pesticides, and chemical warfare agents.
Ashley Newland
Ashley is from Springfield, OH and earned her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry in 2019 from Kent State University. She focused on genetics and DNA studies while working in two research labs as an undergraduate student for over two years. Ashley is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Forensic Chemistry at the Institute of Forensic Science at Texas Tech University. She joined the Halámek lab during the fall semester of 2020 focusing her research on elemental analysis for forensic applications.
Estreylla Sierra
Estreylla is from Austin, TX. She completed her B.S. in Forensic Science at St. Edward’s University. During her undergraduate, she focused on the application of chemical processing to latent fingerprints. Estreylla is currently pursuing her Master's in Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Chemistry. She joined Halamek’s lab in Fall 2021, focusing her research on enzyme detection for forensic application and content analysis. This research aims to provide a new way to detect and analyze body fluids during investigations.
Brianna Garcia
is from El Paso, Tx. She received her Bachelor of Science in Forensic Chemistry in 2020 from The University of Texas at El Paso. Brianna is currently pursuing her master’s in Forensic Chemistry and joined Halamek’s lab in Spring 2022.
Emilynn Banks
is from San Antonio, Texas and completed her B.S. in Forensic Science with a concentration in Biology at UT El Paso in 2021. She is now pursuing her M.S. in Forensic Chemistry at Texas Tech’s Institute of Forensic Science. She joined Halamek’s lab in Spring 2022 where she works on developing enzymatic assays for the detection of illicit substances and toxic compounds.
Elizabeth (Lissa) Haddock
is from Austin, TX. She received her B.A. in 2017 for Forensic Anthropology and her B.S. in 2021 for Biology, both from Texas Tech University. Lissa is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Forensic Science with a focus in Chemistry at the Institute of Forensic Science at Texas Tech University. She joined Dr. Halamek’s lab in the Spring 2022.
Richelle Manson
Richelle is from Post Falls, ID and completed her B.S. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Forensics at University of Idaho. She is now pursuing her M.S in Forensic Science with a focus in Chemistry. She joined Dr. Halamek’s lab in Fall 2022.
Abby Cowley
Abby is from Longmont CO, and received a B.S. in Biology, with a Chemistry minor from Colorado State University. She is now persuing her M.S in Forensic Science, joining Halamek's lab in Fall 2022.
Samuel Hayes:
is from Roswell, NM. He received his B.A. in Creative Writing with a minor in Chemistry and German in 2020 from Texas Tech University. Samuel is currently pursuing his Master's in Forensic Science with a concentration in Forensic Chemistry. He joined Halamek's lab in Fall 2022.
Vrunda Rania
is from Gujarat, India. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology in 2019 from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat, India. She also secured Master of Science degree in Medical Technology with specialization in Clinical Laboratory Technology in 2021 from Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India. Currently, she is pursuing Master of Science in Forensic Science. She joined the Halamek Group in Fall 2022.
The Department of Environmental Toxicology (ENTX) is the academic home for the core faculty of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) and the Institute for Forensic Science (IFS) at Texas Tech University. TIEHH and IFS provide faculty and graduate students opportunities for multidisciplinary research and scholarly engagement related to environmental, forensic and human health sciences.
1207 Gilbert Drive • Box 41163 • Lubbock, Texas • Tel: 806-742-4567
© The Department of Environmental Toxicology (ENTX) - All Rights Reserved • Updated 10/20/21