Recently, the 21st IEEE International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineering and Molecular Systems (IEEE NEMS 2026) concluded successfully in Chengdu, Sichuan. As a premier academic event in the micro/nano field, the conference was hosted by the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, jointly organized by IEEE, the IEEE Nanotechnology Council, and iCANX, gathering top experts from around the world. On this high-level international platform, Chen Xinyi and Ye Zitong, undergraduate students of Grade 2022 from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Shantou University, delivered outstanding performances under the guidance of Dr. Guo Weijin. Notably, Ye Zitong won the Best Paper Award in Micro/Nanofluidics, fully demonstrating the solid research strength and international academic communication competence of STU students.
Ye Zitong’s award-winning paper is entitled Magnetic Field‑Induced Acceleration of Whole Blood in Capillaries. Ye and He Qinghao, a Grade 2023 postgraduate student from the BME Department, served as co-first authors. The study proposed a magnetic field-based whole blood pretreatment method that effectively improves the capillary flow of whole blood by regulating the magnetic field. This strategy is expected to alleviate the slowdown of capillary blood flow in point-of-care testing (POCT) and provide a novel approach for enhancing detection efficiency. Chen Xinyi delivered a presentation titled Evaluation of Soy Wax as a Material for Wax Printing on µPADs, which attracted wide attention. Through contact angle measurements, dye immersion tests, and wax printing experiments, she systematically compared the hydrophobicity, liquid barrier performance, and pattern construction capability of soy wax and paraffin wax.
The excellent performance of the two students stemmed from their early engagement and persistent efforts in scientific research. Ye Zitong joined Dr. Guo Weijin’s research group in the second semester of her sophomore year, focusing on microfluidic point-of-care testing. As the independent first author, she published research on lithium-ion detection in blood in Analytical Methods, a journal in the field of biosensing. The paper was selected as a 2025 Hot Article and highly recognized by Professor Seetal Dodd from Deakin University, Australia, who strongly recommended her to deliver an oral presentation at the 2026 Annual Conference of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). In the recommendation letter, the achievement was praised as follows: “The work of Dr Guo contributes to solving this problem, having developed a low-cost, rapid and accurate portable biosensor for quantifying lithium in human blood plasma. Dr Guo’s device demonstrates proof of concept and is a considerable advance towards a practical point-of-care device.” Ye Zitong has been successfully admitted to Southern University of Science and Technology for postgraduate studies. Chen Xinyi joined the research group in the first semester of her sophomore year, focusing on the fabrication and flow rate control of paper-based microfluidic chips (µPADs). As the independent first author, she published relevant findings in Lab on a Chip, a top journal in microfluidics, and has been admitted to Shenzhen University for postgraduate studies.
Notably, Dr. Guo Weijin’s research group has achieved continuous success at the IEEE NEMS conference. In 2025, Li Xionghui and Li Haonan (co-first authors) from the group won the Best Poster Award at the conference. Li Xionghui (Class of 2025, BME Department) is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University, and Li Haonan (Class of 2025, BME Department) is pursuing a Ph.D. at Sun Yat-sen University. The cultivation of such outstanding talents and the production of high-level achievements embody the results of organized supervision by faculty members and the research inheritance mechanism of “senior students mentoring juniors, striving continuously”.
Reflecting on their conference experience, Chen Xinyi and Ye Zitong expressed deep appreciation: “The excellent platform of the BME Department has built a bridge for us to communicate with top scholars at home and abroad. We also had the honor to dialogue and take photos with Professor Paul S. Weiss, the founding editor-in-chief of ACS Nano, a leading figure in micro/nano science.” This face-to-face exchange with an international master has undoubtedly provided valuable motivation for their research careers.
The outstanding achievements would not have been possible without the meticulous guidance of their supervisor and the “bilingual (Chinese-English) teaching + internationalization” training model of the BME Department. Dr. Guo Weijin provided precise and professional guidance throughout the entire process—from research topic selection and experimental design to paper writing and poster production—and encouraged students to participate in high-level international academic exchanges to broaden their research horizons. Meanwhile, the BME Department strongly supports students in attending domestic and international academic conferences, creating opportunities for face-to-face interactions with renowned experts and young talents in biomedical engineering, helping them stand at the forefront of scientific research. The department will continue to refine its education model, encourage more students to engage in scientific research and innovation, and amplify the voice of Shantou University on the international academic stage.
