She is best known for her work in single-cell analysis. Using engineering methods, Allbritton creates tools for better understanding and manipulating living cells and tissues. Microengineered platforms, microfluidics, and novel biochemical assays enable scientists to study
cell signaling and
signal transduction at the single-cell level.[3]
Allbritton was a
postdoctoral fellow at
Stanford University from 1989 to 1994.[5] She then became a Professor at the
University of California at Irvine, teaching in the departments of Physiology and Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. She remained at UC Irvine for 13 years, from 1994-2007.[5]
In 2007 Allbritton joined the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, becoming a Kenan Distinguished Professor. From 2009-2019 she was the Chair of the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
North Carolina State University.[2]
She has held faculty appointments in Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applied Physical Sciences at UNC, and in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State.[6]
As of November 1, 2019, Allbritton became a Professor of Bioengineering and the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering at the
University of Washington College of Engineering.[7][1]
Allbritton's interest in single-cell analysis have hinged on the use of
capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microfabricated technologies. Through this work she has studied lipid signaling at the single-cell level, the isolation cytotoxic t-cells with specific properties, and the capture of colonic crypts. In the
organ-on-a-chip field,[9] Allbritton has used fabrication technologies from
electronics and
microfluidics to develop devices that effectively recreate the environment of both the small and
large intestine.[10][11] These include micro
total analysis systems[12][13] and
microraft arrays.[14] In the area of
dielectrophoresis (DEP), Allbritton's lab works on the transfer of DEP-based systems out of laboratories and into clinical use.[15]
"Fast controllable laser lysis of cells for analysis" Nancy L. Allbritton, Christopher E. Sims, Michael W. Berns, Gavin D. Meredith, Tatiana B. Krasieva, Bruce J. Tromberg U.S. Patent No. US6156576A
"Method and apparatus for detecting enzymatic activity using molecules that change electrophoretic mobility" Nancy L. Allbritton, Christopher E. Sims, Michael W. Berns, Gavin D. Meredith, Tatiana B. Krasieva, Bruce J. Tromberg U.S. Patent No. 6335201B1
"Method to measure the activation state of signaling pathways in cells" Nancy Allbritton, Christopher Sims U.S. Patent No. 7236888B2
"Chemical modifications to polymer surfaces and the application of polymer grafting to biomaterials" Nancy Allbritton, Christopher Sims, Guann-Pyng Li, Mark Bachman, Shuwen Hu, Xueqin Ren U.S. Patent No. 20050237480A1
"Systems and methods for efficient collection of single cells and colonies of cells and fast generation of stable transfectants" Nancy Allbritton, Christopher E. Sims, Yuli Wang, Mark Bachman, Guann-Pyng Li, Eric Stanbridge U.S. Patent No. 7759119B2
"Method and device for cell selection and collection in an isolated culturing environment" Nancy Allbritton, Christopher Sims, Wei Xu U.S. Patent No. 20110294208A1
"Array of micromolded structures for sorting adherent cells" Nancy Allbritton, Christopher Sims, Yuli Wang, Pavak Kirit Shah U.S. Patent No. 9068155B2