News
Milestones, awards, talks, and other updates from the group.
Awarded the Academician Nailya Bazanova Medal
Dr. Kanayeva received this national recognition from the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan for outstanding scientific achievements and contributions to the advancement of science.
New review published in TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry
"Advancements and Strategies in Simultaneous Multi-Target Detection for Analyte Multiplexing," with Zhazira Zhumabekova and Nigara Yunussova, published in a top-1% journal (IF 12). Read the paper ↗
Keynote lecture in Vietnam
Dr. Kanayeva delivered a keynote, "Aptamer-Based Rapid Detection of Biomarkers in Infectious Diseases and Cancer," and chaired a plenary session at the 3rd International Symposium of Nano Life Science in Qui Nhon, Vietnam.
New students join the lab
Zhazira Zhumabekova began her PhD and Kamshat Kozybayeva began her MSc in Life Sciences, joining ongoing PhD candidates Kamila Sagdat and Meruyet Issimova.
Recognized for 14 years of service at Nazarbayev University
Awarded a medal marking 14 years of dedication and service, alongside a Certificate of Appreciation for NU's 15th anniversary.
🎓 Congratulations to Dr. Nigara Yunussova
Nigara defended her PhD thesis, "Characterization and Application of ssDNA Aptamers for the Detection of Carcinoembryonic Antigen," capping a research journey that began as an MSc student in 2018 and included first-author work on the group's CEA aptasensor and multi-target detection review.
🏆 PhD students win awards in Beijing
At the A5+N International Summer School (China Agricultural University), Zhazira Zhumabekova took 1st place for her oral presentation and 3rd place for her poster; Kamila Sagdat also placed 3rd for her poster — both fully funded to attend through the lab's international collaborations.
Academic visit to China Agricultural University
Dr. Kanayeva, with PhD students Zhazira Zhumabekova and Kamila Sagdat, visited the College of Information and Electrical Engineering at China Agricultural University for academic exchange. She delivered a lecture, "Toward Rapid Diagnostics: Aptamer-Based Detection of Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases and Cancer," served as a member of the judging panel for PhD student oral and poster presentations, and toured CAU's biosensor laboratory — presenting alongside Prof. Daniel Jenkins (University of Hawaii). Read CAU's news feature ↗
Dual-pathogen aptasensor paper published
"Simultaneous and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 antigens employing an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy aptasensor," published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Read the paper ↗
Hosted Prof. Man Bock Gu (Korea University)
Dr. Kanayeva organized a visit and lecture, "Aptamer-based Biosensors for Point-of-Care Testing Applications," by the distinguished biosensor researcher from Korea University.
Two new PhD students join the lab
Kamila Sagdat and Meruyet Issimova began their doctoral work in the group.