Advances in biomedical device engineering: From polymeric biomaterials for electrically controlled drug delivery systems to cost-effective electrochemical biosensors

The engineering of biomedical devices necessitates comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches to tackle specific problems in the biomedical field. These devices must also be designed to operate effectively in real-world applications, which demand scalability and cost-efficiency. The complexity of encountered challenges often sparks creative approaches, innovative designs, and sometimes unexpected collaborations, making the research journeys in the biomedical field truly exciting.

This seminar provides illustrative examples of how a seamless blending of knowledge and methodologies from electronics design, chemical engineering, biomaterials engineering, and biophysics can yield innovative devices or their components in two distinct yet complementary areas: controlled drug delivery and in vitro diagnostics. In the first part of the seminar, we delve into the development of polymeric biomaterials serving as compact reservoirs for active and passive controlled drug delivery, driven by non-specific electrical interactions. In the second part, we explore the development of cost-effective potentiometric field-effect transistor-based biosensing platforms and impedimetric biosensors tailored for advanced point-of-care applications. To conclude, the seminar provides a concise overview of the ongoing research endeavors within the Department of Nano-Microsystems for Life Sciences at the Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf in Germany. This overview aims to highlight critical research challenges and interesting opportunities for future collaborations.