New era of cyborganics - Prof Ivan Minev receives ERC Consolidator Grant

The ERC is funding the development of a novel class of electronic components that are almost entirely made of water and could form a seamless interface between biological tissue and machine, with two million euros over a period of five years.

A decisive advance is the development of electrically conductive hydrogels that synergistically combine biomacromolecules and organic, electronic materials. These can be assembled into miniaturised devices and circuits and used to measure and control biochemical, bioelectrical and biomechanical processes in living systems. Electronic systems are now very good at processing information, interacting with the environment and even performing tasks autonomously. Direct communication between electronics and living tissue, on the other hand, does not yet function optimally. One of the reasons for this is that electrical devices currently need to be well protected from moisture at all times.

"This can radically change the possibilities of electronic systems, especially inside the body. Imagine that we can use this technology to create medical implants that automatically repair damage to the nervous system caused by injury or degeneration," says Professor Minev about the innovative applications of his research.
The project will set standards and conditions for the further development of electronic tissue technologies that will enable miniaturised implanted laboratories for next-generation (bioelectronic) medicine.

Prof. Ivan R. Minev has held the joint Else Kröner Professorship for Electronic Tissue Technologies at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Centre (EKFZ) for Digital Health at the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty of the Technische Universität Dresden since June 2023. The ERC project is a collaboration between the IPF, the EKFZ für Digital Health Centre and the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty of the Technische Universität Dresden.

Source: In: Medica: LAB & DIAGNOSTICS: News from 30 November 2023