|
|
Symposium D
BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF SMART MATERIALS,
NANOTECHNOLOGY AND MICRO/NANO ENGINEERING
Several well established and ongoing applications are today available for adaptive/active materials in medicine that exploit the properties of shape memory and super elastic alloys, shape memory polymers, active and resorbable bioceramics and bioglasses, biomimetic polymers and gels, active (nano)particles, smart textiles, active optical fibers, etc.
Nevertheless, the continuously increasing capability to image and manage matter at the atomic and molecular level enabled by a number of nanoscale tools such as scanning probes, self and directed assembly, single molecule techniques, nanolithography and DNA-based technologies, coupled with advanced theory, multiscale modeling and simulation approaches for nanophase and nanostructured materials and smart nano/micro/meso-engineered devices and prostheses, is fuelling relevant opportunities and entirely new perspectives to inbuilt smartness or intelligence in materials and devices that would interject in a meaningful way with the body environment. These are opening new frontiers in medical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, therapies, and in implant and prostheses. Scope of this symposium is to provide a synergetic approach covering applied chemistry and physics, materials science, electronics, biochemistry and medicine to enlighten how the deeper insight into biological events and its interplay with nanotechnology may support the development of a new generation of smart materials, micro-nano-devices and molecular level approaches suited to solve relevant biomedical problems. Specific areas of interest include new or creatively engineered materials, multi-scale cell engineering for functional tissues and drug and gene delivery systems, new materials and systems for medical diagnostics, implants and prostheses, and systemic interaction in the body environment including biocompatibility and biofunctionality issues.
Session D-1 Advances in smart materials synthesis, functionality, constitutive behaviour and modelling
- Nanophase and nanostructured biomaterials, thin/thick films, fibres, nanotubes
- Shape memory materials (SMAs, SMPs
)
- Bioactive and biodegradable ceramics and bioglasses
- Active and biodegradable polymers
- Active gels and gels possessing tensegrity
- Biomimetic materials, self organized biomaterials
- Nanobiocomposites, hybrid nanomaterials, in-situ biomaterials
- Smart nanoparticles for imaging and therapy, Q-dots
- Smart optical fibers and sensors
Session D-2 Enabling tools
- BioMEMS and bioNEMS
- MOEMS
- Micro/nano fluidics and lab-on-a-chip biodevices
- Biochips and micro/nano-arrays
- Biosensors, bioactuators
- Molecular probes and devices
- DNA, RNA technologies
- AFM, optical tweezers and molecular probes and devices for the manipulation of nanomaterials, biomolecules, living cells and tissues
- Self assembly, bioispired processes
- Micro and nanolithography
- Templating, molecular imprinting
- Surface modification for biofunctionality
- Theory, modeling and numerical simulation of processes and devices
Session D-3 Medical diagnostics applications
- Sensors (chip devices and wearable
)
- Internal diagnostic: molecular probes and markers
- Implantable microdevices, and optical biochips, fibers and sensors for diagnosis and imaging
- DNA chips for genetic diagnosis
- New glasses for biosensing applications
- Biomimetic polymers and gels for medical diagnostics
- High spatial resolution methods for cellular imaging
- Minimally invasive imaging
- Other new systems and materials for imaging
- Theory, modelling and numerical simulation
Session D-4 Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering
- Bio-artificial skin
- Cardiovascular tissues
- Bio-artificial organs
- Nervous system
- Musculoskeletal: bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle
- Cell bioengineering by multiscale manipulation
- Intra-cellular signalling in tissue regeneration
- Nanoscale processing of scaffolds and substrates for tissue and cell engineering
- Control of network nucleation, banching and/or cross linking by biological molecules
- Engineering interfaces via cell-interactive materials
- Power systems: nanoactuators, EAPs, nanoengineered biofuel cells
- Real time monitoring of structure, biomechanics, and biochemical contents of engineered tissues during growth and in vivo repair
- Theory, modeling and numerical simulation
- Biofunctionality, biocompatibiliy and tossicological issues
Session D-5 New therapeutics and intelligent delivery systems
- Developments in polymer therapeutics such as polymer anticancer conjugates, polymer-protein conjugates, targetable polymer-drug conjugates, etc.
- Advances in smart materials for delivery systems: system responsive and biodegradable polymers and gels; molecularly imprinted bomimetic polymer networks; smart nanotubules; biodegradable porous ceramics and bioglasses, etc.
- Design and characterisation of delivery systems for drugs, peptides, proteins, growth factors, gene therapy agents and vaccines
- Controlled release systems magnetically, ultrasonically or enzymatically triggered
- Drug targeting and targeting and imaging agents to site/specific delivery
- Drug and gene delivery and targeting across complex barriers in the body as the blood-brain barrier, the lung and the intestine
- Progress in imprinted recognition release systems, implantable micro/nano delivery devices, integration of micro/nano fabrication technologies with drug delivery and bio-nano robotics
- Optimization of delivery system architecture, release mechanisms and surface modification
- Molecular and morphological delivery system structure and living tissue basic relationships.
- In vitro and in vivo studies and models for drug transport, and absorption, metabolism and retention mechanisms
- Biocompatibility and safety issues
Session D-6 Advances in mini/micro/nano implantable devices
- Surgical microrobots for minimally invasive surgery
- Implantable electronics and micro/nano devices
- Miniature in-situ sensors for pressure, temperature, strain and flow for minimally invasive surgery and post-surgical follow-up
- Miniature biomedical devices such as retina and cochlear implants, hearth valves, etc.
- Implants and prostheses design, modeling and numerical simulations
- Modelling of tissue/implant system, micromechanics of tissue/implant interface
- Implant-tissue interaction, hot response and biological effects of implants, biocompatibility issues
Session D-7 Biomedical applications of Shape Memory Materials and smart textiles
- Advances in biomedical applications of SMAs: cardiovascular, neurovascular, orthopaedic, orthodontic, etc.
- Novel Shape Memory Polymers, including biodegradable SMPs, and their applications in surgery and therapeutics.
- Advances in smart textiles for therapy, and sensory and diagnostic applications
- Micromechanical and macromechanical models, numerical simulation
- Biofunctionality, biocompatibility, etc
|