We are looking for a motivated student to fill a fully funded PhD position at the University of Groningen. The aim of this PhD project is to develop novel therapies for healthcare through the engineering of smart bioelectronic devices. Although interfacing electronics with biological systems has shown great promise for a wide variety of disorders, personalized therapies that adapt in real-time have not been established yet. The development of soft and flexible bioelectronic devices that use feedback of integrated biosensors and high-density microelectrode arrays will enable precision therapy to improve healthcare.
Background
Bioelectronic medicine, or therapies based on electronic devices, is currently witnessing an explosion of interest in both academia and industry. Inspired by clinical successes such as the cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implants, and deep brain stimulators, bioelectronic medicine has the potential to revolutionize healthcare because it offers local and targeted treatments with reduced side effects and improved outcomes. For these therapies to be effective and deliver personalized therapies, devices need to record and process relevant biological data and adapt therapeutic parameters real-time.
In this project, you will develop low-power biosensors and circuits that can record and processes biological signals. This will be used as real-time feedback to deliver targeted electric fields with high spatial resolution with optimized stimulation parameters for precise and safe modulation.
To improve the performance and integration of bioelectronic devices with biology, devices will be made of organic materials (polymers) to better match the mechanical properties of cells and tissue. This technology will be applied on rigid substrates for lab-on-chip applications as well as on flexible substrates for in vivo applications with a strong focus on reliability and stable performance to realize clinical translation.
