SAN JOSE, Calif. — The future of medical electronics could turn on the arrival of a new class of nanoscale chips that can monitor and deliver personalized therapies to human cells. A leading researcher will discuss the latest work on the new devices in one of several sessions on medical electronics at the Embedded Systems Conference here in April.
Luke P. Lee, a professor of bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley, will provide an overview of the latest work in various types of MEMS devices for biological uses. They include a new class of so-called satellite nanoscopes that provide spectroscopic imaging to peer into the behavior of living cells as well as Biofluidic ASICs (BASICs) that act as cellular-level processors to deliver medical therapies.
Researchers are using the satellite nanoscopes to track individual genes and proteins and their interactions in living cells using a variety of optical techniques, inspired by electron transfer mechanisms used in photosynthesis. BASIC devices hold the promise of acting like biological processors to screen drugs, provide molecular-level diagnostics and even reprogram cells using stem cell or other therapies.
Lee has authored and co-authored over 220 papers in the field. He manages a Berkeley lab dedicated to the use of solid-state devices for biological applications.
Lee's talk is one of a handful of sessions on medical electronics at ESC this year. Other sessions include a walkthrough of new design guidelines from the Continua Health Alliance for networked consumer medical devices. In addition, an engineer from Medtronic will discuss the latest developments in 400 MHz wireless networking for implanted devices.
Separately, ESC will include a high-level panel discussion of some of the opportunities and challenges ahead in medical electronics as the field embraces digital technology, Panelists include Mir Imran, a serial entrepreneur in medical electronics.
