MANUFACTURING BIOELECTRONIC DEVICES VIA MULTIPHOTON FABRICATION

Electromagnetic fields affect a variety of tissues (e.g. bone, muscle, nerve and skin) and play important roles in biological processes (e.g. nerve sprouting, prenatal development and wound healing). This has inspired the development of electrically conducting devices for medical applications (e.g. cardiac pacemakers, neural electrodes/neuromodulation) that are manufactured from inorganic metals/alloys and are suited for long term application. Dr Hardy is an expert in the development of bioelectronic materials (particularly conducting polymers) for medical applications (drug delivery, neuromodulation and tissue regeneration) and seeks to use multiphoton fabrication (a high tech 3D printing technique) to print an emerging technology for healthcare applications (drug delivery devices that respond to electrical stimuli) feeding into both the materials- and healthcare-related industries which have multibillion pound turnovers and employ millions of people. Importantly, the project has the support of Manchester-based Kratos Analytical Ltd., is aligned with the oncoming Industry 4.0 revolution and supports the Northern Powerhouse.