Bio-inspired Technologies

The research activities of the Bionics group at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London have concentrated on providing intelligent, physiological semiconductor chips based on models of the biological behaviour of the retina, cochlea, neurons, beta-cells, etc. The current research focus at IBE is in the area of bio-inspired technologies, which is a cross-disciplinary field at the interface between biology/biochemistry, physics/engineering and medicine. We design electronic systems that interact with human organs and systems, as well as: electronic circuits and devices designed following the basic principles of biological systems. Here we propose a set of feasibility studies which are based on applying state of the art engineering technologies to provide solutions for intricate physiological and medical problems, such as selective neural stimulators or implants. Equally, we are deriving new technologies based on complex biological systems and biochemical processes, such as cell signalling mechanisms. This investment will lead to research which will provide proof of principle for several exciting new ideas; and if successful will be developed commercially and have a significant impact on healthcare as well as certain widespread devices such as mobile phone cameras, or sensitive chemical detector arrays. The Feasibility Account will be used for a suite of five research themes. The first theme will explore the feasibility of converting the phototransduction process in an invertebrate's photoreceptor - a cascade of biological amplifiers - into electronic equivalents. The second theme ventures into a completely new research field of memristors - passive memory devices. The other three themes assess new strategic paths in neural stimulation and neural prosthesis design: combined optical and electrical stimulation for achieving selectivity, then use of a photosynthetic reaction centre for imparting light sensitivity of neurons and muscles, and eventually the use of noise to enhance sensory perception in human auditory pathways.

The immediate impact of the feasibility studies research, which is relatively short and high risk, will be mainly scientific output. The results of the studies will be scrutinized (and possibly enhanced) through the peer review process and we should produce several high quality journal publications. At that stage the results will start to have an impact on academia, when other scientists will be able to use the results of the feasibility studies. There will also be a strong impact on the careers of the researchers involved as well as for the Institute and Imperial College in further developing, strengthening and consolidating the cross-disciplinary culture. This project has the potential to develop up to five long term research programmes at the IBE, all of strategic importance to us, with potential to commercialise. The long term impact is the potential to enhance quality of life and health. If proven possible, activity (1.1) could lead, after the development phase and technology transfer, to the creation of ultra-sensitive imaging chips and chemical detector arrays. These devices will be important for the mobile phone camera markets and for security applications. The memristor research (1.2) can have a long term academic impact, and because this is cutting edge science, any breakthrough in this area would result in becoming a leader in the field. Similarly, the Photosystem I research, where ISFET devices and circuits will be used to monitor the efficiency of PSI light absorption, will also have scientific impact. The research theme (2.1) Combined neural stimulation, pushes the boundaries of fusing engineering with biology, but the results will be groundbreaking, finally bringing implantable stimulation into mainstream medicine. This will offer a breakthrough in the treatment of serious medical conditions affecting a significant number of people globally, such as treatment-resistant epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, severe obesity and clinical depression, which are considered to be practically incurable today. Together with theme (2.3) Stochastic resonance in the central auditory system, it could have significant impact in the area of neural prostheses, so the targeted long term beneficiaries will be disabled people, in particular those who suffer from deafness, blindness, or balancing problems, as well as the people with severe types of depression or Parkinson's disease. To ensure that the potential beneficiaries have the opportunity to benefit from this research we will: (a) publish the results and present at conferences, (b) apply for funding to develop the ideas which pass the proof of principle phase and (c) make contacts with leading neural prosthesis design and manufacturing firms, such as MEDEL and Cochlear, to discuss the potential use of the techniques.