Session 13: Emerging technologies - nanotechnologies for medicine and biology

This special session showcases the emerging use of microfabrication and nanofabrication technologies in the life sciences. These technologies are poised to revolutionize biology and medicine through spectacular progress in drug delivery, tissue engineering, molecular/cellular diagnostics, drug discovery, and the development of artificial organs. This session features invited presentations from leading researchers in the field to provide a glimpse of the impressive developments that are taking place in this field. The first three papers illustrate examples of components development and system integration technologies for implantable medical microsystems, such as a retinal prosthetis, cochlear implants and brain implanted neurosensor arrays. Among others, these papers illustrate the use of MEMS and NENS technologies to enable new microelectrode arrays as well as new flexible chip embedding technology for implantable system integration. The following two papers present novel techniques for drug delivery that exploit advances in MEMS technology and Si nanowire engineering. A MEMS-based microcavity device allows controlled and fast drug release. Si nanowires are used to enhance the adhesion properties of drug delivery platforms which in this way can release drugs continuously despite harsh biological conditions.