Enabling the Design of Advanced Hybrid Bio-Nanonetworks

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Our research in nanotechnology (nanotech) deals with the communication and network formation needs of nanodevices. While new, the technology is critical to the development of intelligent nanotech and will impact several areas, e.g. in-vivo diagnostics, non-invasive nanosurgery, pharmaceutics, treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's) and mental disorders (e.g. Schizophrenia, ASD, ADHD), network-on-chip design and fabrication methods. The technology has evolved along two directions: (i) Dry nanotech: nanodevices are manufactured with inorganic materials, e.g. silicon, graphene. (ii) Wet nanotech: it uses organic materials & nanomachines, e.g. biological cells, proteins, enzymes, bacteria, viruses, DNA and RNA macromolecules, ion particles, etc. Each has its advantages & disadvantages. Several applications would require nanomachines from both categories, e.g. in-vivo monitoring of bio-chemical substances for diagnosis, delivery of smart drugs. There will also be need to manufacture nanomachines consisting of both types; hybrid nanomachines. In case of co-existence, it is important to understand how one type will affect the other. Use of THz Wave (THzW) frequencies (0.1 THz to 10 THz) is considered in intra-body communications. They are non-ionizing, thus should not cause DNA modifications. Also their communication components, e.g. antennas, modulators, can be of nanoscale size. However, there is no thorough study assessing the impact, in-vivo THzW transmissions have, on molecular communications (MC). Diffusion MC (DMC) are sensitive to the entropy level molecules of the medium have. THzW transmissions increase the vibration level of molecules, which, as our initial work confirmed, impacts negatively DMC. In this project, we will establish thorough understanding of this behaviour and develop accurate models of the diffusion channel. Develop design guidelines for hybrid nanomachines, e.g. combined biosensor-THzW transmitter. Develop new MC systems and protocols that perform well in this environment, and propose how we can use the medium's observed behaviour constructively to improve applications (e.g. target drug delivery). The second part of our work deals with Optogenetics (OGN). An emerging fields in neuroscience, OGN modifies otherwise insensitive to light neurons by genetically implanting specialized light-sensitive transmembrane proteins (opsins). There are proposals to use OGN for treatment of brain related disorders. Our OGN related work in this project will develop tools to determine the best way to stimulate an OGN neuron to generate firing sequence as close as possible to a target firing sequence. Develop OGN nanomachines that will enable inter-neural stimulation (replacing neurotransmitter-based stimulation); develop architectures and protocols to effectively move neuronal spike trains through all-OGN nanoneuronal networks.