Convergence through micro-nano-bio integration and applications

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As per Nobel Laureate Philip Sharp, the third revolution in life sciences that can tackle existing challenges in studying Brain and nervous systems, cardiovascular systems, cancer diagnosis, commercializing of ideas from lab to clinics or training of personnel can happen only through collaboration of life scientists, physical scientists and engineers. Micro-Nano-Bio integration, which is the bridging of bio sciences with micro and nano technologies, is one of the ways of implementing this convergence. Micro-nano-bio integration is a technology to enhance the performance of bio interactions in lab on chips by integrating nano features. In simple terms, the biological and chemical species, such as, cells, proteins, DNA, enzymes, antigen, antibody, etc. can be considered as micro or nano machines that interact with environments. The effects of these interactions could change the mechanical, optical, physical, chemical and biological properties of the environment. These interactions produce output signals and responses that are very low in strength making it very difficult to be detected by conventional means as they need sensing mechanisms that have to be very close to the interaction zone with very high sensitivity and high throughput. Another very important consideration to detect these interactions is non-invasive requirement so that interactions are not influenced by the sensing mechanism itself. One can foresee now that there is an urgent need to develop devices and mechanisms that would have close proximity, optical means of sensing, multiplicity in fabrication for cost-effectiveness and are also very small, very sensitive with low detection level and compatible with biological species. Hence, this application plans to develop many technologies such as (i) microfluidic and nano-integrated planar optical waveguide based technologies suitable for communication and sensing (ii) polymer nano composites that have great potential for chemical and biosensing (iii) 3D suspended polymer microfluidics that is ideal for sensitive physical sensing, mechanobiological studies of cells, fluid sensing, biosensing and chemical sensing, and (iv) Lab on chips with nano-bio interactions for biological applications. In addition to the creation of fundamental research knowledge in the area of convergence on various aspects combining biological and engineering expertise, this research will also attract strong interest from industries due to its applied nature. In nutshell, the development of micro-nano-bio integration that covers a wide spectrum o