Objective
Characterisation of cells is of crucial importance in various fields of health care. Since many biological processes are characterized by the sequential appearance of certain cell constituents that are present only during a short period of time statements based by taking only one time point into account are tainted with errors.
The present goal is the development of a complete new concept and its implementation for nanotechnology biosensor-based integrated systems for health. The long-term objective of the present project is the development of a new medical instrument and/or intelligent diagnosis equipment for healthcare of the future, using advanced biological biosensors. It is based on the integration of technological developments regarding precision engineering, optical and computational methods. The sensor will result in a quantum leap regarding knowledge of the interactions between biological and non-biological systems.
The biosensor that will be developed, is based on the on-line monitoring of traction forces that each cells transduce to surfaces through their with the cytoskeleton connected focal adhesion points (FA), being the connecting points between the cell and the material surface.
The obtained biosensor can find its application in various fields of health care from characterising specific cells of the patient to optimise the treatment, as biosensor to detect the presence of bioactive medium components having a pharmacological or toxic effect on cells, as a completely new biological tool to describe and investigate time dependent biological processes (fundamental research in the direction of pharma/ toxicodynamics, drug effects, effects of gene defects, in combinations with transfected cells genomics, time evolution of subcellular processes, etc., etc.).
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsbiosensors
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biology
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational science
Keywords
Call for proposal
FP6-2004-IST-NMP-2
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
STREP - Specific Targeted Research ProjectCoordinator
DUEBENDORF
Switzerland