Symposium Sessions

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

Bioelectronics – a field intended to advance healthcare and to provide tools to further understand physiology and pathology through the interface of biological systems with materials and devices. In biological systems, intercellular communication plays a pivotal role in tissue organization and function. Indeed, in their native three-dimensional (3D) environment, cells are intimately connected to each other and to the surrounding matrix, forming a complex microenvironment. In recent years, there has been an immense interest in developing materials and material assemblies that will monitor biological phenomena in a multiscale manner: from the molecular level to cellular networks and organ level, up-to macroscale for wearable compliant and flexible devices. This symposium will broadly cover state-of-the-art as well emerging materials and materials assembly approaches used in bioelectrical interfaces to explore communication between and within cells in their native state and monitor electrophysiological state of the body. The topics that will be covered will vary from polymeric systems to solid state electronic devices, from molecular control of materials properties to the macroscopic assemblies with highly-adjusted functionalities. This interdisciplinary symposium will bring together the chemical, physical and biological aspects of the current state-of-the-art bioelectronic interfaces.

Topics will include:

• Understanding the interface between electronic materials and biological systems
• Novel biocompatible and biodegradable electroactive small molecules and polymers
• Conducting hydrogels
• Carbon nanotubes, graphene, and inorganic active materials for bioelectronics
• Soft materials for interfaces with electroactive cells
• Flexible, stretchable active/passive materials used in bioelectronics
• Materials for I/O neuronal interfaces
• Solid state devices for subcellular interfaces.
• Novel biological signal transduction approaches
• Devices and materials that combine multiple sensing or stimulation modalities
• Biologically transient electronics
• Artificial skins and e-textiles for brain-machine interfacing and health monitoring
• Biosensing/stimulation devices, and closed loop sensing/stimulation
• Manufacturing—3D printing, inkjet printing, electrospinning, laser and mechanical subtractive manufacturing
• Functional materials—self-healing polymers, conductive composites, fibers, liquid metal alloys, 2D materials, and soft active materials
• Soft-robotics—materials, manufacturing, and systems

Invited Speakers:

• Polina Anikeeva (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
• Zhenan Bao (Stanford University, USA)
• Daniel Cohen (Princeton University, USA)
• Kaitlyn Crawford (University of Central Florida, USA)
• Bianxiao Cui (Stanford University, USA)
• Wei Gao (California Institute of Technology, USA)
• Laura Kayser (University of Delaware, USA)
• Stéphanie Lacour (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Nanshu Lu (The University of Texas at Austin, USA)
• Lan Luan (Rice University, USA)
• George Malliaras (Cambridge University, United Kingdom)
• Nick Melosh (Stanford University, USA)
• Fiorenzo Omenetto (Tufts University, USA)
• Rahul Panat (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
• Ritu Raman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
• Jacob Robinson (Rice University, USA)
• Francesca Santoro (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy)
• Bozhi Tian (The University of Chicago, USA)
• Brian Timko (Tufts University, USA)
• Luisa Torsi (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy)
• Flavia Vitale (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
• Jun Yao (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA)

Symposium Organizers