Biomedical Micro- and Nanodevices, Vähintään 50 op

Overcoming the challenges of well-being and healthcare of the future's growing and eldering society relies on modern and innovative medicine and stem cell technologies. Due to this, also more and more highly skilled personnel are needed on the medical sector. For example, organ-on-chip type in vitro devices provide a novel approach for developing new drugs, understanding disease mechanisms and studying toxicological effects of chemical compounds. However, the cultivation of primary cells and differentiation of stem cells in these devices demand careful modification, control and monitoring of the cell and organ microenvironment. These strict requirements can only be fulfilled with advanced technologies such as microfluidics, micro- and biosensors, microscopy, actuators and advanced biomaterials. New technologies for physiological measurements such as glucose or oxygen monitoring, as well as various wireless signal and power transfer systems integrated with the sensing and pumping devices, are rapidly developing.

Miniaturization has been one of the important technological megatrends in the last decades. As a result, not only microprocessors but also sensors and actuators have become a part of our everyday life. Well-known examples include silicon microaccelerometers that are used for triggering the air bags in your car, to detect the movement of your smart phone or print tiny droplets of ink. During recent years, these microsystems or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have also reached the field of biomedical applications, such as organ-on-chip and lab-on-chip technologies, soft robotics and physiological measurements. Moreover, these systems are becoming wireless, and therefore understanding the principles of body-centric wireless communication and power transfer in implantable systems is important.

This major provides a strong background for working on these novel fields of technology and particularly utilizing them in biomedical applications. The major will cover micro- and nanoscale devices and systems such as microsensors, microactuators, microrobotics, microfluidics, micro-optics as well as wireless signal and power transfer technologies. You will not only study the theory and operation principles of biomedical microsystems from course books, but you will also get involved with practical hands-on exercises and laboratory works, including training in the state-of-the-art clean room and biomicrosystems laboratory facilities at TUNI. As a part of the major, you are able to include cell biology and tissue engineering studies. The study module also aims to keep you up to date with latest developments in the academia, train you in technical and scientific reporting and giving technical presentations in English.

Contact person: Sampo Tuukkanen