Symposium EL13: Organic Materials and Devices for Neuronal/Neuromorphic Processing, Adaptive Sensing and Actuation

Molly Stevens, Imperial College London 

Designing Bioelectronic Materials for Regenerative Medicine 

Written by Richard Wu 

Polymer materials have many potential biomedical applications. The Stevens Group at Imperial College London, led by Molly Stevens, is developing bioelectronic polymer materials for regenerative medicine and therapeutic uses. Stevens reported methods to chemically modify the molecular structures of various polymers, which has allowed the research group to fine-tune the polymers’ material properties. These modified polymers can exhibit unusual behaviors, such as electrical conductivity, light sensitivity, and self-degradation in response to a stimulus.

Using these bioelectronic polymer materials, the researchers have been working to address a number of important medical challenges. Their work has led to the development of many innovative technologies, including electrically conductive heart patches that could one day help treat heart attack victims, light-responsive biosensors that are able to locate cancer cells, and microrobots that can selectively deliver drugs to cells in the body. Given the number of potential biomedical applications, it is exciting to see how these bioelectronic polymer materials can be used to improve human health and treat disease.