Organic Bioelectronics Laboratory

 

Our research is about ​the coupling of organic electronic materials with biological systems. We aim to develop electronic devices that can interface with living systems and detect or treat diseases in ways that have not been possible before. These devices might include an implant that goes into the heart and regulates the heartbeat or when placed in the brain, via delivery of drugs or electrical stimulation, alleviates symptoms of a neurological disorder. They can as well pick up biological signals and translate these into electrical information, forming the basis of a biosensor. The success of these devices, however, depends on how well the electronics communicate with the biological system. And materials that enable communication between these two worlds are the key to building high-performance devices.

 

In our lab, we employ organic electronic materials, that are carbon-based semiconductors, for interfacing the living tissue. Sharing similar building blocks with living organisms, these materials bring together a unique set of properties that can be leveraged to improve the compatibility of artificial devices. For instance, they soften up as they interact with the body fluid, dampening the mechanical mismatch with the tissue. They transport electronic charges like metals but are also ionically active like biological systems. As such, organic electronic materials provide a new toolbox for interfacing with biology. Leveraging the properties of organic electronic materials, our goal is to design bio-sensing and stimulation platforms with unique capabilities.​ 

 

As the Lab of Organic Bioelectronics at KAUST, we welcome you to our website and hope that you enjoy your visit!​

 

For more about our work and our daily life in the lab,