Biodesign Europe
Research
Our strengths range from biotechnology to law and government, and from human development to engineering and computing. Our scientists come from a variety of fields to move our discoveries toward being accessible to those who could benefit from them. Rather than silos, these five focus areas are points of convergence and intersection for our multidisciplinary teams.
Health care technologies
We develop innovative medical device technologies, therapy-biomaterial combinations and digital assisted surgical practices to combat life-threatening diseases and traumatic injuries. For example, we are designing medical device technology for non-viral delivery of nucleic acids and anionic small molecules for genetic therapies in cancer, chronic wounds and bone regeneration.
Our technology platforms aim to restore normal function and optimize surgical procedures and other interventions to achieve high-precision, tailored drug delivery with minimal invasiveness, improve patient care and rehabilitation.
Sustainable manufacturing
We develop next generation materials-manufacturing systems relating to biotech, biopharma and medtech industry to drive efficiency, selectivity and productivity, which are underpinned by computational modeling and artificial intelligence or machine learning integration. For example, we are developing additive manufacturing-Internet of Things advancements to manufacture patient-specific medical devices for tailored bone fracture repair.
Through our bioeconomy research, we are sustainably converting residues generated during food production into higher-value products that enable new business or value-chain opportunities and increase resource efficiency. Our technology platforms aim to restore normal function and optimize surgical procedures and other interventions to achieve high-precision, tailored drug delivery with minimal invasiveness, improve patient care and rehabilitation.
Biotechnology
We are working to understand normal and diseased states to revolutionize new therapeutic treatments for inflammatory/inherited diseases and cancer. Such biotechnology-based advances have created the exciting new era of precision medicine that considers patient variability, such as genetics, environment and lifestyles, by providing the right patient with the right medicine at the right time.
For example, several cancer treatments have shifted from the one-size-fits-all treatment approach to a more focused strategy where targeted therapies are matched to the molecular profile of a patient’s tumor.
Bioanalytical systems
We are making strides to develop new biomedical assays that are more individualized and precise in terms of early detection, diagnosis and stratifying patients toward a specific treatment for a particular disease or condition.
Investigations are underway for new approaches that will enable the next-generation, lab-on-a-chip technology for biomedical point-of-care and global diagnostics; liquid handling automation for the life sciences; process analytical techniques; cell-line development for biopharma; and monitoring the environment, infrastructure and industrial processes.
Sustainability for health
We have new ways to remove pollution, treat wastewater, capture renewable energy and improve human health. For example, we are investigating innovative approaches to renewable bioenergy using anaerobic microbes to convert biomass to useful energy forms (e.g. methane, hydrogen, or electricity).
Other research is focused on determining where mass-produced chemicals wind up in the environment, their impact on animal and human health, and ways to remove them from contaminated water, aquifers and agricultural soils.
Strategic industrial partnerships
Commercial engagement with industry is managed through DCU’s INVENT and ASU’s Skysong Innovations. These offices work together to provide business incubation facilities, entrepreneurship training programs and a range of startup support.
DCU is recognized as Ireland’s fastest-growing university and the university of transformation and enterprise. ASU is one of the top-performing U.S. universities in intellectual property inventions disclosed by ASU researchers and licensing deals and startups. These rankings were made possible by the universities’ commercialization partners.