Engineered functional biointerfaces (Biointerfaces) serve as transducers between an engineered and a biological system. They convert external physical stimuli to cellular signals in stimulation mode, or read out biological processes in recording mode. Information can be exchanged using electricity, light, magnetic fields, mechanical forces, heat, or chemical signals. Biointerfaces have found applications for studying process in biological circuits from cell cultures to organs to whole organisms. This symposium covers the fabrications and applications of Biointerfaces that may rely on nanomaterials, bionanomaterials​, electronics or biocircuits to establish an interface with living matter.

Biointerface-facilitated signal transduction schemes, coupled with easily manipulable and observable external physical signals, have attracted considerable attentions in recent years across many biomedical sectors. This fast-changing field is evolving toward miniaturization and biomimicry and may ultimately employ nature’s design and materials to achieve long-term interface stability with great signal transduction efficiency.

This symposium will be of interest to a diverse population of interdisciplinary scientists involved with the development, characterization and application of Biointerfaces for a variety of bioinspired or biomedical applications, such as neural recording and modulation, neural prostheses, and biomedical imaging. This symposium is open to all approaches on Biointerfaces, including but not limited to inorganic and organic, bulk and nanomaterials, bioderived and biological systems. Also of interest are materials preparation and device fabrication methods as well as approaches and studies on biocompatibility and biointegration of Biointerfaces. Sessions will be divided into four coherent subthemes: Bioelectronics, Nanomaterials, Biocircuits, and Bionanomaterials​.

This symposium will provide an integrated forum across the full spectrum of Biointerfaces and facilitate coherent interdisciplinary discussions among participants on the basis of applied materials research toward addressing major challenges in the field, such as biocompatibility, biointegration, and signal transduction efficiency. It will also provide a medium to motivate discussions of the societal and economic connections that together will shape this fast evolving field.

biological biomaterial biomedical cellular (material type) devices nanostructure