ACES: The European Dimension21st May 2015

ScienceElectromaterialsARC Centre of Excellence for

Thursday 21st May 2015

09:15 – 09:45 Coffee & Registration

09:45 – 09:55 Welcome and Opening Address Prof. Dermot Diamond Dublin City University

Session 1: European CollaborationsSession Chair: Prof. Maria Forsyth

09:55 -10:15 Prof. Gordon Wallace University of Wollongong ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) ACES: The New Dimensions

10:15 -10:30 Prof. Rainer Fink FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany Soft x-ray nanoanalytical tools for thin film organic electronics

10:30 - 10:45 Dr. Sahika Inal Centre Microélectronique de Provence, France Multifunctional Probes for Simultaneous Stimulation and Recording of Neural Activity

10:45 - 11:00 Prof. David Officer University of Wollongong ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) Nanostructured Electromaterials for Energy Applications

11:00 - 11:15 Dr. Paul Wiper University of Manchester, UK Graphene activities at Manchester and the National Graphene Institute

11:15 - 11:20 Session 1 Wrap Up

11:20 - 11:50 Coffee Break

Session 2: European CollaborationsSession Chair: Prof. Gordon Wallace

11:50 - 12:05 Dr. Alan Dalton University of Surrey, UK Functional Materials Through Templated Assembly of Nanostructures

12:05 - 12:20 Dr. Aoife Morrin Dublin City University, Ireland Sensing the Swell

Programme

12:20 - 12:35 Prof. Ari Ivaska Åbo Akademi University, Finland Electrocatalytic oxidation of cellulose at a gold electrode

12:35 - 12:50 Prof. Suvi Haimi University of Tampere, Finland The Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Adipose Stem Cells Cultured in Conductive Stereolithographic Scaffold Structures

12:50 - 13:05 Prof. Louis Lemieux University College London, UK Performing electrophysiological measurements in humans inside Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanners; applications in Epilepsy research and other areas

13:05 - 13:10 Session 2 Wrap Up

13:10 - 14:15 Lunch

Session 3: European CollaborationsSession Chair: Prof. Dermot Diamond

14:15 - 14:30 Prof. Maria Forsyth Deakin University, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), Melbourne Understanding ionic structure and dynamics in novel electrolytes; Paving the way to improved energy storage

14:30 - 14:45 Prof. Tony Killard University of the West of England, UK Printed sensor technology: progress towards commercialisation

14:45 – 15:00 Prof. Arjang Ruhparwar University Hospital Heidelberg Prospects for myocardial tissue engineering

15:00 – 15:15 Prof. Daniel Kelly Trinity College Dublin, Ireland Regenerating damaged bones and joints

15:15 – 15:30 Wrap up of Meeting

15:30 Close of meeting

Dermot DiamondDublin City University, Ireland Professor Dermot Diamond received his Ph.D. and D.Sc. from Queen’s University Belfast (Chemical Sensors, 1987, Internet Scale Sensing, 2002), and was Vice-President for Research at Dublin City University (2002-2004). He joined the School of Chemical Sciences at DCU in 1987, and has led a series of large-scale research initiatives since then. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, is a named inventor in 18 patents, and is co-author and editor of four books. He is director and founding member of the National Centre for Sensor Research at Dublin City University, possibly the largest and most successful centres of its type worldwide, with over 250 researchers, and income in excess of €100 million. In 2002, he was awarded the inaugural silver medal for Sensor Research by the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, and in 2006 he received the DCU President’s Award for research excellence. In May 2014, in recognition of his academic contributions and achievements, he was admitted to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy. Professor Diamond has recently been awarded the Boyle-Higgins Medal from the Institute of Chemistry, Ireland. He is a PI in four FP7 projects, focused on distributed environmental sensing, fundamental materials chemistry and is coordinating partner of the EU-Australia International Network ‘MASK’, funded under the Marie Curie IRSEs programme. He is also a Funded Investigator under the SFI-INSIGHT Centre initiative.

His research interests are broad, ranging from molecular recognition, host-guest chemistry, ligand design and synthesis, electrochemical and optical chemical sensors and biosensors, lab-on-a-chip, sensor applications in environmental, clinical, food quality and process monitoring, development of fully autonomous sensing devices, wireless sensors and sensor networks. He is particularly interested in the using analytical devices and sensors as information providers for wireless networked systems i.e. building a continuum between the digital and molecular worlds.

Prof. Gordon Wallace

University of Wollongong, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) Australian Laureate Fellow Professor Gordon Wallace leads the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science and the University of Wollongong’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute.

His research interests include organic conductors, nanomaterials and electrochemical probe methods of analysis and the use of these in the development of intelligent polymer systems. A current focus involves the use of these tools and materials in developing biocommunications from the molecular to skeletal domains in order to improve human performance via medical Bionics. He has published more than 600 refereed publications; a monograph (3rd Edition published in 2009) on Conductive Electroactive Polymers: Intelligent Polymer Systems and co-authored a monograph on Organic Bionics (published 2012). Gordon has supervised more than 65 PhD students to completion.

Gordon completed his undergraduate (1979) and PhD (1983) degrees at Deakin University. And was awarded a DSc from Deakin University in 2000. He was appointed as a Professor at the University of Wollongong in 1990. He was awarded an ARC Professorial Fellowship in 2002; an ARC Federation Fellowship in 2006 and ARC Laureate Fellowship in 2011.

Gordon is a passionate science communicator and is in demand for speaking engagements worldwide.

ACES: Electromaterials – The New DimensionsThe advent of new 3D fabrication tools has enabled us to create structures wherein mechanical properties, functional materials and electronic/ionic conductors can be spatially distributed with exquisite precision.

Here we will explore the consequences of the impending collision of electromaterials science and 3D fabrication.

It has long been recognised that 3D structure plays a critical role in energy conversions and energy storage systems as well as in electrodes that provide a conduit of electronic communication to/from biological systems. To date however our attempts to create such structures have been rather lacking in the ability to spatially distribute components exactly where we want them within 3D dimensional space.It seems that is about to change!

We will briefly introduce the new dimensions in ACES research training and commercialisation arenas.

Prof. Rainer Fink

FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany Rainer Fink (born 1960) studied Physics at the University of Konstanz. He was research assistant at Uppsala University and the University of Würzburg. Since April 2002 he is C3 professor for Physical Chemistry at the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. Rainer Fink has a strong expertise in the development and use of ultimately resolving x-ray based microscopic techniques. The applications range from organic hybrid materials and polymer films to ultrathin organic films from functionalized molecules. Lately, various in-situ detection techniques were developed to study the electronic properties of organic electronic devices with resolutions in the range of few 10 nm. These techniques offer straightforward and complementary use to all kind of nanostructured objects, with potential applications in 3D imaging using the near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) as chemical fingerprint. High-spectral resolution may serve as probe to detect the coupling of electronic and vibronic modes in organic thin film devices. Rainer Fink has a track record of more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has strong scientific relations with institutions in Shanghai. During the last few years he fulfilled various positions in the administration of the School of Sciences at FAU, amongst them coordination of the Erlangen-Wollongong student exchange programme.

Soft x-ray nanoanalytical tools for thin film organic electronicsThe performance of organic field effect transistors (OFETs) and organic solar cells (OSCs) largely depend on the morphology and crystallinity of their active layers. In particular, the structural arrangement of the molecules or domains in OFETs and the intermixing of electron donors and acceptors of OSCs affect the transport properties or yields. Exploring chemical sensitive imaging methods, here Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM) and Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering (RSoXS) in real and reciprocal space. Combination with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) offers more detailed insight into the nanomorphology of thin film organic electronic devices thus obtaining a better understanding of their morphology-performance relationship.

Based on the high chemical fingerprint sensitivity of soft x-ray absorption we are able to access the nanomorphology in ultrathin films of various organic electronic devices. These include 6,13-Dihydro-6,13-diazapentacene (DHDAP) thin films serving as OFETs and multinary blends of P3HT and ICBA commonly used in OSCs. STXM, RSoXS and TEM were combined to investigate the active layer nanomorphology of binary and ternary OSCs. Our results unambiguously confirm that the miscibility between polymers and fullerenes is a key factor in determining the functionality of ternary OSCs. In particular, the nanoscale properties upon addition of PCPDTBT-based NIR sensitizers clearly correlate with the device performance.

Dr. Sahika Inal

Centre Microélectronique de Provence, France Sahika Inal is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Bioelectronics at the Centre Microélectronique de Provence of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne. She received her BSc degree in Textile Engineering in 2007 from Istanbul Technical University and her MSc in Polymer Science from the joint Master Program of the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin and the University of Potsdam. She completed her master thesis at the University of Potsdam in the group of Soft Matter Physics, focusing on the relationship between the photophysical processes and the performance of organic solar cells. In the research same group, she received her PhD degree in Experimental Physics in 2013. She worked on the development of platforms based on responsive polymers and conjugated polyelectrolytes for easy diagnostics of pathogens with a fluorescence output. Her current work in BEL is on organic electronic ion pumps and on the optimization of conducting polymers for various tools of bioelectronics. Her research interests cover organic materials for sensing and actuating purposes.

Multifunctional Probes for Simultaneous Stimulation and Recording of Neural Activity

The field of bioelectronics combines the worlds of electronics and biology with the aim of developing new tools for biomedical research. The soft nature of organic electronic materials makes them ideal candidates for interfacing the electronics with biomolecules and living tissues. One of the most technologically important conducting polymer employed for the state-of-the-art devices of bioelectronics is poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). This polymer offers great advantages in enabling communication between electronic and the biological systems. For instance, PEDOT:PSS coated microelectrode arrays allow in vitro recordings of action potentials from rat hippocampus slices. On the other hand, relying on the electrochemical switching of PEDOT:PSS, electronic control of the lateral transport and of the delivery of neurotransmitters is achieved.

One interest in this field is the development of multifunctional probes which can combine the above mentioned approaches. Such a device, capable of releasing of drugs of interest as well as sensing the triggered neural activity, is a breakthrough in therapeutic strategies aiming to treat brain dysfunctions.

In this talk, I will introduce a multifunctional probe which involves recording electrodes that are located in the exact position of electrically-controllable ion release channels. This polymer-based electronic device is used both as a chemical stimulator/inhibitor and a sensor. While neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or ions such as K+ are electrophoretically delivered through an ion conductor, the low impedance of PEDOT:PSS electrodes allows for high signal-to-noise ratio recordings of broadband physiological activity at the delivery site. The function of these probes was evaluated in rat hippocampal slices through an in vitro design. We used epileptiform activity evoked by pharmacological treatments as a model system of a pathological state. Delivery of GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, abolished the epileptiform activity within a minute in close proximity to the pump outlets, without affecting the activity at distant sites. This control over neuronal signaling with precise spatiotemporal delivery of ions paves the way for in vivo drug release devices with feedback- regulation function and represents a major advancement in therapeutic technology.

Prof. David Officer University of Wollongong, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) David Officer is Professor of Organic Chemistry in the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (ACES) at the University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia. He obtained his PhD in Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand in 1982 and joined the lecturing staff at Massey University in 1986 after three years research work in organic chemistry at ANU and as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow in Germany. During his 22 years at Massey University, he became founding Director of the Nanomaterials Research Centre and Professor in Chemistry in the Institute of Fundamental Sciences at Massey University, New Zealand.

David joined ACES in 2007 and leads the Electromaterials research theme in ACES, developing new materials including porphyrins, polythiophenes and nanocarbons. He is also responsible for organic materials synthesis, including graphene synthesis, in the Materials Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility and leads Program 3 Polymers for Solar Cells in the CRC for Polymers (CRC-P).

David has published more than 150 papers in the areas of porphyrins, conducting polymers, nanomaterials and nanostructured carbons, and solar cells. In 2004, he was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry HortResearch Prize for Excellence in the Chemical Sciences.

Nanostructured Electromaterials for Energy Applications

The emulation of photosynthesis, the efficient and sustainable utilization of solar energy using renewable materials to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water or convert carbon dioxide into a chemical feedstock represents one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st Century. Photosynthesis utilises more than 90 terawatts of solar energy across the planet on an annual basis, more than 6 times the total human annual energy usage. Emulation of just one of the photosynthetic processes, light harvesting by chlorophylls (natural porphyrins) and its application in solar cells, would make a significant contribution to sustainable energy production on earth without major carbon dioxide production. It could also lay the foundation for sustainable hydrogen production through water splitting as well as fuel and food production through carbon dioxide fixation.

In the dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) or Grätzel photoelectrochemical cell [1], light is harvested using a large surface area of dye (that may be a chlorophyll-like molecule) bound to a mesoporous thin film of nanostructured titanium dioxide and, following charge separation and injection of an electron into the semiconductor, the oxidised dye is reduced by a redox mediator. This has often been likened to the light harvesting component of photosynthesis. The introduction of water into the DSSC could then lead to water oxidation by the photo-oxidised dye and subsequent photosyn-thetic-like oxygen production, assuming the use of suitable dyes.

In our laboratories, we have been developing materials for all aspects of the DSSC, new light harvesting dyes, photoanodes, electrolytes and cathodes, as well as new ways to fabricate the DSSC. Some of these new materials such as porphyrins combined with other electromaterials like conducting polymers have also found application for water splitting, as light harvesters or catalysts for oxygen or hydrogen generation.

In this lecture, we will discuss the advances that we have made in the development of nanostructured electromaterials for solar cells and water splitting devices that emulate photosynthesis in light harvesting, reaction centre processes and water splitting.

Dr. Paul Vincent WiperUniversity of Manchester, UK

Paul has a background in inorganic chemistry; synthesis of crystalline and amorphous silica based materials and their subsequent characterisation using solid-state NMR methods and is experienced in catalysis. He is currently working on graphene and 2D materials research for various applications. He is a research associate at the University of Manchester, National Graphene Institute. Previous he was a postdoc at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) in collaboration BP Amoco USA for Drs. L. Mafra and J. Amelse. He did his PhD in collaboration with Pilkington Glass under the joint supervision of Prof. Y. Z. Khimyak and Dr. S. Varma; MSc in Catalysis at the University of Liverpool and BSc in Chemistry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Graphene activities at Manchester and the National Graphene Institute

In this talk, I will give a brief overview of the graphene research activities within the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and School of Materials at University of Manchester. In particular, we will focus on projects involving graphene oxide and graphene dispersions. Graphene dispersions are produced either by modified Hummers methods, or electrochemical exfoliation which was developed at Manchester. The graphene is then used to produce conductive coatings, bio-active coatings, composites, electrodes for batteries and fuel cells, etc.

The NGI is a £61M institute based on investment from the UK and EU. It houses state of the art clean rooms and labs, as well as projects in partnerships with industry. The University has recently announced the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC), which will focus on commercial graphene activities (TRL 4 – 6). We will present about the concept and structure of the NGI and GEIC and our efforts to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial exploitation of graphene.

National Graphene Institute: www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk

Dr. Alan DaltonUniversity of Surrey, UK

Alan Dalton has over 15 years experience in the general area of nanostructured materials and their applications. The Dalton Group’s research interests focus on understanding the fundamental structure-property relationships in materials containing one- and two- dimensional structures such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and other layered nanomaterials. They are particularly interested in developing viable applications for nano-structured organic composites (mechanical, electrical and thermal). They are also interested in the assembly of nanostructures into functional macrostructures and in particular interfacing biological systems with synthetic inorganic and organic materials for a range of applications. Since 2000, Alan has published over 150 peer reviewed articles in international journals and has 8 patents or patents pending. His work has been cited over 6800 times with an associated H-index of 38. He is currently a Reader in Soft Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Surrey.

Functional Materials Through Templated Assembly of Nanostructures

The incredible physical and chemical properties of nanostructures such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires offer up an array of potentially game changing applications in all areas of technology. However the major bottleneck to realising these applications centres on issues relating to fabricating real materials whereby the incredible properties from the nanoscale are effectively transferred to the macroscale. In this talk I will discuss methods ]to create such functional materials particularly focusing on the use of nanostructured templates to control material assembly. I will discuss several application areas including flexible electronics, smart textiles, energy storage and regenerative medicine and offer up some thoughts on future directions and the potential impacts these materials may have going forward.

Dr. Aoife MorrinDublin City University, Ireland

Dr. Morrin received her B.Sc. in Applied Sciences at the Dublin Insitute of Technology in 2000. She then went on to do her PhD at Dublin City University and received her PhD in Electroanalytical Chemistry in 2004 in the National Centre for Sensor Research. She has remained at DCU where she has established a research group in the area of analytical and materials chemistry. Her interests include electroanalytical device development, stimuli-responsive materials for sensor development and drug release. She has most recently been awarded a Career Development Award from Science Foundation Ireland to expand her research into the field of epidermal sensing looking at continuous hydration monitoring and skin gas analysis for biodiagnostic applications.

Sensing the Swell

Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of polymer that have great ability to imbibe exceptionally large volumes of water. The water uptake and hence swelling of hydrogels can be controlled and manipulated depending on hydrogel design. As such, the swelling can be exploited for use in sensing and controlled release platforms, with applications varying from providing a simple inert protective sensor coating, to use as an intelligent drug delivery system capable of sensing physiological changes and auto-titrating a drug. This presentation will describe the work we are doing on responsive hydrogel materials, their design, and applicability to both sensing and controlled release. In terms of sensing for example, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy can be used to sensitively track the swelling of pH-sensitive hydrogels. Indeed, the demonstration of this system for glucose detection at the low μM levels opens up the possibility of glucose detection in sweat. Electrically-stimulated drug release from hydrogels that are composited with reduced graphene oxide will also be discussed. Finally, our recent work on the fabrication of super- macroporous structures of these hydrogels and the dramatic influence of this structure on the material’s swelling behaviour and hence its sensing characteristics will be presented.

Prof. Daniel KellyTrinity College Dublin, Ireland Dr Daniel Kelly is a Professor in the School of Engineering and Director of the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering. In 2008 he was the recipient of a Science Foundation Ireland President of Ireland Young Researcher Award. In 2009 he received a Fulbright Award to take a position as a Visiting Research Scholar at the Department of Biomedical Engineering in Columbia University, New York. He is the recipient of two European Research Council awards (Starter grant 2010; Consolidator grant 2015) to develop novel strategies for joint regeneration. His research focuses on developing novel approaches to regenerating damaged and diseased musculoskeletal tissues.

Regenerating damaged bones and joints

Articular cartilage has a limited capacity for repair. This has led to increased interest in the development of tissue engineering strategies for cartilage and joint regeneration. This talk will review our attempts to use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to tissue engineer functional articular cartilage and bone grafts for use in bone and joint regeneration. In particular, it will demonstrate how it is possible to generate complex tissues, such as the bone-cartilage interface, by designing tissue engineering strategies that recapitulate aspects of the normal long bone developmental process. The talk will conclude with a demonstration of how we might ultimately scale-up such tissue engineering strategies to potentially regenerate entire diseased joints or replace whole bones.

Prof. Ari Ivaska Åbo Akademi University, Finland Ari Ivaska received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at Åbo Akademi University in 1975 under the supervision of Professor Erkki Wänninen. He did post doc training at Chelsea College, University of London, London, England in 1978/79 and in 1982/83 at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA. In 1980-81 he was working as a UNESCO expert in Campinas, Brazil to establish electroanalytical chemistry teaching and research at UNICAMP. In 1985/86 he worked as researcher on conducting polymers at the Neste Ltd Research Center in Finland. In 1987 he was appointed as full professor of analytical chemistry at Åbo Akademi University, Turku-Åbo, Finland. In 1991/92 and 1996/96 he spent two years on sabbatical leave at the Center of Process Analytical Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA with Prof. J.Ruzicka doing research on flow methods in analytical chemistry. From 1993 to 2009 he had the position as affiliate professor of Chemistry at University of Washington. The spring term 2003 he spent on sabbatical leave at the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute at University of Wollongong, Australia with Prof. G.Wallace studying carbon nanotubes. He is currently as associate research professor at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence at University of Wollongong. For the period August 2006 - July 2010 he was nominated as the head of research of the Foundation of Åbo Akademi Research Institute. In September 2012 he retired from the Chair but has continued his scientific activities as professor emeritus at Åbo Akademi University.

The research interests of Prof. Ivaska are electroanalytical chemistry, electrically active materials, chemical sensors, flow injection analysis, on-line analytical methods and process analytical chemistry in general. He was the Head of the Process Analytical Group in the Åbo Akademi Process Chemistry Centre, which was been nominated to a National Center of Excellence in Research by the Academy of Finland for 2000-2011 and for 2015-18 as the CoE at Åbo Akademi University. Prof. Ivaska has published over 300 research papers in international journals, edited a book and is co-owner of several patents. His h-index is 46.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of cellulose at a gold electrodeCellulose is expected to have a key role in the sustainable society in the future. This natural polysaccharide can be used as alternative raw material to petrochemical products. Cellulose based functional materials can be modified to desired applications by changing their physicochemical properties. Chemical and/or biochemical reactions have so far been used to modify chemical groups on cellulose molecules. It has been assumed that it is difficult to treat the polysaccharides by other than chemical or biochemical method because they are basically insoluble in water and electrochemically inactive. However, dissolution of the polysaccharides in a suitable solvent, which function as an electrolyte would open new research fields such as “electrochemistry of polysaccharides”, as a new horizon to utilization of polysaccharides.

In this presentation, the fundamental electrochemical properties of cellulose dissolved in sodium hydroxide solution at Au surface were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), in situ Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The reaction products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and FTIR spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results imply that cellulose at Au electrode surface in sodium hydroxide solution undergo irreversible oxidation. It is suggested that adsorption and desorption of hydroxide anions at the Au surface during a potential cycle have an important catalytic role in the electrochemical reaction of cellulose at Au electrode (e.g. approach to the electrode surface, electron transfer, adsorption and desorption of the reaction species at the electrode surface). Moreover, it was found that two types of cellulose derivatives were obtained as products of the electrochemical oxidation reaction. One is a water soluble cellulose derivative where some hydroxyl groups are partially oxidized to carboxylic groups. The other derivative is a water insoluble hybrid material composed of cellulose and Au nanoparticles (approx. 4 nm diameter). Furthermore, a reaction scheme of the electro-catalytic oxidation of cellulose at gold electrode in basic medium is proposed (Scheme 1).

Scheme 1. Electro-catalytic reaction of cellulose at Au in alkaline medium

Prof. Suvi HaimiUniversity of Tampere, Finland

Dr. Suvi Haimi is an adjunct professor of Cell and Tissue Engineering at the Institute of Biosciences and Medical Technology (BioMediTech), University of Tampere, Finland and a senior researcher at the Department of Biomaterials Science and Technology, University of Twente, The Netherlands. She is also currently a senior project researcher at 20Med Therapeutics BV, The Netherlands. She received her Master’s degree in biochemistry in 2006 and doctorate in Medical Biomaterials in 2008 from University of Tampere. She did postdoctoral research at the University of Tampere and at the University of Twente (since 2011) with a 3-year funding she received from the Academy of Finland. Her research focus is in the physical stimulation of adult stem cells with tissue engineered scaffolds in skeletal tissue engineering applications. Specific projects include bone tissue engineering using electrically conductive scaffolds and electrical stimulation, bone vascularization using adipose stem cells, tendon and annulus fibrosus engineering. Her research results have been directly used to develop clinical skeletal tissue engineered treatments performed at BioMediTech. She has received several grants and fellowships to fund her research and she is a main author of 27 high level scientific publications in the field.

The Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Adipose Stem Cells Cultured in Conductive Stereolithographic Scaffold Structures

Currently, the most reliable method of reconstructing skeletal defects involves painful harvest of autologous tissue. Tissue engineered products will replace traditional surgical techniques and harvested transplants in the future. Adipose tissue is an appealing stem cell source for tissue engineering applications, since it is redundant and can easily be harvested. The use of differentiated human adipose stem cells (hASCs) could evade the problems of limited availability and expansion capacity of more specialized cell types such as muscle cells. Electrical stimulation (ES) could be exploited to direct differentiation of stem cells more specifically towards the desired lineages and could replace the use of expensive and ineffective growth factors. We aimed to differentiate hASCs towards bone and muscle tissue by exploiting ES and highly elastic and porous poly (trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) stereolitographic structures coated with electroactive polypyrrole (PPy). PTMC films and 3D designed scaffolds were coated with PPy by vapour phase polymerisation. 1% foetal bovine serum in low glucose maintenance medium supplemented with transforming growth factor-β was used in the experiments. Biphasic electric current was applied through the ASC seeded films and scaffolds for 4–8 h/day during 14 days. ASCs were characterised by their viability, proliferation, mRNA expression of SMC and osteogenic markers, as well as by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Excellent hASC attachment and viability on both uncoated and coated substrates was observed. Gene expression of smooth muscle and osteogenic markers was significantly altered by ES. This study demonstrates ES to be a highly potential method for regulating ASC differentiation when used designed 3D scaffolds.

Prof. Tony Killard University of the West of England, UK Tony received his BA(Mod) Natural Sciences in Microbiology at Trinity College, Dublin in 1993 and his PhD in Biotechnology at Dublin City University (DCU) in 1998. He became Principal Investigator at the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, DCU in 2005. In 2011, he was appointed to the Chair in Biomedical Sciences at the University of the West of England and was made Adjunct Professor at the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute in October 2011. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. His area of research expertise lies with the development of chemical sensors, biosensors and biomedical diagnostic devices. Also of interest is the application of novel electroactive materials to electrochemical sensors and biosensors while also making these amenable to low cost mass production using technologies such as screen printing, inkjet printing and polymer MEMS fabrication. The integration of these sensors into functional diagnostic devices and systems using novel techniques such as breath monitoring and printed electronics technology is an area for development.

Printed sensor technology: progress towards commercialization

Printed biosensors in the form of blood glucose strips were arguably some two decades ahead of their time in printed electronics. Now, with the advent of a broad array of new functional materials with characteristics such as organic, nanostructured and solution processability, the rest of the field is now catching up, allowing the wider exploitation of such materials in new medical applications.

Our research group has been developing a number of point of care diagnostic devices based on organic and printed electronics. Sensors based on inkjet-printed polyaniline nanoparticle- modified electrodes have been used as the basis of a breath diagnostic device for measuring breath ammonia. This work began as a collaboration between DCU and University of Wollongong 10 years ago on the development and application of conducting polymer nanomaterials in combination with printing. The sensors were capable of measuring ammonia down to 40 ppbv in human breath and have been studied in haemodialysis patients. This technology is proceeding to commercialisation and is being applied to a range of disease conditions including chronic liver disease, chronic kidney disease and diagnosis of H. pylori infection. An update on the status of the technology and its route to commercialisation will be presented.

Prof. Louis Lemieux University College London, UK Professor Louis Lemieux received his PhD in Physics from the University of Montreal and has been a Professor of Physics Applied to Medicine since 2004. His research focus is functional and structural imaging in Epilepsy and has over 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as over 90 invited talks. Prof. Lemieux was a member of the Board of OHBM (Organisation for Human Brain Mapping) from 2008 – 2011 as well as the Editorial Board of Human Brain Mapping, Neuroimage, Brain Topography and Epilepsy Research and Treatment. He was appointed Chair at UCL’s Centre for Neuroimaging Techniques since 2001 and is a Member of the Institute of Physics.

Performing electrophysiological measurements in humans inside Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanners; applications in Epilepsy research and other areas

In this talk I will describe our work on the study of epileptic activity in humans using multimodal imaging, in particular simultaneous EEG and fMRI acquisitions. Emphasis will be put on the technology and the methods used to allow the two modalities to be used to work as efficiently and safely as possible. Scalp and intracranial EEG recordings performed inside the scanner will be discussed, with a few illustrations of results of the analysis of the data to the study of epileptic seizures and other events.

Prof. Maria ForsythDeakin University, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), Melbourne Professor Maria Forsyth is an Australian Laureate Fellow, an Alfred Deakin Professorial Fellow at Deakin University in Australia as well as the Associate Director in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (ACES) where she leads the research effort in energy storage. Her research interests include design, characterisation and modelling of electrolyte materials for lithium, sodium and metal-air battery technologies, with a key area being to optimise selective transport in these materials. Her research area informs the broad field of electromaterials science with application to both corrosion and energy related technologies. Specifically, her work has focused on understanding the phenomenon of charge transport at metal/electrolyte interfaces and within novel electrolyte materials. Such materials have included a range of novel ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes and plastic crystals. NMR techniques have featured strongly in Professor Forsyth’s research where she has applied pulsed field gradient NMR to measure diffusion of ionic species in electrolytes, variable temperature solid state wide line NMR and MAS to investigate structure and dynamics in solids and, most recently, NMR imaging of electrochemical processes. Professor Forsyth is a co-author of over 400 journal and conference publications and has delivered more than 25 invited and plenary talks in the past 5 years.

Understanding ionic structure and dynamics in novel electrolytes; Paving the way to improved energy storage

An electrolyte is a critical component of any electrochemical device, allowing ion transport between two active electrodes and often doubling up as the separator between these. We have investigated a number of electrolyte materials including ion liquids, gel electrolytes, plastic crystals and ionomers. These materials are also under investigation for a range of energy storage technologies including lithium, sodium, zinc and magnesium batteries. NMR methodologies have been a key tool to develop understanding of structure and transport in these electrolyte materials and we have collaborated with colleagues at Warwick University and Birmingham University in this area. Development of new electrolyte materials for Na batteries is an ongoing collaboration with Professor Michel Armand at the CIC Energigune in Vitoria, Spain. In this presentation we will highlight some of our key electrolyte developments that have been enabled in many cases by these collaborations.

Prof. Arjang RuhparwarUniversity Hospital Heidelberg,Germany Arjang Ruhparwar, MD, PhD, is a Professor for Cardiac Surgery and Surgical director of the heart transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. A graduate from the University of Cologne in Germany, he completed a two year research fellowship at Indiana University followed by starting his own group for research in regenerative medicine. His experi-mental research focus is the treatment of heart failure including stem cell and gene therapy as well as myocardial tissue engineering. In collaboration with leading labs in the field his group recently started to explore the potential of polymer science and nano-technology for support of the heart muscle as stand-alone procedure or in combination with cardiomyocytes.

Prospects for myocardial tissue engineering

Regenerative therapy research for partial or complete replacement of diseased myocardium by means of tissue engineering has led to remarkable results during the past 15 years. Engineered heart tissue consisting of a collagen matrix and neonatal cardiomyocytes has been transplanted into small animals resulting in improvement of ventricular function and whole heart tissue engineering has been performed by decellularization and reseeding of cells, essentially restoring myocardial function. The technique has been improved and refined over several years with increase in size and generated force of the engineered heart tissue, although generated contractility does not come close to developing adequate blood pressure in mammals. Myocardial patches also have been created from embryonic stem cells.

However, several challenges need to be overcome that have slowed down progress in this field of research.

Ideally, a contractile patch or restraint could achieve both positive inotropy and prevention of remodeling. Also here, most technical approaches for the augmentation of myocardial function will most likely target the low- pressure system of the heart (right ventricle) due to the limited power these constructs. A conceivable clinical application would be in the “Fontan circulation” where a moderate increase in right atrial pressure would significantly improve lung perfusion. Voss et al. achieved this goal by dynamic cardiomyoplasty using a skeletal muscle in a canine model13. Another challenge will be the elimination of fatigue and increase of durability, which is at this point limited to several hours. New-generation polymers which can generate considerable mechanical forces will eventually enable applications in the high-pressure system of circulation as well.