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Over many years the Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre – NIBEC research team, based with the School of Engineering have developed a strong capability in the area of nanobiophotonics. NIBEC has extensive expertise, lab facilities and are focused on the fundamental understanding, synthesis, fabrication (coatings to PICs), characterisation and application of the interaction of functionalised nanomaterials with biological components for commercial imaging, bio-sensing, medical diagnostics, surgical and therapeutic clinical impact.

This area has the potential to revolutionise healthcare because of the ability of light to detect in a non-invasive/non-ionising manner and measure diseases in a fast, sensitive, and accurate manner with the ability to gain earlier detection protocols via point-of-care diagnostic systems. With further surgical and therapeutic solutions, the capability is also an important underpinning capability for the new BCRC Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology -CDHT.

A strong capability involving multi-disciplinary approaches (across faculties) related to fabricating nanoparticle-based devices exits, consisting of conjugation techniques, advanced analysis systems (AFM, Confocal, Hyperspectral, TEM/FE-SEM, UPS-XPS, Laser/optical-bench Femtoamp measurement capability, COMSOL modelling etc.) etc., and a history of impact/innovation involving working with industry, commercialising IP, creating highly successful spinouts as well as Covid Lateral Flow devices development and a strong published output base with a large variety of well-developed patents.

Core areas of ongoing and future interest in nanobiophotonics include -

  • Wearables- PIC system-flexible electronics for PPG, IR, SpO2, PR/RR, PWV-BP etc.
  • Device fabrication– Chip integration; Comms; IOT, Cloud analytics, apps, algorithms, edge comp.
  • Nanoparticle plasmonic enhanced diagnostics
  • Multiplex sensing plasmonic on a chip
  • Single Cell Microfluidic systems and integrated plasmonic sensing
  • Enhanced diagnostic imaging via nanoparticle and quantum dot labels
  • Photodynamic therapy & Photothermal nanoparticle antenna plasmonics for tumour treatment & drug delivery
  • Nano photo-electro-bio-catalytic systems for energy and environmental applications.
  • Image analysis of nanoparticle patterns/clustering via machine learning/AI
  • Nano- solar photovoltaic materials & applications
  • Refractive Index sensing systems
  • Improved Microscopy as nano-biophotonics intends to bridge the gap between light microscopes and the electron microscopes
  • Specific wavelength UV irradiation for bio-denaturation of proteins-biofouling
  • Nano microscopy via AFM, Confocal Microscopy, Hyperspectral Cameras, Nano-Raman and SNOM for early-stage detection of tumours.
  • Microwave photonics and optical communication enhancement.
  • Reader systems and associated diagnostic AI/ ML enhanced Algorithm development.
  • Optometry based vision science with nanomaterial drug.
  • Image-guided therapies and surgeries.
  • Nanoplasmonic ultra high throught sequencing technology (PLASEQ)
  • Nanophotonic CRISPR biochips for label-free detection of mutated genes (nanoCRISP)