Title: Biomimetics: The Direction for Biosensors

Biography:

Alan started his career as an academic, but moved into industry with Laporte/Interox and BDH/Merck rising to R&D management and business director roles.  He was a member of two of the UK Government’s Foresight Panels (Chemicals and Materials) and was a member of two university advisory boards.  He was Chairman of a UK Faraday Partnership on electronic displays and an officer of one on colloids and formulation science. Alan set up a consultancy which helped manage a number of Government projects such as: Programme Director for the Manufacturing Molecules Initiative; Programme Coordinator for ACORN (a nanoparticles initiative); Associate Director of the Micro Nanotechnology Network, a major initiative on nanotechnology, generating interest in nanotechnology and lectures in 5 continents.  He has also worked with the World Bank in South America.  He has been the author of 3 books on strategies and roadmapping and has facilitated over 50 technology roadmaps in a variety of sectors Voluntary work includes being President of the Industrial Affairs Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Bureau member for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).  Alan has worked with Presidents and S&T ministers in numerous Commonwealth countries on emerging technologies. 

Abstract

Evolution has resulted in ‘products’ in nature that have properties that are of considerable interest to us.  A relatively new field called biomimetics (meaning ‘copying nature’) is taking advantage of nanotechnology developments.  It is early days but many research groups are now trying to harness certain characteristics of animals and plants, making use of senses that are better than ours.  Biosensors are being developed for enhanced detection of smells, sounds, sight and even feel.  This presentation summarises some of the more interesting applications that are being developed.  We can learn such a lot about biosensors, in this burgeoning field of biomimetics, from what has taken nature millennia to perfect.