Title: Smart Biosensors and Smart Cells– the interface between biological systems - microelectronics and microfluidics

Biography:

Malcolm retired as CEO of Kirkstall Ltd, one of the world’s leading Organ on a Chip companies, in 2019. He is now busier than ever helping research organisations and charities working to replace the use of animals. Previously in his career he had senior roles in both R&D and sales and marketing. He founded a consulting company which supported spin-outs from Universities and raised over $15 million from Venture capital and regional development funds. He was a visiting Lecturer for FSRM, Neuchatel, Switzerland, on the subject of Micro and Nanotechnology in Biomedical Engineering for over 10 years and was appointed as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Sheffield University in 2019. Dr Wilkinson is co-author on several papers on in-vitro models of toxicity and a contributing editor of a recently published book on In-Vitro Testing. 

Abstract

This paper looks at the opportunities for using sensors in the latest microphysiological systems(MPS) or Organs on a chip.Building such MPS is a truly multidisciplinary challenge requiring knowledge of biology, chemistry engineering and physics. Living cells are very complex entities and respond quickly to changes in their environment. Hence any long-term culture of cells needs an environment where pressure, partial oxygen pressure, flow stress and temperature must be carefully controlled and monitored. Otherwise the cells will differentiate away from the target phenotype and experimental results will be misleading and of little value in studying human disease or drug response. This talk will present situations where biosensors can support the development of better and more human relevant microphysiological systems.This represents an important and rapidly growing market opportunity to replace the use of animals.  The current use of animals for testing the safety and efficacy of chemicals and pharmaceuticals is misguided, unethical, wasteful from an economic point of view and outdated from a scientific perspective. The market for animal use is of the order of $30billion worldwide and estimated R&D spend is possibly 7% that equates to a budget of $210million being spent on the continuation of animal methods. If even a part of this can be directed towards in vitro MPS methods, it will create a massive growth in the current market for microtechnology used for in vitro testing of safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food supplements and household chemicals.