Planar technology, the driving force behind the microelectronic revolution has quietly become the central technology in the biomedical revolution. Biomedical micro- and nano-devices (biochips) from microarrays for genomics, proteomics and drug discovery, to lab-on-a-chip devices and biosensors, are now fabricated by planar technology methods. In contrast with semiconductor manufacturing, which had a champion product, the transistor, and a champion technology, biomedical microdevices are enormously diverse and evolving rapidly. This product diversity and rapid evolution requires constant and accelerated upgrade of the technology and materials for biochip design. The course, which will focus primarily, but not exclusively, on nanodevices, will start with the exploration of the molecular interactions at biochip surfaces which dictate the selection of the appropriate design, fabrication technique and critically impact on the operation of biochips. The present evolution of biochips concomitantly towards disposable devices (e.g. polymer-made), single molecule detection devices (e.g. nanoarrays) and dynamic devices (e.g. lab-on-a-chip and molecular motors based devices) make the understanding and control of surface biomolecular interactions even more critical. The course will emphasize the developments in nano-enabled and dynamic devices and will also explore the projected trends in biochip markets, technology and design.

The course reviews the microlithography materials and techniques used in biomedical research and diagnostic techniques. These include photo-assisted surface-based peptide/DNA libraries, immuno-assays, nanosize dynamic devices (protein molecular motors), traditional and advanced biosensors. The course starts with the essentials of microlithography theory, materials and techniques. The capabilities of microlithography are compared with the needs of the present biomedical R&D. The identified areas of overlapping "capabilities to needs" give an insight on the rapid emergence of biomolecular microengineering. Finally, the student is presented with the future opportunities and challenges in the field of patterning bioactive molecules.

The course will start with the basic principles of microlithographic chemistry and technology, and a short review of the recent advances in biomolecular patterning relevant to spatially addressable cell manipulation. This leads to discussion on the scope and development of cellular microengineering. Finally, the student will be presented with the future opportunities and challenges in the field of constructing cell-based devices. There will be discussion on the decade-long development of cellular culture on patterned/profiled structures. Applications include biomedical research and diagnostic techniques, neuronal cell research and devices, antibody-antigen cancerous cell response; and advanced cell-based biosensors.

The course reviews three overlapping areas in the microlithography and biomedical fields. photochemical systems; photosensitive materials; and patterning technologies are presented. The similarities and the differences in these areas allow a perspective on the breakthroughs of microlithography principles and techniques in biomedical field. With an understanding of the issues and the developments, the student is presented with the opportunities and challenges in the field of patterning bioactive molecules and living cells

This course aims to provide a basic working knowledge of scanning probe microscopies. The course concentrates on the Atomic Force Microscopy equipment design, experimental procedures and advanced analysis of the data. Among the many research and industry applications for both bio- and non-bio fields, the course will review the mapping of nanotopograhies, probing the surface properties, the use of SPM for nanofabrication and readout of nanodevices. You will become fully knowledgeable regarding the benefits and challenges of SPM techniques.