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Excellent Science INNOVATION
Biomimicking materials for improved biocompatibility
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Market Maturity: Exploring
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Market Creation Potential
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UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The UN explains: "Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers responsible for child and maternal mortality.

Major progress has also been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

However, many more efforts are needed to control a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon 2020 project STARDUST with an end date of 30/09/2022
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project STARDUST
The main goal of the STARDUST project is to realize a novel wireless implantable and independent micro-scale device (200x200x200 µm3) enabling in-vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics and ultra-localized drug delivery in freely moving animals. The device will be used to target specific neural circuits of the brain and test a new therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The methods used in this project are based on cutting-edge miniaturized technology combining integrated chips, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), local drug delivery, integrated electrodes and micro-scale light emitting diodes (µLEDs). STARDUST will benefit from these advances and for the first time provide an implantable ultrasonically-powered miniaturized device for in-vivo optogenetics, local drug delivery and electrophysiological monitoring – all in one single device. The proposed device is expected to provide an output power of 1-20 mW/mm2 for optogenetics with two different wavelengths, one for neuron activation and one for triggering drug-delivery; STARDUST will provide proof of concept. The main novelty of the STARDUST project is the convergence of multiple, interdisciplinary fields including optogenetics, triggered drug-delivery, miniaturized ultrasonic energy harvesting, material science and nanoelectronics. The main ambition of the project is to develop a new technology platform to be used for future implantable in-vivo optogenetic devices for monitoring and treating diseases, with an optional local drug delivery add-on beyond 2025. Establishing proof of concept of the STARDUST platform will be the foundation for other applications within photodynamic therapy such as cancer treatment and other neurological and non-neurological disorders.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 24/11/2022.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 103841