Improving the Reliability of Implantable Medical Devices for Neurological Applications

Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/14/2019
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Location
Communicore, C1-17

Hyowon “Hugh” Lee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center, Center for Implantable Devices, Purdue University

Developing chronically reliable implantable device is an enormous challenge in biomedical engineering with significant economic and clinical implications. Soon after implantation, many devices often suffer from substantial performance degradation and premature failures due to various abiotic and biotic failure modes. Enabling technologies that improve the lifetime and reliability of these implantable devices can have an enormous impact on many debilitating chronic diseases that are difficult to diagnose and treat. In this presentation, I will discuss our latest efforts to utilize nano and microscale transducers to fabricate more reliable and smart implants and biosensors. As examples, I will share our latest efforts to develop a more reliable neurostimulation microelectrodes, self-clearing implantable shunts for intraventricular hemorrhage, and glutamate biosensors to enable neurogeneration research.

Bio:

Hyowon “Hugh” Lee received his B.A. in neuroscience from Colorado College in 2004 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering from University of California, Los Angeles, in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Before joining Purdue, he worked as a senior engineer for St. Jude Medical’s Implantable Electronics Systems Division where he worked on manufacturing challenges associated with implantable electronic devices such as pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, deep brain stimulators, and spinal cord stimulators. At UCLA, he trained in the areas of neuroengineering and microfabrication under Jack Judy. His current research interests centers around improving the reliability and functionality of implantable sensors and actuators. He is a co-founder of Rescue Biomedical, LLC. that focuses on closed-loop solution for automatic naloxone delivery for opioid overdose. His lab is currently supported by NIH, NSF, Indiana Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Samsung, and Eli Lilly.