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MICRO / NANOSCALE BIOTIC / ABIOTIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LABORATORY Begun in 2009 , founding director Associate Professor Bahareh Behkam leads a team with research interest at the interface between biological and synthetic systems ( bio-hybrid engineering ) at the micro and nano scales . Current activities include developing bio-hybrid engineered systems for sensing , actuation , communications , and control ; and studying mechanisms of adhesion , motility and sensing in cells or unicellular organisms .
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In addition to its ability to pattern complex-shaped objects , SWAN lithography also has three additional characteristics that , in the words of Behkam , “ make the potential for the process , expansive .” The first is that SWAN lithography can be applied to wide variety of object shapes of varying curvatures , and be done at both micro- and nano-scales , something electron beam lithography ( EBL ) and focused ion beam milling ( FIB ) can ’ t do ,” Behkam said . “ Second , we have reduced the costs considerably ; and finally , the time it takes to texturize an object is orders of magnitude faster compared to other methods .” Behkam contends the current commercially available systems for creating nano structures typically take 10,000 to 1 million times as long . That means what SWAN lithography can do in one minute , the others would spend 166 hours or 694 days to accomplish .
With cost , utility and speed issues solved , the obvious question remains as to what SWAN lithography cannot achieve ?
“ Really , it allows us to explore a large variety of application areas . We are especially interested in health care-related technologies ,” Behkam said . “ We are working to engineer nano components that work with biologic components . For example , in implantable medical devices , microbial infections are not only associated with increased mortality but are also significant contributors to the emergence of antibiotic resistance traits . With increased life expectancy , we are likely to see an increase in the use of short and long-term implantable biomedical devices . This represents a growing unmet medical need to counter microbial biofilm-associated infections . Current treatment for biofilm-associated infections typically involve a combination of surgical replacement of the implant , and longterm antibiotic therapy , which incurs high health care costs and remains controversial because compelling evidence of their effectiveness is lacking . SWAN lithography enables engineering of micro / nano-scale topological cues on the surface of medical implants to mitigate biofilm formation , allowing a far superior function and safety ”
In addition to medical applications , the SWAN lithography process also allows functionality to be built into other products , including nano sensors for photonic and plasmonic applications .
Currently , Behkam and her team are speaking with industry to further develop the patent-pending technology and bring it to the next step for wide-scale use in everything from camera lenses and aircraft wings , to ship hulls , solar panels , and biomedical devices and implants .