The BonLab at Warwick University specialises in the fabrication of colloidal and macromolecular materials for a wide range of applications, including coatings/adhesives, personal/household care products, and confectionary. BonLab's recent scientific activity in the fields of autonomous and programmable colloidal gels and active colloidal matter drew attention from researchers in life sciences.
Prof.dr.ir. Stefan Bon says: "We are delighted with the invitation to join the bio electricity group and the bio electrical engineering (BEE) hub, hosted at Warwick University. We hope that our scientific portfolio and know-how will provide a synergistic angle and will help innovate in this exciting area of science"
Information on the Bio Electricity Group:
Despite the early works of Luigi Galvani in the 18th century, the experimental inquiry into the biological systems has never fully taken an electrical viewpoint. Galvani’s, and subsequently Alessandro Volta’s, studies led to the discovery of the electrical battery and the birth of electrochemistry, but the biological thread have been largely neglected outside of neurosciences.
At Warwick, we have taken on this neglected thread and have identified biological electricity as a key research direction. In particular, we believe that electrical forces, and the ability to control them, are fundamental in organising living systems across the scales (see publications). To better understand these forces and develop means to measure and control them, we undertake an interdisciplinary approach that brings together expertise from biology, physics, engineering, and chemistry.
Our research in this area is currently conducted through several collaborative PhD and postdoctoral projects. In addition, we have recently launched a Bio Electrical Engineering (BEE) Innovation Hub with funds from a BBSRC Innovation Accelarator Award provided to the University of Warwick.
Current membership (and interest areas) in the Warwick BioElectricity group include; Munehiro Asally (electrical patterns in cellular organisation), Orkun Soyer (electrical interfaces to cells), Murray Grant (electrical signals in plants), Pat Unwin (electrobiochemical measurements), Marco Polin (electrotaxis), Rob Cross (sub-cellular electrical fields), and Stefan Bon (electrical stimuli in colloidal biomaterials)
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