Life Science Interface

About the Lab

The Life Sciences Interface Wet Chemistry Laboratory at Tyndall National Institute is a multifunctional interdisciplinary facility accommodating a range of equipment and infrastructure as required for development and characterisation of ICT devices and systems at the life sciences interface. It includes workstations for electrochemistry, injection moulding, 3D printing, fluorescence microscopy, contact angle analysis of surfaces, sterilization, and nanodispensing of solutions on devices.

Industry Applications 

Researchers working in the Life Sciences Interface suite of laboratories in Tyndall are actively engaged with end users, industrial and academic partners, leveraging innovative ICT technologies to provide solutions for applications in healthcare, security, agrifood and environment. New opportunities in these application sectors are being advanced through the convergence of ICT research in photonics, electronics, advanced materials, smart systems, and AI, with collaborators engaged from clinical, biotechnology, bioengineering and pharmaceutical research including industry partners (i.e. large multinational and SME companies) in many cases. 

The Life Sciences Interface researchers exploit the extensive design, fabrication and characterisation tools available in-house at Tyndall, to create sensors and systems solutions for the life sciences sector, including agritech, advanced manufacture, security and environmental monitoring, but with a main focus on digital healthtech. Integrated systems for analysis of various biomolecules have been developed which comprise of novel advanced sensors, electronic subsystems, software to interface with those sensors, and optimized surface chemistries to capture target molecules. The holistic approach by researchers working at the Life Sciences Interface is typically based on identification of the user requirements specification of each application scenario, and proceeding through the development and integration of system building blocks to provide a solution appropriate to the needs of the end user and compatible with scaling for field / clinical testing as applicable. These include diagnostic devices and modules for sample preparation, isolation, concentration / amplification, detection and characterisation of target biomolecules, as well as a range of bioelectronic therapeutic devices. Integration of these modules into prototype systems with easy to use control interfaces has led to innovations in surface engineering, microfluidics, packaging, and signal processing.