SWIMSYNTHETIC · Physics of synthetic small-scale propulsion in complex fluids for biomedical applications
FP7 — People (Marie Curie Actions)
- Duration
- 2013-08-01 → 2017-07-31
- EU contribution
- €100,000
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MC-CIG
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Physics of synthetic small-scale propulsion in complex fluids for biomedical applications
Synthetic self-propelled swimmers at the micrometer and nanometer scale could help revolutionise the future of medicine by allowing the design of simpler targeted therapeutic and diagnostic devices. I combined two of the thematic areas from the 7th framework program (health and nanosciences) and conduct theoretical studies to discover the physical principles behind artificially-propelled small-scale swimmers in complex fluids. Specifically, I quantified the dynamics, stability and control of artificial swimmers driven by magnetic or acoustic fields, modelled theoretically and experimentally self-propulsion in complex fluids as relevant to the biomedical world, and characterised mathematically the role of stochastic forces on the dynamics of artificial swimmers. The research approach is fundamental and consists of theoretical and computational studies purposely positioned upstream of experiments. The ultimate goal of this project was to advance our knowledge in the fundamental physical principles of small-scale locomotion while deriving the guiding principles necessary to design of a wide class of artificial swimmers for use in biomedicine. The support of the CIG has allowed me to return to Europe after a productive 12-year academic career in the United States and to obtain a permanent position; has provided financial support for my research activities in an outstanding and supporting scientific environment; has enabled the creation of a research group of seven PhD students and two postdoctoral scholars; has enabled the communication of my past expertise and the knowledge acquired during the project to my immediate environment; has allowed me to establish new international collaborations and to build on my track record in teaching by educating European students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level; and has encouraged further research in the development of novel nanotechnologies relevant to the future of healthcare in Europe by supporting a fundamental theoretical and computational approach.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The future of medicine requires the development of novel devices and methods enabling detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. These tasks, especially targeted therapy and diagnostics, could be achieved through the action of synthetic self-propelled swimmers at the micrometer and nanometer scale. In this project, I combine two of the thematic areas from the 7th framework program (health and nanosciences) and propose to conduct theoretical studies to discover the physical principles behind such artificially-propelled small-scale swimmers in complex fluids. Specifically I propose to quantify the dynamics and stability of artificial swimmers driven by magnetic or acoustic fields, model the dynamics of synthetic swimmers in complex fluids as relevant to the biomedical world, and derive a mathematical framework quantifying the role of stochastic forces on the dynamics of artificial swimmers. The research approach is fundamental and consists of theoretical and computational studies purposely positioned upstream of experiments. The ultimate goal of this project is to advance our knowledge in the fundamental physical principles of small-scale locomotion while deriving the guiding principles necessary to design of a wide class of artificial swimmers for use in biomedicine. The support of the CIG will allow me to return to Europe after a productive 12-year academic career in the United States; provide a financial support for my research activities in an outstanding scientific environment (the University of Cambridge); enable the communication of my past expertise and the knowledge acquired during the project to my immediate environment and broadly in the European Union; establish new collaborations in Europe; build on my track record in teaching by educating European students; reach the general public through extensive outreach efforts; and encourage further research in the development of novel nanotechnologies relevant to the future of healthcare in Europe.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE · CAMBRIDGECoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union