Vijay Vaithilingam has just been awarded the NWO Open Competition XS grant for his project proposal entitled "Hybrid Soft Robotic Implant (HyBORG) to modulate foreign body response".
The long term performance of implantable medical devices such as breast implants, biosensors, pacemakers and drug/cell delivery devices is hindered by complex and unpredictable foreign body responses (FBR). Modern soft robotic technologies can be employed to design sophisticated anti-fouling implants that can remain in the body for an extended period and as well mitigate FBR. In this project, Vijay will work on the design of a Hybrid Soft Robotic Implant (HyBORG), which employs mechanical oscillation to modulate FBR by altering fluid flow and cellular activity at the implantation site and support long-term functionality of the implant.
Congratulations Vijay!