imec and MIT join forces on personalised healthcare

The research will be conducted within a number of groups at MIT including the Research Lab of Electronics (RLE), Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES).

Healthcare remains one of the most important global socio-economic challenges, particularly as life expectancy increases. Achieving personalised treatment through tailored monitoring of vital signs and biomarkers has proven challenging but necessary. Recent progress in semiconductor technology has brought us closer to this objective.

To harness this potential, imec and MIT reseachers are combining their leadership in nanoelectronics and semiconductor technology. The agreement, signed this week, formalises their commitment to address common healthcare challenges by uniting pioneering researchers within the semiconductor and life sciences ecosystem.

The collaboration aims to develop nanoelectronics-based, minimally-invasive diagnostic devices capable of monitoring biomarkers and vital signs in clinical, point-of-care, or home settings. When combined with AI, these data facilitate the creation of an individual’s digital biological profile that can facilitate detailed clinical monitoring. This provides clinicians with powerful tools for therapy, diagnosis, and prevention of diseases, ultimately enhancing quality of life.

The collaboration between these two renowned institutes will leverage and expand their collective expertise and infrastructure, including imec’s semiconductor fab in Belgium.

“We believe that by integrating cutting-edge semiconductor technology and AI, our collaboration with MIT has the ability to revolutionise healthcare,” said Veerle Reumers, Head of Health Strategy & Portfolio, imec USA. “With MIT's healthcare and microsystems expertise, and imec as the gold-standard for transferring novel technologies to industry, this partnership combines decades of complementary experience. We are excited about improving healthcare through technology solutions for personalised medicine and the potential impact on people’s quality of life.”

”We are committed to make future healthcare more personalised and affordable through a new generation of microsystems that close the loop between advanced sensing and actuation,” said Tomás Palacios, the Clarence J. LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, and Director of the MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories. “Society needs these new solutions as soon as possible and we are looking forward to working with our colleagues from imec, and the entire MIT ecosystem to make this a reality.”

• “I'm tremendously excited by the transformative, real-world impact our partnership could yield," said Alex K. Shalek, Director of the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), and the J.W. Kieckhefer Professor of IMES & Chemistry. "Together, we'll be able to realise minimally-invasive medical devices and computational strategies that could transform how we monitor and intervene to improve human health and wellness."