Implantable Optical Interfaces for the Next-Generation Biomedical Applications
Implantable optical interfaces offer exciting routes to drive biomedical innovations. When integrated into advanced engineering systems and an ecosystem of supporting technologies, devices like these provide revolutionary approaches relevant to diagnostics, therapeutics, and real-time health monitoring applications. By leveraging light-based bidirectional communication, these interfaces offer control and interrogation of biological processes, opening new frontiers in the treatment and management of various medical conditions. In this talk, I will present the recent advancements in implantable wireless optical devices, particularly their applications in neuroscience research, such as neural stimulation and optogenetics. Additionally, I will explore their use in monitoring tissue oxygenation as the mechanism for detecting opioid overdose, providing critical insights for both clinical and research applications. Despite the overarching challenges in device technology and bio-integration, the transformative potential that implantable optical interfaces have is vast, offering new tools for personalized medicine, clinical diagnostics and improved treatment outcomes.

Dr. Abraham Vázquez-Guardado
Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University on January 24, 2025 at 10:15 AM in EB2 1231
Dr. Abraham Vázquez-Guardado is an assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. in Optics and Photonics from the College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) in the University of Central Florida in 2018, and his Postdoctoral training from the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University (2019-2022). His contributions to implantable wireless devices, nanophotonics, and optical and optoelectronic biosensors has been published in about 50 peer reviewed journal publications, and a book chapter. His research interests span from the fundamental development of multimodal bidirectional nanophotonic and optoelectronic bio-interfaces to the deployment of biomedical devices for applications in biosensing, biomedical and neuroscience research, clinical diagnostics, and unsupervised feedback-controlled human interfaces.

This lecture series features exciting and dynamic visiting and virtual speakers from across the range of ECE disciplines. Take some time every Friday morning to be inspired by these great scientists and engineers before heading into the weekend!