Middle East Technical University (METU) Mechanical Engineering Department Faculty Member and METU MEMS Center Researcher Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ender Yıldırım and METU MEMS Center Board Member and METU Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah shared important information about the studies on the MAESTRO-Micro Medical Technologies Platform supported within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1004-Center of Excellence Support Program, where 9 critical technologies in the field of health are developed.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yıldırım emphasized the effects of chip technologies on human life and stated that these technologies have entered our lives in many different areas, especially starting from the automotive industry. Yıldırım stated that these technologies have now made a great transformation in health sciences and explained that they have developed chips for various micro medical applications that can be used in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of diseases on the platform. He stated that the chips can be used in the diagnosis of chronic and complex diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and that they also have a chip developed for the rapid diagnosis of lung cancer.
“Chips Are Being Developed for Rapid Monitoring of Chronic Diseases”
Yıldırım stated that the chips they developed enable rapid steps to be taken in the diagnosis and follow-up of chronic and complex diseases, and said, “We are also working on systems for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. We are developing platforms where “Drugs can be tested on 3D cell cultures grown inside chips outside the human body.”
Providing information about 9 technical projects coordinated by the METU MEMS Center, Yıldırım said, “These projects are supported within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1004 Center of Excellence Support Program. Each project has a different coordinator. As METU MEMS, we have undertaken the coordinatorship “The coordination of the entire platform is provided by the METU MEMS Center.”
Yıldırım, who stated that the aim is to increase the technological readiness level of the projects significantly within 4 years, said, “We see that commercializable products are starting to emerge. Our three intermediate products are currently ready for commercialization. At the end of the 4-year support process, the outputs of 9 technical projects will be made as ready as possible for commercialization.”
“It is important to be among the leading countries”
Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah said that studies on micro medical technologies have been carried out at the METU MEMS Center for a long time and that an important point has been reached thanks to the knowledge and collaborations gained over 20 years. He stated that 26 different organizations from universities, hospitals and the private sector came together and carried out joint studies in the Micro Medical Technologies Platform supported by the TÜBİTAK 1004 program.
Külah said, “Our aim is to develop domestic and national micro medical chips with high added value for the country. The innovative technologies developed in 9 projects will provide a great advantage in terms of reducing our country’s external dependency in micro medical technologies and developing the “culture of innovation in this field.”
“Unimaginable Products Emerge”
Evaluating the use of chip technology in the health sector, Külah said, “This technology has enabled the emergence of some products that were previously unimaginable. For example, it is possible to diagnose rare diseases at an early stage from a blood sample or to detect “some damage in advance through microchips that detect signals in the brain in head traumas.”
Külah said, “The development of biomedical implants such as in-ear implants is also based on chip technology. We see these today and we will see more in the near future. It is very important for us to be among the leading countries in this field.” Stating that the platform developed within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1004 program was supported by approximately 60 million liras for 4 years, Külah said, “METU MEMS Center is the managing organization of the research program. Other organizations where sub-projects are carried out include TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM), İzmir Institute of Technology, Sabancı University, Yeditepe University R&D and Analysis Center, Bıçakcılar Medical Products Industry and Trade Inc. and GlakoLens Biomedical Biotechnology Industry and Trade Inc.
Stating that they developed the chips completely domestically at the METU MEMS Center, Külah said, “Our students registered in master’s and doctoral programs at METU and other universities are involved in every stage from the idea stage to the production stage. The aim is for the “technology developed here to be transformed into a product through existing or newly established initiatives in Turkey, it is aimed to reach the end user and create completely domestic and national micro medical solutions.” He concluded his words.
9 Projects Will Offer Innovative Solutions in Healthcare
Haluk Külah gathered the projects developed within the framework of the platform under the titles of diagnosis, follow-up and treatment. Providing information about the projects, Külah gave the following information:
- Microchip for Head Trauma: Together with Bıçakcılar and Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Surgery, we are developing a microchip that can monitor brain waves in head traumas. This chip will monitor the results of the trauma and, if necessary, provide the opportunity for external drug intervention.
- Smart Contact Lenses:Led by GlakoLens, a spin-off company from Boğaziçi University, smart contact lenses that measure intraocular pressure are being developed.
- Biosensors and Smart Stents:In collaboration with TÜBİTAK MAM, studies are being carried out on biosensors that can provide early information about cardiovascular diseases from blood and smart stents to be used in vascular occlusions.
- Three-dimensional Cell Cultures:Izmir Institute of Technology aims to develop chips for the growth of three-dimensional cell cultures.
- Innovative Medicines for Cancer Treatment:Innovative drugs for cancer treatment are being developed using these chips at Yeditepe University R&D and Analysis Center.
- Cancer Detection from Blood Sample:Sabancı University is developing a system that can detect cancer from a blood sample.
- Lung Cancer Biosensor:A biosensor for the early detection of lung cancer is being developed under the leadership of the METU MEMS Center.
- Childhood Cancers and Infertility Problems:Studies are ongoing on an organ-on-a-chip platform that could eliminate the effects of infertility problems resulting from childhood cancer treatment.
Külah stated that each of these projects has the potential to break new ground in the relevant field and that engineers, medical doctors and biologists work together as interdisciplinary projects, adding, “What excites us the most is that experts from different disciplines work together to produce innovations.”
METU MEMS Director Dr. Atilla Hakan Özdemir emphasized that they are trying to realize their goal of becoming a world-class chip production center with the chips they develop for different fields.
