Currently, 25 million U.S. citizens are dependent upon an implantable device to maintain life. Advances in materials science, medicine, and engineering have allowed us to enter a new phase in our understanding and use of implanted material. No longer are these materials inert substitutes, and increasingly the new implant interfaces with the body in a deliberately dynamic way. Many clinical challenges remain, and “smart” biomedical devices or novel tissue engineering techniques may hold the solution to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to Alzheimer’s disease, as well as contribute in the prevention of disease.
The Biionix Cluster consists of highly ambitious professors that have come together from diverse multidisciplinary backgrounds to conduct cutting edge research, with the ultimate goal of supporting our health and well-being. We aim to develop innovative materials, processes, and interfaces for advanced medical implants, tissue regeneration, prostheses, and other future high-tech products (sensors, drug/gene nanodelivery systems, and drug discovery for example).
This interdisciplinary Cluster is a collaborative group comprised of 15 faculty, 131 undergraduate, 42 graduate and medical students and 8 post-docs from within UCF’s College of Medicine, Limbitless Solutions, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
The BIIONIX Cluster has more than 20 ongoing projects supported by ~$6 million in funding grants awarded by the NIH, NASA, NSF, FEMA, by Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Children’s Heart Foundation, or supported by UCF or local biotechnology companies.
**We welcome public participation on ongoing projects where we will measure your walking gait, limb movement and/or neural activity – all are safe and painless!**