Imec Joins Forces with MIT’s RLE, MTL and IMES to Accelerate Personalized Healthcare

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Imec, a leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies announced their collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a renowned research university in advanced technology and science to research nanoelectronics-based solutions for minimally and non-invasive diagnostic devices for personalized medicine. The work 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 significant global socio-economic challenges, particularly as life expectancy increases. Achieving personalized treatment through tailored monitoring of vital signs and biomarkers has proven challenging but essential. 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, formalizes 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 enable 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 revolutionize healthcare,” said Veerle Reumers, head of health strategy & portfolio at imec USA. “With MITs 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 personalized medicine and the potential impact on people’s quality of life.”

”We are committed to make future health care more personalized 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 collaboration 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 realize minimally-invasive medical devices and computational strategies that could transform how we monitor and intervene to improve human health and wellness."

Ahmad Bahai, Professor of the Practice in MIT’s Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Department : “MIT and imec are joining forces along with leading research hospitals and biotech centers to reshape personalized and global health care by advancing innovations at the intersection of semiconductors, AI, and biology.”