Nanocomposite Smart Stent Design
GraPhone Team
GraPhone Team, which is in the Teknofest Biotechnology Competition Idea Category, has developed a smart stent design that can generate electrical energy on its own by using the blood pressure in the vein and feed the pacemaker with this energy, in order to increase the life of the pacemaker used in various heart diseases.
The most common cardiovascular condition for which implantable heart devices are used is heart failure.
Today, the incidence of heart failure is increasing proportionally due to the aging population and various genetic factors.
These devices, which are of vital importance for patients, have a limited lifespan, which varies depending on the type and heart disease to be treated, requiring surgical replacement at the end of the battery life or in case of failure of the batteries. This situation wears out the patient both physically and psychologically and is a costly procedure.
In order to reduce surgical operations and increase the quality of life of patients, a stent with nanocomposite structure was designed to extend the life of the pacemaker.
The designed nanocomposite stent, which will be placed in the cable used for the pacemaker, converts the mechanical energy generated by the blood pressure in the vessel into electrical energy by using nanomaterials with superior physical properties. In this way, it is aimed to increase the life of the pacemaker by feeding the converted energy to the pacemaker.
The GraPhone Team was formed in 2018 under the supervision of Associate Professor Cumhur Gökhan ÜNLÜ at Pamukkale University Technology Faculty.
The team has been producing Graphene with Chemical Vapor Deposition Method, Graphene Oxide with Hummers Method and magnetic nanoparticles with different types and methods for many years.
Quick Detection Biosensor
GraFEB Team
The GraFEB Team was established under the supervision of Pamukkale University Biomedical Engineering graduate students Sinem Karatekin, Hatice Nur Koyun, Hatice Dilay Yazıcı and Gebze Technical University Computer Engineering student Mustafa Halil Şenol and Associate Professor Cumhur Gökhan ÜNLÜ.
The team performs metallic nanoparticle synthesis and graphene production for biomedical applications. The team vision is to develop products that will maximize public health by combining nanotechnology and the medical sector.
The immune system produces different antibodies or immunoglobulins to protect the human body against bacteria, viruses and allergens. The human body produces 5 different immunoglobulins, Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG), which appear in the early stage of the disease and are responsible for neutralizing the disease.
The use of indirect detection of immunoglobulins in the diagnosis of some diseases has important clinical values and plays a vital role for rapid diagnosis.
In general, immunoglobulin amounts are measured using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which have the advantage of high accuracy.
Although these methods have high accuracy, they have disadvantages such as long test time, need for a laboratory environment for evaluation, and long diagnosis time due to multi-step measurement methods.
At the same time, it makes it difficult to access and use by large segments due to reasons such as high cost and the need to be applied by experts.
In the project, the “Graphene Based Field Effect Transistor (GFET)” biosensor platform was developed for the rapid detection of IgM and IgG, and it was integrated with a software and electronic platform for the evaluation of data via smart systems such as mobile phones. Thus, a biosensor platform with digital detection and tracking system has been developed, which is the first step for the follow-up of infectious diseases.
The rapid detection biosensor thinks that it will create a solution to the problems that may arise in the diagnosis and follow-up phase, due to its advantages such as relatively easy production method, fast, accurate and sensitive results and no expertise required in the evaluation process.
In addition, it is aimed that this biosensor platform to be developed will be used for monitoring the course of the disease as well as revealing the disease.
It is foreseen that this type of developed biosensors will soon be a basic device to be used to monitor the health status of all people.
