Biomedical Microdevices - Call for Papers: Microfluidics and Nanotechnology for Infectious Diseases
May 2022
Infectious diseases caused by viruses and bacteria represent one of the major reasons of global mortality. Due to their contagious nature, easy movement of subjects (both people and animals) internationally, and ability to adapt to various therapies, the incidence of newly emerging, evolving, and drug-resistant pathogens is on the rise. Thus, novel technologies that enable better understanding of the pathogens and the accompanying diseases, development of early and precise diagnosis, and development of countermeasures against infectious agents are highly desired. Micro- and nano-technologies, enabling controlled interactions with bacterial and viral pathogens, due to the similarity in the physical scales, can provide promising solutions.
More specifically, microfluidics and nanomedicine have shown great promises for broad arrays of applications in infectious diseases. These applications range from devices and materials that allow better understanding of infectious agents’ biology and interactions with the host, rapid and accurate diagnosis, as well as development of vaccines and efficient therapeutics. The impacts of microfluidics and nanotechnology in the field of infectious diseases are greatly benefiting from the extensive technology advancements made in the past two decades. In fact, nanomedicines carrying vaccines received worldwide clinical recognition and validation during the COVID-19 pandemics, saving millions of lives worldwide. Microfluidics-based devices are also being widely utilized for rapid and accurate diagnosis purposes. Considering the tremendous negative impacts infectious diseases are having on our society, combined with the forecast of even more frequent outbreaks of emerging and drug-resistant viral and microbial diseases, it is expected that microfluidics and nanotechnology will occupy an important clinical niche in the battle against these pathogens in the future.
This special issue will focus on featuring the latest developments and applications of microfluidics and nanotechnology for combating infectious diseases caused by viral and microbial pathogens, with an anticipated substantial impact on the future of diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of these pathologies.
Guest Editors
Dr. Arum Han
Texas A&M University, TX, USA
Arum.han@ece.tamu.edu (this opens in a new tab)
Dr. Biana Godin
Houston Methodist Research Institute, TX, USA
bgodin@houstonmethodist.org (this opens in a new tab)