IntraBioNets: Foundational Models of Heterogeneous Intrabody Biomolecular Communication Network Links for the Internet of Bio-NanoThings

Overview

The goal of the IntraBioNets project (Foundational Models of Heterogeneous Intrabody Biomolecular Communication Network Links for the Internet of Bio-NanoThings) is to address fundamental challenges in the development of a self-sustainable and biocompatible network infrastructure to interconnect the next- generation nanotechnology and synthetic-biology-enabled electrical and biological wearable and implantable devices, i.e., the Internet of Bio-Nano Things. While the constraints concerning the size, environmental, and biocompatibility faced by these devices greatly reduce the practicality of classical telecommunications solutions, their direct contact with the human body, where the cells naturally communicate and interconnect into networks, suggests the possibility to exploit these biological communications for their interconnection. In particular, the IntraBioNets project focuses on the development of a foundational models of usable communication channels on top of the biological processes underlying the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis (MGBA), composed of the gut microbial community, the gut tissues, the enteric nervous system, and their intercommunications, drawing from cutting edge research in physiology, with the aim to realize minimally invasive, heterogeneous, and externally accessible electrical/molecular communications to transmit information between electrical and biological devices. The outcome of this proposal will establish the basis for a completely novel transdisciplinary networking domain at the core of the next-generation biomedical systems for pervasive, perpetual, and remote healthcare. To accomplish this goal, the IntraBioNets project brings together an interdisciplinary team of PIs with expertise in molecular communication and nanonetworks, implantable microelectronics engineering, and biological communication modeling and design.