Speaker

Liesbet Lagae

Fellow Health Technologies - imec

Biography

Liesbet Lagae, Ms. E. E., Phd, is imec fellow and currently program director of imec life sciences department. In this role, Liesbet is the scientific leader of a multidisciplinary team of over 150 researchers working on miniaturization of biochips, microfluidics and integration of bioassays. By leveraging those chip-based sensor solutions, she builds the tools for next generation DNA sequencing, synthesis, cell sorting, proteomics, implantables and bioreactors. Liesbet Lagae received her PhD degree from the KU Leuven, Belgium for her work on Magnetic Random-Access Memories in 2003. She has pioneered life science technologies based on silicon-based biochips at imec, Belgium. She created a successfully growing business line on how smart silicon biochips could be tailored to the needs of our customers in the health domain. She was appointed as a KULeuven part time professor in nano biophysics as a consequence of these early-career achievements. Liesbet has (co-)authored more than 300 publications. She holds 25 patents in the field. She holds a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant that deals with an innovative cell sorter-on-chip technology. She is or has been promotor of over 25 PhD students.

Talk(s)

4:35 PM

Bringing the power of semiconductor to life sciences

Semiconductor technology, with its scalability, emerges as the catalyst for this paradigm shift. By leveraging chip technology and AI solutions, researchers can transcend traditional limitations, accelerating the pace of discovery and innovation in the field of cell and gene therapies for the treatment of cancer and other high-burden diseases. These therapies are personalized, meaning each patient requires a unique treatment.

To accelerate advancements in genomics, drug discovery, synthetic biology and cell therapies. we must develop the capacity to read and generate an unprecedented number of molecules and cells. Also, patient data and AI plays a crucial role in this process. But it starts with acquiring experimental data in a scalable manner with a next generation of tools. The fundamental building blocks for these tools, typically genes and other nucleic acid-based molecules, must be sequenced and synthesized with high precision. Genomes need to be transfected into cells to investigate their function. The cell response must be monitored, and the data processed to select the most promising candidates, which are then further optimized until the desired effect is achieved.

Finally, those candidates need to be scaled up in a biomanufacturing process that ensures the right quality measures for each patient. However, these processes are often still a black box. The lack of understanding or information poses significant challenges in improving bioprocesses and controlling quality in real-time. To address these challenges, sensing or monitoring solutions need to be small, fast and accurate.

Imec, in collaboration with partners in the field, has developed several innovative technologies to shed new light on the biomanufacturing processes. This presentation will demonstrate imec's unique capabilities and approach in supporting its customers from problem to solution. From integrated, miniaturized sensors and imagers to AI enabled control strategies, imec supports the biomanufacturing industry in overcoming some of its most pressing challenges, driving advancements in efficiency, reliability, and product quality.