Programmable Semiconductor Chips for Cell-Biology Applications
Date: 9 July 2025
Location: UTAR Kampar, Block E, EDK2
Lead Staff: Dr. Nuraidayani
Professor Chen-Yi Lee is a renowned scholar at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. With over 100 publications on IEEE Xplore, his research specializes in VLSI design, system-on-chip architectures, and low-power integrated circuits.
Bio-FPGAs, utilizing micro-electrode dot arrays (MEDA), enable precise cell manipulation through programmable dielectrophoresis (DEP) chips. These chips support dynamic patterning, aggregation control, and frequency-dependent sorting, facilitating applications such as single-cell analysis, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine. Their ability to perform nucleic acid amplification, like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enhances real-time diagnostics and reduces reliance on animal testing.
Semiconductor biochips leverage high-integration ecosystems and hardware-software co-design, allowing flexible execution of bio-protocols like dilution and cell movement control. Unlike conventional chips, they don’t require small transistor sizes, easing production. However, challenges include long manufacturing times, high costs, and complex foundry process parameter selection.
Commercializing biochips remains difficult, as evidenced by Theranos’ failure to validate its BSD blood testing concept. Conventional 3D microfluidic chips, being simpler and cheaper, pose competition, making it hard to develop sustainable business models for Bio-FPGAs despite their advanced capabilities.
Bio-FPGAs introduce innovations like 3D structures for enhanced functionality, precise force direction, and velocity control for cell manipulation. Automated bio-protocols and efficient thermal cycling for PCR improve speed and reproducibility.
Bio-FPGAs represent a "blue ocean" opportunity, harnessing semiconductor supply chains and cross-domain ecosystems to advance cell-biology applications and precision health.
Thirty one students participated in the seminar.