ProfessorPantelis Georgiou

Overview
My research focuses on the design of bio-inspired integrated micro-electronic technology for application in healthcare. It is underpinned by the following principal areas:

Bio-inspired design: This involves designing systems by taking inspiration from biology to replicate bio-inspired processing and decision-making to create more efficient medical devices.

Integrated Sensing Systems: This involves integrating sensing modalities within available CMOS technology allowing the design of lab-on-chip devices, which fully integrate chemical sensors, low-power instrumentation and processing algorithms which are completely scalable to multiplex millions of sensors.

Novel Medical devices: This involves utilising the knowledge of bio-inspired design, integrated sensing and microelectronic technology to make medical devices which address current challenges in healthcare.

Applying these, I am currently focusing on solving the following healthcare related challenges:

Management of Diabetes: Diabetes is described by the body’s inability to control blood glucose which is typically treated by insulin injection to lower blood glucose. However, the non-automated nature of control leads to severe complications such as blindness and heart disease and can be dangerous through inducing hypoglycaemia. Recognising the need for a treatment for diabetes through a fully automated system and the impact it will have, my group is working on:

The Bio-inspired Artificial Pancreas: This involves research into creating a fully closed-loop system using microelectronic technology which replicates the way the beta-cells of the pancreas work to automatically control blood glucose through continuous infusion of insulin. Support: The Wellcome Trust.
Adaptive Decision Support Systems: Recognising that diabetes management is affected by many lifestyle related parameters such as exercise, stress and illness, my group is researching adaptive decision support systems using artificial intelligence techniques which utilise wearable technology to improve diabetes control. Support: EPSRC, Industry (Dexcom Ltd).
More info: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/bio-inspired-technology/research/metabolic/
Control of infection and antimicrobial resistance: Infectious disease is a widespread problem both in UK hospitals and in developing countries. There is an urgent need for diagnostic tools able to accurately identify infections at the point of care to ensure timely and targeted clinical management. This is especially important for infection control in low-middle income countries where access to healthcare facilities is limited and during pandemics such as COVID-19. Towards this, my group is working on:

Infection Technology: This involves research into creating rapid, highly sensitive and affordable Lab-on-Chip diagnostics using CMOS integrated sensing technology. These can identify pathogens using molecular methods involving DNA/RNA detection, leading to rapid response for infection control. Currently we are working with developing countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Ghana, South Africa) to create platforms for detection of Dengue, TB, Malaria and with the UK-NHS for bacterial infection to control AMR in addition to addressing COVID-19. Support: NIH, EPSRC, H2020, Rosetrees Trust, The Wellceome Trust.
Decision support systems for Antibiotic prescribing: This involves the use of artificial intelligence for clinical decision support in antimicrobial prescribing. This is to optimise prudent antimicrobial prescribing, using software-based systems within hospitals. Support: NIHR, EPSRC.
More info: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/bio-inspired-technology/research/infection-technology/
Management of chronic conditions using wearables: Utilisation of wearable technology for continuous monitoring of physiological parameters can lead to improvements in chronic conditions in addition to providing predictive factors for onsets of conditions and alarms. There are several technological challenges however which need to be addressed which include integration, power consumption, data transmission and accuracy in measurement. Towards this, my group is researching fully integrated wearables using CMOS technology for Osteoarthritis, muscle fatigue monitoring and metabolite monitoring through skin and sweat. Support: EPSRC.

More Info: Wearable Muscle Fatigue Monitor


Funding
Engineering and Phyisical Sciences Reasearch Council (EPSRC)
The Wellcome Trust
National Institute for Health Research biomedical research centre (NiHR)
National Institutes of Health
Horizon 2020
My Student Awards
2013

Mr Priyank Hirani, MSc - Awarded the EEE Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Analogue and Digital IC design, Project "A Low Power Multi-channel Glucose Sensing System ".

Miss Jean Weatherwax, MSc - Awarded the Hertha Ayrton Centenary Prize for best MSc project with significant original contibution, Project "A Self-Calibrating Sensing Array for Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Diabetes ".

2014

Mr Nicholaos Miscourides - Awarded the Sir Bruce White Prize in Electrical Engineering for the best final year Project, Project "Semiconductor Genetic Sequencing Using Ion-Sensitive Field Effect Transistors".

Mr Connel Hepburn - Awarded the Nujira Prize for outstanding achievement in analogue electronics, Project "Wireless control of blood glucose for diabetes in the clinical ward".


2015

Mr Nicolas Moser MSc - Awarded the EEE Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Analogue and Digital IC design and Awarded the Hertha Ayrton Centenary Prize for best MSc project with significant original contibution, Project "An ISFET based DNA sequencing system with pixel compensation".
Mr Jack Heaffey MEng - Awarded the EEE prize for the best MEng project entitled "A Wearable Device for Muscle Fatigue Detection in Rehabilitation of Athletes."

Mr Yaoxing Hu MEng - Awarded the Eric Laithwaite Prize for the most innvovative final year project entitled "Self-calibrating Multi-channel Continous Glucose Monitoring System".
2016

Mr Guenole Lallement MSc - Awarded the Hertha Ayrton Centenary Prize for best MSc project with significant original contibution, Project "Bio-inspired pH sensing using Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistors".

2017

Mr Ahmad Moniri - Awarded the Governors' MEng Prize in Electrical & Electronic Engineering for outstanding contribution, Project "Novel Algorithms and Models for Sensing DNA through ISFET arrays".
2019

Mr Prateek Tripathi, MSc - Awarded the prize for Outstanding Achievement in the Analogue and Digital Integrated Circuit Design Master of Science, Project "A Brain-inspired ISFET Array".

Mr Taiyu Zhu, MSc - Awarded the prize for Outstanding Achievement in the Communications and Signal Processing Master of Science, Project "A smartphone-based platform integrating AI for adaptive glucose prediction".