Advancing Cardiotoxicity Testing with Electrical Pacing and CMOS Biosensing

/ Advancing Cardiotoxicity Testing with Electrical Pacing and CMOS Biosensing

Advancing Cardiotoxicity Testing with Electrical Pacing and CMOS Biosensing

Master internship - Leuven | More than two weeks ago

Electrified heart, beating in sync for maturation and biosensing.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derivedcardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are transforming cardiac research by providingpatient-specific models for disease studies and drug safety testing. However,their full potential depends on achieving an adult-like, mature phenotype—achallenge that remains unresolved. Electrical pacing has emerged as a promisingstrategy to accelerate cardiomyocyte maturation, yet optimal protocols arestill under investigation.

This internship focuses on developing andoptimizing electrical pacing protocols to enhance the physiologicalrelevance of hiPSC-CMs. By improving key maturation markers—such asforce-frequency response, reduced automaticity, and anisotropic cellmorphology—you will contribute to creating more predictive models forcardiotoxicity assessment and cardiac disease research.

Why Join Us?

Modern life sciences increasingly integrate advancedelectronics for high-resolution monitoring and stimulation of living systems.At imec, our state-of-the-art CMOS micro-electrode array (CMOS-MEA)platform enables high-precision electrical interfacing with cell cultures atsingle cell resolution. As part of this project, you will also explore howenvironmental factors (e.g., light, temperature, electromagnetic interference)and system parameters (e.g., frequency, voltage, electrode configuration)influence signal quality and stability. Your work will help improve robustnessand reproducibility in real-world biological experiments.

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience at the intersection of bioelectronicsand stem cell biology
• Skills in electrical stimulation protocols,biosensing technologies, and data analysis
• Contribution to cutting-edge research with directimpact on drug safety and cardiac health

Type of internship: Master internship

Duration: 2 - 6 months

Required educational background: Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Biomedical engineering

University promotor: Liesbet Lagae (KU Leuven)

The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-106.

Only for self-supporting students.

Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Yoke Chin Chai (Yoke.Chin.Chai@imec.be ) and Lukas Fan (Lukas.Fan@imec.be )

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