Canan Dagdeviren

Biography

Canan Dagdeviren was born in 1985 in Istanbul, Turkey. As a Fulbright Doctoral Fellow, she received her Ph.D. degree in Material Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under supervision of Prof. John A. Rogers in December, 2014. Dagdeviren is currently a postdoctoral researcher in The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research of MIT, working with Prof. Robert Langer. She is also a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows of Harvard University. Beginning in January 2017, Dr. Dagdeviren will be an Assistant Prof. at MIT Media Lab and direct the Conformable Decoders research group.

Synopsis

The Bio-Dynamo: How Internal Organs Could Power Implantable Devices

Canan Dagdeviren developed a conformable, piezoelectric, mechanical energy harvester (PZT MEH) that converts mechanical energy from internal organ movements into electric energy to power medical devices. This first-of-its-kind device is soft and flexible, that conforms to the heart as well as other soft tissues. For instance, under the rhythmic contraction of the heart muscle, the device bends and relaxes, enabling it to supply enough charge to satisfy the needs of a pacemaker. This technology could extend the battery life of implanted electronics or eliminate the need of battery replacement, sparing patients from repeated operations and the risk of surgical complications.