MEMS and nanotechnology: challenges and opportunities. The case of the fight against tuberculosis.

Medicine is clearly becoming one of the major challenges in the field of Applied Physics. The development of novel pharmaceutical devices, such as diagnostics, drug carriers or vaccines is growingly dependant on nanotechnology processes. Nanotechnology and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) applied to biological issues have given rise to unprecedented biomimetic designs, which are leading the development of innovative tools, including high-throughput platforms for combinatorial bioassays, or microfluidics-based systems for the detection of diseases. This talk will address the use of MEMS and nanotechnology as a powerful combination for improving Public Health items, specifically through novel diagnostic systems for a wide set of human diseases. Also, we herein present our work involving the use of this approach for the development of a point-of-care test to detect tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one of the most evasive germs considered as potential biological warfare agents.