Organic Bioelectronics

In situ bioelectronics. Injectable materials polymerize into conducting filaments (here, blue) inside living tissue and around the living cells, without scarring or the need of rigid electrodes.

Communicating across the biology-technology divide.

Principal investigator: Daniel Simon

In the Organic Bioelectronics (OBE) group, we harness the unique properties of organic electronic materials to fuse biology and technology—bridging the “languages” of ions and molecules with that of electrons. We address critical challenges in accurately interfacing with biochemical and physiological signals, overcoming barriers to targeted therapies and personalized medicine. Our mission is to pioneer minimally invasive, high-precision devices and technologies that integrate naturally with living systems.

As trailblazers in iontronic technologies and in situ bioelectronics, we develop transformative solutions for drug delivery, neuromodulation, biosensing, and beyond. By building on our successes—such as self-organizing in vivo electrodes and on-demand chemical delivery platforms—we aim to shape next-generation approaches for treating complex disorders, from the central and enteric nervous systems to difficult-to-treat cancers. Our interdisciplinary, curiosity-driven culture unites expertise in materials science, chemistry, biology, and engineering, inspiring creative ideas that blur the borders between living tissue and technology. Ultimately, we strive to translate breakthroughs in organic bioelectronics into tangible, life-changing benefits for individuals and society.

Organic Bioelectronics research leaders

Major projects

News about Organic Bioelectronics

A man in a lab coat holding a tube of blue liquid.

Electrodes created using light

Visible light can be used to create electrodes from conductive plastics completely without hazardous chemicals. This is shown in a new study carried out by researchers at Linköping and Lund universities.

Reseracher in lab.

New master’s programmes in world-leading materials science

Linköping University is one of the world’s leading universities in materials science. The autumn of 2026 will see the launch of two new master’s programmes in this field. The students can look forward to an excellent labour market.

Pipette against black background..

A pipette that can activate individual neurons

Researchers at LiU have developed a type of pipette that can deliver ions to individual neurons without affecting the sensitive extracellular milieu. The technique can provide important insights into how individual braincells are affected.

Organic Bioelectronics group members

Publications in Organic Bioelectronics

2026

Gábor Méhes, Arghyamalya Roy, Shenghan Gu, Magnus Berggren, Eleni Stavrinidou, Daniel Simon (2026) Fumarate dramatically enhances biocurrent output in Shewanella-based bioelectrochemical system Bioelectrochemistry, Vol. 172, Article 109330 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2026.109330
Sebastian Hecko, Marle Vleugels, Christian Bayer, Donghak Byun, Moa Hörberg, Nikolaus Poremba, Rassen Boukraa, Patrick Keppel, Andreas Loffler, Walter Kuba, Helena Saarela Unemo, Iwona Bernacka Wojcik, Theresia Arbring Sjöström, Magnus Berggren, Daniel Simon, Rainer Schindl, Linda Waldherr, Hannes Mikula, Johannes Bintinger (2026) Iontronic click-to-release enables electrically controlled delivery of drugs and biomolecules beyond charge and size limitations Nature Communications, Vol. 17, Article 4629 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70985-0
Hanne Biesmans, Charlotte Theunis, Rebecka Rilemark, Caroline Lindholm, Marle Vleugels, Tobias Abrahamsson, Xenofon Strakosas, Jennifer Gerasimov, Daniel Simon, Magnus Berggren, Eva Olsson, Chiara Musumeci (2026) Suspension polymerization of bioelectronic interfaces on living cells Materials Horizons, Vol. 13, p. 5888-5897 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d5mh02264a
Helena Saarela Unemo, Iwona Bernacka Wojcik, Lingkai Zhu, Marle Vleugels, Moa Hörberg, Caroline Lindholm, Magnus Berggren, Daniel Simon, Theresia Arbring Sjöström (2026) Polyelectrolyte Design Principles for Electrophoretic Drug Delivery Advanced Science, Vol. 13, Article e22981 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/advs.202522981
Tobias Abrahamsson, Fredrik Ek, Rémy Cornuéjols, Donghak Byun, Marios Savvakis, Cecilia Bruschi, Ihor Sahalianov, Eva Miglbauer, Chiara Musumeci, Mary Donahue, Ioannis Petsagkourakis, Maciej Gryszel, Martin Hjort, Jennifer Gerasimov, Glib Baryshnikov, Renee Kroon, Daniel Simon, Magnus Berggren, Ilke Uguz, Roger Olsson, Xenofon Strakosas (2026) Visible-Light-Driven Aqueous Polymerization Enables in Situ Formation of Biocompatible, High-Performance Organic Mixed Conductors for Bioelectronics Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 65, Article e17897 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.202517897

2025

Bernhard Burtscher, Chiara Diacci, Pooya Azizian, Marios Savvakis, Tobias Abrahamsson, Joan M. Cabot, Xenofon Strakosas, Daniel Simon (2025) Ad hoc manufactured OECT glucose sensor in capillary-driven microfluidic npj Biosensing, Vol. 2, Article 44 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44328-025-00063-w
Theresia Arbring, Anton I. Ivanov, Nariman Kiani, Iwona Bernacka Wojcik, Jennifer Samuelsson, Helena Saarela Unemo, Dionysios Xydias, Lida-Evmorfia Vagiaki, Sotiris Psilodimitrakopoulos, Ioannis Konidakis, Kyriaki Sidiropoulou, Emmanuel Stratakis, Magnus Berggren, Christophe Bernard, Daniel Simon (2025) Miniaturized Iontronic Micropipettes for Precise and Dynamic Ionic Modulation of Neuronal and Astrocytic Activity Small, Vol. 21, Article 2410906 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.202410906

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