Anja Boisen wins € 2.4 million grant to develop table-top drug monitoring device

(© Anja Boisen)

Prof. Anja Boisen

Prof. Boisen aims to develop a miniature table-top device that can monitor drug performance in a single drop of blood at a fraction of the current cost. The goal is that the research will result in a start-up health tech business at the end of the three year grant period.

Currently heading the Intelligent Drug Delivery and Sensing Using Microcontainers and Nanomechanics (IDUN) centre at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Prof. Boisen has previously co-founded four DTU spinout companies. Now, as a BII Faculty member, she will establish a group at the BioInnovation Institute. Her work is generally divided into two parts: drug delivery and nanomechanical sensor development. “The new grant from BII makes it possible to continue both activities and exploit the enormous synergy that exists between the two activities that now are almost merged,” said Prof. Boisen in a press release for Danish National Research Foundation.

Prof. Boisen gained her Masters in Physics from the University of Roskilde before completing an industrial PhD in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems from DTU. With the exception of secondments to industry, she has been based at DTU ever since. In 2008 she won Denmark’s largest research award, the Villum Kann Rasmussen award, after which the prestigious EliteForsk award followed in 2012.

The BII annually invests up to DKK 70 million (€ 9.4 million) in early-stage projects and start-ups in health tech. It is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.