Graphene steps into biomedicine

April 2016 marks the beginning of a new phase of the Graphene Flagship¹. This first phase of the Core Project — lasting for 3 years and supported by Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (http://go.nature.com/CNOjo6) — consolidates some of the topics already explored during the ramp-up phase of this 1 billion research initiative, and further extends the technological and scientific remit by launching Work Packages focused on new applications (http://go.nature.com/CQ1nIM). Among them, a new Biomedical Technologies Work Package will investigate whether 2D materials can be leveraged for the development of diagnostic or therapeutic tools for healthcare.

In keeping with the spirit of the Flagship, fundamental research in this area will need to attract the interest of industrial partners, who will have to provide part of the financial support for technological development, as well as assist with the clinical translation of the research output. Promoting these collaborations was the aim of a two-day Graphene Connect workshop (http://go.nature.com/y66MWr) held in February at the MINATEC centre, Grenoble, where scientists discussed with industry representatives how graphene might provide specific advantages for use in biomedical applications.

During his introductory talk, Kostas Kostarelos (University of Manchester, UK) — who leads this new Work Package together with Jose Garrido (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Barcelona, Spain) — articulated in very simple terms the first question that must be considered: “why graphene?” Indeed, although graphene possesses certain properties that are desirable for several high-tech applications, what technological requirements this and other 2D materials could address in biomedicine requires further investigation.