Professor Hagan Bayley to Lead Bold New Institute at EIT Oxford: Materials and Devices for Life Sciences

EIT Oxford is pleased to announce Professor Hagan Bayley will be joining as Principal Scientist, launching the newly established Materials & Devices for Life Sciences Institute. His mission will be to accelerate nanopore diagnostics and tissue engineering, two breakthrough technologies set to redefine how diseases are detected and organs repaired.

Accelerating Nanopore Technology and Tissue Engineering

Materials & Devices for Life Sciences Institute focuses on two core areas:

• Nanopore Diagnostics: Building on nanopores’ proven use in DNA and RNA sequencing, EIT will expand the technology to detect proteins, peptides and small molecules - including volatile compounds in human breath. Such portable and cost-effective tools could provide point-of-care diagnostics for cancer, dementia, heart disease and other major conditions.

• 3D Tissue Construction: Using bespoke bioprinters and microfluidics, the program will develop both synthetic and living tissues. These engineered tissues will enable drug screening with patient-specific samples and, ultimately, organ repair using centimetre-scale constructs. Hybrid tissues that combine synthetic and living elements open new possibilities for regenerative medicine.

Together, these exemplify EIT’s mission to fund high-risk, high-reward research that often sits beyond the scope of traditional grants, pushing bold ideas toward real-world application.

Professor Bayley’s Leadership

Professor Bayley is uniquely positioned to lead this ambitious Institute. A chemist by training, he has spent his career pioneering technologies that bridge fundamental science and practical application. His laboratory was among the first to engineer protein nanopores, enabling the single-molecule detection techniques that laid the foundation for a new era of biotechnology. In 2005, he founded Oxford Nanopore Technologies, creator of the MinION handheld sequencer that democratized access to genomic information.

More recently, Bayley’s group has broken new ground in 3D bioprinting, creating synthetic and living tissues for drug discovery and regenerative medicine. His work has been recognised globally, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society and the award of the Royal Society Buchanan Medal for contributions to medical science.

Building a Multidisciplinary Team

Central to Professor Bayley’s vision for Materials & Devices for Life Sciences Institute is the creation of a multidisciplinary team. Chemists, biologists, engineers, physicists and mathematicians will work side by side to push programs from concept to clinic. By uniting diverse expertise under one roof, the Institute aims to accelerate discoveries that would be impossible within traditional academic silos.

Speaking on his appointment, Professor Bayley said:

"What excites me is the chance to bring brilliant minds from across disciplines together to solve problems that matter to patients. Nanopore technology and engineered tissues aren’t just fascinating science - they’re tools that can make diagnosis faster, treatments more personal and organ repair a reality. At EIT, we have the freedom to take these ideas further and faster than anywhere else”

Professor Santa Ono, EIT Oxford & Global President said:

“At EIT Oxford, our mission is to transform scientific ideas into breakthroughs that change lives. The new Materials & Devices for Life Sciences Institute will do exactly that - delivering powerful new tools for diagnosis and therapy. Professor Hagan Bayley is the perfect leader for this mission. His pioneering discoveries and his ability to unite multidisciplinary teams to solve challenges beyond any single field capture the very essence of EIT: bold, collaborative science with real-world impact.”

About Professor Hagan Bayley

Hagan Bayley is Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is internationally recognised for his pioneering work on nanopore technology, synthetic biology and tissue engineering. A founder of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, his innovations have reshaped biotechnology and diagnostics.