
“Part of my passion for building a research lab is to offer a platform where young researchers can explore … their passions,” said Wubin Bai, who recently received UNC’s prestigious Hettleman Prize. (photo by Alyssa LaFaro, UNC Research)
In collaboration with scientists and clinicians, Wubin Bai uses his expertise in materials science to develop next-generation medical devices.
Robots that mimic human skin. A wearable patch for wireless drug delivery. A device that can communicate with 3D cell structures called organoids.
These sound like something from a science-fiction novel, but they are the real projects of Wubin Bai. As an assistant professor of applied physical sciences, Bai works with soft and nanomaterials to create next-generation medical devices.
Soft materials are “anything we can deform with our hands,” he said. These include foams, gels, liquids, plastics and biological materials like organs and cells. Nanomaterials are teeny-tiny particles less than 100 nanometers in size. Cell components, DNA and proteins are nanomaterials.
Bai often needs the expertise of clinicians, biologists and other scientists to create these innovations.
“I want to understand the challenges that exist in health care and biology,” he said. “These enormous fields are a goldmine for us to explore.”
Bai’s background is rooted in high-energy physics, but his time as an exchange student in a lab specializing in condensed matter physics kickstarted his current trajectory.
“I grew interested in the mechanics of soft materials and what they could achieve,” he said. “Simple modifications in molecular structures and compositions can make them super stretchable or strong and rigid.”
Bai went on to pursue a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then completed postdoctoral work at Northwestern University. He joined the UNC faculty in 2021, and today is involved in numerous projects.
One is a wireless patch that delivers drugs to patients using a smartphone or computer. About the size of a Band-Aid, the patch contains microneedles that deliver on-demand medication.
Bai and his collaborator, pharmacologist Juan Song, believe the patch could administer multiple medications at once, making it useful for diseases like Alzheimer’s and HIV, which require a cocktail of drugs to treat.
Another is a pulse oximeter that can provide more effective readings for patients of color. Because only a small range of skin tones were considered in the creation of these devices, some readings can be inaccurate.
“We’re designing a spectrometer that incorporates a broad range of light sources to consider multiple skin tones,” Bai said.
Recently, Bai and his team realized that this technology goes beyond pulse oximeters. His lab has created another wireless, wearable patch for deep tissue monitoring that allows doctors to track vitals in real-time and improves comfort in patients. Current deep tissue monitors often require implantation using ultrasound technology.
While most of these devices work outside the body, Bai and his collaborators in biology, biomedical engineering and chemistry are also developing technology for use inside the body: robots that mimic human skin.
This e-skin uses silver nanowires and conductive polymers to sense its surroundings and adapt as needed. It can administer treatments like electrical signals and take a variety of medical measurements.
“I think, in the field, medical implants are what patients are most scared of,” he said, adding that e-skin could be a game-changer for risky procedures.
That is why Bai is also collaborating with Carolina geneticist Jason Stein, who creates 3D cell structures in petri dishes — called organoids — that use a patient’s real brain cells to test drugs for determining best treatments for brain diseases.
In his three years at Carolina, Bai has created a large cohort of young researchers who also develop projects based on their own interests. He is currently mentoring more than 30 of them, from high school students to postdoctoral researchers.
“Part of my passion for building a research lab is to offer a platform where young researchers can explore and identify their possible long-term passions,” he said. “We are motivated to constantly provide new visions, ideas and concepts to further revolutionize medical technologies and improve health care.”
By Alyssa LaFaro, UNC Research
Published in the Fall 2024 issue | Faculty Up Close, Tar Heels Up Close
Read More

Carolina research funding hits $1.21B milestone
For the fifth year in a row, research awards topped…