Medical Design Briefs - June 2023 - 24

n Bioprinted Patches
for Heart Repair
A new technology that
uses bioprinted patches to
repair damaged heart tissue
has been proven to be
safe and cost-effective for
patients.
n Sensor Detects
The new technology creates
personalized bio-inks made of a patient's own stem cells.
The bio-inks are then used to 3D print cardiac tissues to repair
areas of dead tissue caused by heart attacks.
Because this technology enables patients to use their own
stem cells to create the heart patches, not only can they potentially
dramatically reduce the trauma and cost of a heart
transplant, they also avoid hurdles such as a body rejecting
donor tissues.
To determine treatment effects of hydrogel alone or with
cells, MI mice were transplanted with: (i) AlgGel acellular
patches, (ii) AlgGel with freely suspended cardiac cells, (iii)
AlgGel with cardiac spheroids. Extrusion 3D bioprinting permits
hydrogel patch generation, even preserving microtissue
cardiac spheroids directly suspended in the bio-ink.
Further testing for long-term effects of this technology are
under way before starting clinical trials. (Image credit: Leo
Herson)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0623/patches.
n Crocodile Skin-Inspired
Pressure Sensor
Researchers have successfully
created omnidirectionally
stretchable pressure sensors
inspired by crocodile
skin. They drew inspiration
from the unique sensory organ
of crocodile skin and developed pressure sensors with
microdomes and wrinkled surfaces.
By inventing a hemispheric elastomeric polymer with delicate
wrinkles containing either long or short nanowires, they
created a device that they say outperforms currently available
pressure sensors. While other sensors lose sensitivity when
subjected to mechanical deformations, this new sensor maintains
its sensitivity even when stretched in one or two different
directions.
Thanks to the fine wrinkled structure on its surface, the
sensor can maintain high sensitivity to pressure even when
subjected to significant deformation. When an external mechanical
force is applied, the wrinkled structure unfolds,
reducing stress on the hemispheric sensing area that is responsible
for detecting applied pressure. This stress reduction
enables the sensor to preserve its pressure sensitivity
even under deformations. As a result, the sensor exhibits
exceptional sensitivity to pressure, even when stretched up
to 100 percent in one direction and 50 percent in two different
directions.
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0623/crocodile.
24
Early-Stage Parkinson's
An electrochemical sensor
detects Parkinson's disease
at different stages. The
device was fabricated using
an ordinary 3D printer and
proved capable of early diagnosis,
also serving as a
model for the identification of other diseases. The sensor rapidly
indicates the level of the protein PARK7/DJ-1 in human
blood and synthetic cerebrospinal fluid. The molecule is associated
with Parkinson's at levels below 40 µg/L.
To build the sensor, the researchers used a commercial filament
made basically of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable polymer
associated with a conductive material (graphene), and other additives.
Three electrodes printed on the plastic substrate by additive
manufacturing were chemically treated to make them more
conductive and stimulate formation of a surface layer of functional
groups (carboxyls) that bind to antibodies.
The activation process entailed removal of the polymeric insulating
surface from the electrodes by immersion in sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) and application of an electric potential (positive
and negative). A reaction was then promoted between antibodies
and PARK7/DJ-1 to produce a diagnosis. Specific antibodies for
PARK7/DJ-1 were immobilized on the surface of the electrodes,
and the sensor was used to detect the protein at three levels: 30
μg/L, 40 μg/L, and 100 μg/L. The average level in patients diagnosed
with Parkinson's at different stages is approximately 30 ± 9
μg/L. (Image credit: Cristiane Kalinke and Paulo de Oliveira)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0623/parkinsons.
n Nanobiosensor Detects
SARS-CoV-2
Scientists have developed a nanobiosensor
based on gold nanowires.
Originally only intended
for the detection of COVID-19associated
antigens and antibodies,
the biosensor is also transferable
to other biomarkers.
The researchers' aim was to develop sensor systems that can
also be used for detecting low virus loads while providing quick
and accurate results. They used nanowires made of gold, which
can be employed to detect various biomolecules such as enzymes,
proteins, and antibodies. This approach was combined with
electro chemical impedance spectroscopy, a technique that provides
information on various processes at the electrode-electrolyte
interface, including charge transfer, diffusion transport, and formation
of an electrical double layer, as well as on the properties
of the measurement system. This includes solution resistance and
roughness or porosity of the electrode surface.
The nanoscopic biosensor chip consists of six pairs of
inter locking gold nanowire devices for detecting SARS-CoV-2
antigens and antibodies. (Image credit: HZDR/Sandoval
Bojorquez)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/0623/nanobiosensor.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs, June 2023
http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0623/patches http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0623/parkinsons http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0623/crocodile http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/0623/nanobiosensor http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Medical Design Briefs - June 2023
