Medical Design Briefs - November 2023 - 26

n Nature-Inspired Pressure
Sensing Technology
n Drug-Delivery Platform Uses
Sound for Targeting
A novel aero-elastic pressure sensor, called
eAir can be applied to minimally invasive
surgeries and implantable sensors by directly
addressing the challenges associated with existing pressure sensors.
The eAir sensor promises increased precision and reliability
across medical applications. It can potentially transform laparoscopic
surgeries by enabling tactile feedback for surgeons, allowing
more precise manipulation of patient tissues. In addition, the sensor
can improve patient experiences by offering a less-invasive
means of monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP), a key health metric
for individuals with neurological conditions.
The team drew inspiration from a phenomenon known as the
lotus leaf effect - a unique natural phenomenon where water droplets
effortlessly roll off the leaf's surface, made possible by its minuscule,
water-repelling structures. Mimicking this effect, the team has
engineered a pressure sensor designed to significantly improve the
sensing performance.
The sensor houses a trapped layer of air, forming an air-liquid
interface upon contact with the sensor's liquid. As external pressure
increases, this air layer compresses. A surface treatment results
in a frictionless movement of the interface within the sensor, triggering
a change in electrical signals that accurately reflects the exerted
pressure. (Image credit: National University of Singapore)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1123/nature.
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26
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Medical Design Briefs, November 2023
5/24/23 2:38 PM
Research teams have created an
entirely new kind of drug-delivery
system to give doctors the ability to
treat cancer in a more targeted way.
The system employs drugs that are activated by ultrasound
- and only right where they are needed in the body.
The teams married gas vesicles (air-filled capsules of protein
found in some bacteria) and mechanophores (molecules that
undergo a chemical change when subjected to physical force).
As they began researching the combination of mechanophores
and ultrasound, they discovered a problem: Ultrasound could
activate the mechanophores, but only at an intensity so strong
that it also damaged neighboring tissues. What the researchers
needed was a way to focus the energy of the ultrasound right
where they wanted it. It turned out that Shapiro's gas vesicle
technology provided the solution.
Researchers say applying force through ultrasound usually relies
on very intense conditions that trigger the implosion of tiny, dissolved
gas bubbles. The collapse of the bubbles provides the mechanical
force that activates the mechanophore. The vesicles have
heightened sensitivity to ultrasound. Using them, the researchers
found the same mechanophore activation can be achieved under
much weaker ultrasound. " (Image credit: Caltech)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1123/drug-delivery.
http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/1123/drug-delivery http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/1123/nature http://info.hotims.com/84485-753 http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - November 2023

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