Premium
A Stretchable and Flexible Cardiac Tissue–Electronics Hybrid Enabling Multiple Drug Release, Sensing, and Stimulation
Author(s) -
Feiner Ron,
Wertheim Lior,
Gazit Danielle,
Kalish Or,
Mishal Gal,
Shapira Assaf,
Dvir Tal
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201805526
Subject(s) - microelectronics , electronics , tissue engineering , biomedical engineering , process (computing) , computer science , nanotechnology , stimulation , materials science , neuroscience , medicine , electrical engineering , engineering , biology , operating system
Replacement of the damaged scar tissue created by a myocardial infarction is the goal of cardiac tissue engineering. However, once the implanted tissue is in place, monitoring its function is difficult and involves indirect methods, while intervention necessarily requires an invasive procedure and available medical attention. To overcome this, methods of integrating electronic components into engineered tissues have been recently presented. These allow for remote monitoring of tissue function as well as intervention through stimulation and controlled drug release. Here, an improved hybrid microelectronic tissue construct capable of withstanding the dynamic environment of the beating heart without compromising electronic or mechanical functionality is reported. While the reported system is enabled to sense the function of the engineered tissue and provide stimulation for pacing, an electroactive polymer on the electronics enables it to release multiple drugs in parallel. It is envisioned that the integration of microelectronic devices into engineered tissues will provide a better way to monitor patient health from afar, as well as provide facile, more exact methods to control the healing process.