EFRI-BioFLEX: Tissue Engineered Flexible Sensors, Actuators and Electronics for Chronic Wound Management

柔性生物电子学(BioFlex)是一个新兴领域，在推进基础生命科学和在许多临床应用中提供急需的工具方面具有广泛的意义。柔性生物医学系统的关键应用领域之一是慢性伤口管理。智力优势：拟议的项目旨在通过开发Bio-Flex智能敷料平台，利用柔性聚合物MEMS、传感器、生物材料、组织工程、微系统技术和微电子技术的进步，彻底改变伤口治疗。智能敷料由一个嵌入电子设备的柔性/可伸缩平台和一系列能够感知(物理和化学)和主动干预(生物、化学和物理)伤口微环境的物理、化学和生物模块组成。该平台将几种治疗和监测模式结合在一个共形柔性衬底上。更具体地说，在拟议的研究过程中，将开发形成各种模块集成基础的PDMS/对二甲苯/水凝胶复合基板/平台。随后将设计物理、化学和致动(电气、机械和化学)模块以及微流控药物输送模块，并将其集成到智能敷料平台上，以刺激和加快伤口愈合过程。此外，集成电子设备可实现长期使用的刺激、传感、通信和射频能量清除。更广泛的影响：开发的平台将对整个生物医学界产生更广泛的影响。用于管理慢性伤口的BioFlex平台将为不断增长的老年人口带来巨大好处，这些老年人口对跌倒创伤的易感性很高，归来的战争退伍军人暴露于严重烧伤，运动员有运动相关损伤，以及愈合反应差的糖尿病患者。在这项工作中开发的技术还将对其他应用产生影响，在这些应用中，为了实现良好的治疗和康复效果，需要将电子设备和定向药物输送与组织紧密结合。这些包括中枢和外周神经系统的接口，中空器官的药物输送平台，以及集成的生物-非生物诊断微系统。在教育和外展领域，除了培养研究生，本科生还将通过(1)塔夫茨暑期学者计划(2)普渡大学发现学习研究中心(DLRC)实习，(3)麻省理工学院本科生研究机会计划(UROP)和(4)NSF REU计划参与研究计划。通过各自机构的项目，有针对性地招收和留住工程/理科学生，重点是妇女、代表性不足的少数民族、残疾人和第一代大学生。具体地说，普渡大学的拉斐特地区学校伙伴关系、塔夫茨K-12教育学生教师外联指导计划(STOMP)、麻省理工学院为代表不足的少数族裔和妇女提供的夏季研究MSRP以及塔夫茨大学通向工程成功的桥梁将作为教育推广活动的一部分。将开发组织工程和生物微机械领域的多机构、多学科、基于网络的开放式课程。国际推广工作的重点将是交流想法和样本，以便在其他医疗应用中开发和使用这种已开发的技术。研究成果将通过网络媒体和印刷出版物广泛传播，并通过波士顿科学博物馆广泛传播。

Flexible bioelectronics (BioFlex) is an emerging area with broad implications in advancing basic life sciences and providing much needed tools in many clinical applications. One of the key application areas of flexible biomedical systems is in chronic wound management. Intellectual Merit: The proposed project aims to revolutionize wound treatment by utilizing advances in flexible polymeric MEMS, sensors, biomaterials, tissue engineering, microsystems technology, and microelectronics through the development of the Bio-Flex Smart-Dressing platform. The smart-dressing consists of a flexible/stretchable platform with embedded electronics and an array of physical, chemical, and biological modules capable of sensing (physical and chemical) and active intervention (biological, chemical, and physical) in wound microenvironment. This platform brings together several treatment and monitoring modalities on a conformal flexible substrate. More specifically, during the course of the proposed research, PDMS/Parylene/Hydrogel composite substrate/platform which forms the base for the integration of various modules will be developed. This will be followed by the design of physical, chemical and actuation (electrical, mechanical, and chemical) modules, and microfluidic drug delivery modules their integration onto the smart dressing platform to stimulate and expedite wound healing processes. Furthermore, the incorporation of integrated electronics enables stimulation, sensing, communication and RF energy scavenging for long-term use. Broader Impacts: The developed platform will have a broader impact to the biomedical community at large. The BioFlex platform for management of chronic wounds will be of immense benefit to a growing elderly population with high susceptibility to wounds due to falls, returning war veterans exposed to serious burns, athletes with sports related injuries, and diabetics with poor healing response. The technologies developed during this effort will also have impact in other applications where a close integration of electronics and targeted drug delivery with tissue is necessary in order to achieve favorable therapeutic and rehabilitative outcomes. These include interfaces for central and peripheral nervous systems, drug delivery platforms for hollow organs, and integrated biotic-abiotic diagnostic microsystems. In the education and outreach area, in addition to training graduate students, undergraduate students will be involved in research programs through (1) Tufts Summer Scholars Program (2) Purdue's Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Internships, (3) MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and (4) NSF REU Program. Targeted recruitment and retention of engineering/science students with emphasis on women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and first-generation college students through programs at respective institutions will be carried out. Specifically, Purdue University's Lafayette area school partnership, Tufts Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP) for K-12 education, MIT MSRP for underrepresented minorities and women for summer research and Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts will be targeted as part of the educational outreach activities. Multi-institutional multi-disciplinary web-based open courseware in the area of tissue engineering and BioMEMS will be developed. International outreach efforts will focus on exchanging ideas and samples for the development and use of this developed technology in other medical applications. Research results will be widely disseminated through web media and print publications and disseminated broadly through Museum of Science, Boston.