I-Corps: Noninvasive Monitoring of Implantable Devices via Methacrylate-Modified Nanoparticles (NanoMA)

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a nanomaterial platform to enable noninvasive monitoring of implantable medical devices, especially tissue engineered medical products. Researchers, companies developing new products, and contract research organizations, currently have no established means to noninvasively monitor the function of implantable devices during in vivo preclinical testing. Current best practices for evaluating safety and efficacy in preclinical testing are invasive, requiring the excision of implants for destructive testing ex vivo making preclinical testing is an extremely costly and time-consuming barrier to innovation. The proposed nanomaterial platform will offer an alternative product that overcomes this barrier to significantly decrease the regulatory burden (cost, time, and animals) facing potential customers.This I-Corps project is based on the development of methacrylate-modified nanoparticles (nanoMA) as a nanomaterial platform for noninvasive monitoring of implantable medical devices. The proposed technology functions as imaging contrast agents to overcome the inability to noninvasively image common scaffold biomaterials such as hydrogels. NanoMA are able to be linked to hydrogels in one step, with no disruption to hydrogel function, while enabling tunable imaging contrast for noninvasive, longitudinal monitoring of surgical placement, biodegradation, and drug release. These nanoparticles are designed for seamless integration with existing scaffold biomaterials, either as an additive or prepackaged with commercialized biopolymers or bioinks for bioprinting.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.