Bioelectronic materials and devices for smart drug delivery (BioEMat)

数以百万计的人患有神经系统疾病，几乎没有可行的治疗方案。与此同时，许多有前途的治疗神经系统疾病的药物在后期测试中失败，因为无法达到大脑内的预期目标和/或由于与健康区域的相互作用导致严重的副作用。我开发了一种创新的解决方案来解决这些问题：一种微创生物电子设备，可以在需要的时候和需要的地方自动输送药物。我最近的研究表明，这种装置可以通过将抑制性神经递质传递到癫痫发作源来预防癫痫发作。这些结果唤起了人们对个性化医疗平台技术的愿景，该技术可能会彻底改变包括癫痫在内的神经系统疾病的治疗。然而，在材料和设备工程方面存在重大挑战，需要进一步突破才能使这项技术充分发挥其潜力。这些挑战包括克服电极电容限制，工程植入物对疾病的生物标志物作出反应，以及实现长期组织顺应性和药物递送的功效。我将利用我在最先进的材料、设备和神经学应用方面的丰富经验，采取多方面、跨学科的方法来克服这些关键挑战。该研究计划将包括开发新的生物电子材料和设备概念，并在癫痫疾病模型中验证它们，癫痫是一种30%的患者对传统药物治疗没有反应的疾病。总之，这些努力将加速电子控制的药物输送装置在临床上的大规模实施，以造福于许多患有难治性神经系统疾病的人。

Millions of people suffer from neurological disorders for which there are few, if any, viable treatment options. Meanwhile, many promising drugs designed to treat neurological disorders fail in late-stage testing because of the inability to reach the desired target within the brain and/or due to interactions with healthy regions that cause serious side effects. I have developed an innovation solution to these problems: a minimally invasive bioelectronic device that can electrophoretically deliver drugs when and where they are needed. My most recent research demonstrated that such a device can prevent seizures by delivering inhibitory neural transmitters to the seizure source. These results have evoked visions of a platform technology for personalized medicine that could revolutionize treatment for neurological disorders, including epilepsy. However, there are significant challenges related to materials and device engineering that require further break-throughs for this technology to reach its full potential. These challenges include overcoming electrode capacitance limitations, engineering implants to respond to biomarkers of disease, and realizing long termtissue compliance and efficacy of drug delivery. I will leverage my extensive experience with state-of-the-art materials, devices and neurological applications to take a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach to overcoming these critical challenges. The research plan will comprise developing new bioelectronic materials and device concepts and validating them in disease models for epilepsy - a disorder for which 30% of patients do not respond to conventional drug treatments. Altogether these efforts will accelerate electronically controlled drug delivery devices towards large-scale implementation in the clinic to the benefit of the many who are afflicted with intractable neurological disorders.