Biodegradable Field-Effect Transitors for Electronically Active Scaffolds

描述(由申请人提供)：电子刺激已被证明是控制组织和器官结构和功能的一种有价值的方法。微电子机械系统(MEMS)在生物医学工程中得到了广泛的应用，包括在生物传感器和药物输送系统中的应用。然而，缺乏可报告的电子系统限制了MEMS在组织工程应用中的潜在影响。这种限制主要是由于使用了不合适的材料造成的。为生物医学应用而设计的MEMS是用硅和二氧化硅等传统无机材料制造的。还使用了不可降解的聚合物，如聚乙烯、硅胶和聚四氟乙烯。虽然这些材料易于制造技术，并在体内表现出生物相容性，但它们不是可生物降解的。可生物降解、电子活性的组织工程支架在体内组织工程和器官再生应用中具有潜在的重大影响，特别是在治疗神经创伤和疾病方面。为此，这项提议旨在利用新型生物材料来制造可吸收的场效应管，作为包括电子活性组织工程支架在内的更复杂的电子设备的构建块。目前可用的生物材料库，包括天然和合成的，提供了足够的物理特性谱，可以制造可生物降解的电子元件。这一技术进步将使可吸收电子元件能够用于包括组织工程支架在内的各种活体生物医学应用。这些支架可以种植细胞，植入宿主体内，并通过射频信号在外部进行电刺激。然后，这些支架将在所需的时间范围内在宿主体内重新吸收。公共健康促进-电子活性组织工程支架可以提供一种通过电子刺激促进组织再生的方法。具有嵌入式逻辑的可生物降解电子设备可能会导致临时可植入设备，可以通过外部触发向种植在支架上的细胞以及周围组织提供电子刺激。这些支架可以被植入，在预先设定的时间范围内发挥其特定的功能，然后最终在体内被吸收。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electronic stimulation has been shown to be a valuable approach to controlling the structure and function of tissues and organs. Micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) have been utilized extensively in biomedical engineering including applications in biosensors and drug delivery systems. However, the lack of reportable electronic systems has limited the potential impact of MEMS for tissue engineering applications. This limitation primarily arises due to the use of unsuitable materials. MEMS designed for biomedical applications have been fabricated using traditional inorganic materials such as silicon and silicon dioxide. Non-degradable polymers such as polyethylene, silicone, and polytetrafluoroethylene have also been used. Although these materials are amenable to facile fabrication techniques and exhibit in vivo biocompatibility, they are not biodegradable. The fabrication of biodegradable, electronically active tissue engineering scaffolds for in vivo tissue engineering and organ regeneration applications has the potential for significant impact, especially in the treatment of neurological-based traumas and diseases. Toward this end, this proposal aims to utilize novel biomaterials for the fabrication of resorbable field-effect transistor, which is to serve as the building block of more complex electronic devices including electronically active tissue engineering scaffolds. The current library of available biomaterials, both natural and synthetic, provides an adequate spectrum of physical properties that would allow for the fabrication of biodegradable electronic components. This technological advance will enable the use resorbable electronic components for a variety of in vivo biomedical applications including tissue engineering scaffolds. These scaffolds could be seeded with cells, implanted into the host, and electrically stimulated externally via radiofrequency signalling. These scaffolds would then resorb within the host within the desired timeframe. PUBLIC HEALTH REVELANCE - Electronically active tissue engineering scaffolds can provide a method to promote tissue regeneration through electronic stimulation. Biodegradable electronic devices with embedded logic could lead to temporary implantable devices that can provide electronic stimulation to cells seeded on the scaffold as well as surrounding tissue via external triggering. The scaffolds could be implanted, serve their specified function over a pre-programmed time scale, and would then eventually become resorbed within the body.