New electrode materials for arthroscopic probes

该联盟项目是法比奥·奇科拉教授(蒙雷亚尔理工学院)和Biomentum Inc.的合作项目，Biomentum Inc.是一家总部位于拉瓦尔(QC)的加拿大公司，生产关节镜探头和机械测试仪并将其商业化。Biomentum公司正在开发一种新的关节镜探头，用于精确和非破坏性地评估关节软骨。目前的装置使用球形压痕上的37个金电极阵列来评估在压缩膝关节软骨时产生的电势。探头的球状形状和当前使用的制造技术缺乏选择性导致了一些性能限制。为了确保可靠地测量每个微电极的电势，使用了具有高输入阻抗的复杂电子电路。这种电路的电气稳定性需要额外的电气屏蔽和良好控制的微电极阻抗谱。降低微电极的界面阻抗有望提高电学稳定性，更好地抵御关节镜检查中的环境干扰，并提高软骨性能定量评估的信噪比。在本项目中，我们将探索一种创新的技术，基于电化学沉积Au或导电聚合物，以提高关节镜探头的性能。这样的涂层涂在每个微电极上，预计会导致更低的阻抗值和更好的重复性。电极的阻抗将首先在生理溶液中进行评估，然后在人工软骨中进行评估。这个项目预计将对加拿大人非常有益。一种能够识别软骨早期变化的可靠仪器，除了指导防止关节置换的早期干预措施外，还将是评估骨关节炎疾病改良剂有效性的宝贵工具，从而显著降低加拿大医疗保健系统的成本。

This Alliance project is a collaboration between the group of Prof. Fabio Cicoira (Polytechnique Montréal) and Biomomentum Inc., a Canadian company based in Laval (QC), which produces and commercializes arthroscopic probes and mechanical testers. Biomomentum Inc. is developing a new arthroscopic probe, to be used for the precise and non-destructive assessment of articular cartilage. The current device uses an array of 37 Au electrodes on a spherical indenter to assess the electrical potentials generated during the compression of knee cartilage. The spherical shape of the probe and the lack of selectivity of the currently used fabrication technique leads to some performance limitations. To ensure reliable measurements of the electrical potential of each microelectrode, a complex electronic circuit with high input impedance is used. The electrical stability of such circuit requires additional electrical shielding and a well-controlled microelectrode impedance spectrum. Decreasing the interfacial impedance of microelectrodes is expected to improve electrical stability, provide better protection against environmental disturbances seen during arthroscopy and increase the signal-to-noise ratio in the quantitative assessment of cartilage properties.In this project, we will explore an innovative technology, based on electrochemical deposition of Au or a conductive polymer, to improve the performance of the arthroscopic probe. Such coatings, applied to each micro electrode, are expected to lead to lower and more reproducible impedance values. The impedance of the electrodes will be assessed first in physiological solution and successively in artificial cartilage. This project is expected to be very beneficial to Canadians. A reliable instrument capable of identifying early changes in cartilage will be a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of disease modifying agents for osteoarthritis, in addition to guiding early interventions to prevent joint replacement, leading to significant reduction in costs for the Canadian healthcare system.