Macromolecular Bioelectronics Encoded for Biocompatibility, Self-assembly, and Degradability

编码生物相容性、自组装和可降解性的高分子生物电子学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-03554
• 负责人: Tran, Helen
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=748371
• 关键词: Macromolecular; Bioelectronics; Encoded; Biocompatibility; Self

Next-generation electronics will autonomously respond to local stimuli and be harmonious with the human body, opening doors for remarkable opportunities in environmental monitoring, advanced consumer products, and health diagnostics for personalized therapy. For example, fully biodegradable electronics promise to accelerate the integration of electronics with health by obviating the need for costly device recovery surgeries that also significantly increase infection risk. The underpinnings of such next-generation electronics is the development of new electronic materials with a wide suite of functional properties beyond our current toolkit. The overarching long-term vision of my research program is to leverage the rich palette of polymer chemistry to design new materials encoded with information for self-assembly, degradability, and electronic transport. I envision that the creation of these multifunctional materials and an understanding of how they are utilized to construct next-generation electronics will serve as a transformative platform to address previously inaccessible challenges impacting health and sustainability, and in turn create new technologies and markets in Canada. To this end, I propose to focus on three interrelated research thrusts, detailed below, which are aligned with the challenges within the natural sciences and engineering: Research Thrust 1: Self-assembly of sequence-controlled macromolecular electronics Bottom-up bioelectronics bridges well-defined molecular recognition via multivalent interactions with electronically active materials. The self-assembly of sequence-controlled electron-conducting macromolecules into constructs that resemble electronic components and the resulting signal response will be explored to build closed-loop modulation systems for autonomous biosensing and regulation, useful for diagnostics and therapy. Research Thrust 2: Functionalized bottlebrush elastomers for bioelectronic interfaces Advances in implantable electronics, such as brain-computer interfaces, are changing our understanding and treatment of diseases, but these devices fail in long-term implantation due to a mismatch in mechanical and chemical surface properties. Functionalized bottlebrush elastomers are an unexplored materials system for constructing bioelectronic devices, where both the chemical and mechanical properties can be readily tuned through molecular design. Research Thrust 3: Biodegradation of conjugated polymers into natural by-products Biodegradable and recyclable electronics will transform our lives. Beyond transience, the degradation by-products must be non-toxic and bioresorbable. Carotenoids, which resemble oligo-acetylene, are promising building blocks due to their documented single molecule conductance and biodegradability. My team will establish a new polymeric class of semiconductors and conductors that degrade into natural by-products, such as carotene.

下一代电子产品将自动响应局部刺激，并与人体和谐相处，为环境监测、先进消费品和个性化治疗的健康诊断打开了大门。例如，完全可生物降解的电子产品有望加速电子产品与健康的整合，避免昂贵的设备恢复手术，这也会显着增加感染风险。这种下一代电子产品的基础是开发新的电子材料，其功能特性超出了我们目前的工具包。我的研究计划的总体长期愿景是利用聚合物化学的丰富调色板来设计编码有自组装，降解和电子传输信息的新材料。我设想，这些多功能材料的创造以及对如何利用它们来构建下一代电子产品的理解将成为一个变革性的平台，以解决以前无法触及的影响健康和可持续性的挑战，并反过来在加拿大创造新的技术和市场。为此，我建议专注于以下三个相互关联的研究方向，这些方向与自然科学和工程领域的挑战相一致：研究方向1：序列控制的大分子电子学自组装自下而上的生物电子学通过与电子活性材料的多价相互作用，桥接了定义明确的分子识别。将探索序列控制的电子传导大分子自组装成类似于电子元件的结构以及由此产生的信号响应，以构建用于自主生物传感和调节的闭环调制系统，用于诊断和治疗。研究重点2：用于生物电子接口的功能化瓶刷弹性体脑机接口等植入式电子设备的进步正在改变我们对疾病的理解和治疗，但由于机械和化学表面特性的不匹配，这些设备无法长期植入。功能化瓶刷弹性体是一种用于构建生物电子器件的未开发材料系统，其中化学和机械性能都可以通过分子设计进行调整。研究方向3：共轭聚合物生物降解为天然副产品生物降解和可回收电子产品将改变我们的生活。除短暂性外，降解副产物必须无毒且可生物吸收。类胡萝卜素，类似于低聚乙炔，是有前途的建筑砌块，由于其记录的单分子电导和生物降解性。我的团队将建立一个新的聚合物类半导体和导体，降解成天然的副产品，如胡萝卜素。