EFRI-BioFLEX: Tissue Engineered Flexible Sensors, Actuators and Electronics for Chronic Wound Management

柔性生物电子学（BioFlex）是一个新兴领域，在推进基础生命科学和为许多临床应用提供急需的工具方面具有广泛的意义。柔性生物医学系统的关键应用领域之一是慢性伤口管理。智力优势：该项目旨在通过开发Bio-Flex智能敷料平台，利用柔性聚合物MEMS、传感器、生物材料、组织工程、微系统技术和微电子技术的进步，彻底改变伤口治疗。智能敷料由一个柔性/可拉伸平台组成，该平台带有嵌入式电子设备和一系列物理、化学和生物模块，能够在伤口微环境中感知（物理和化学）和主动干预（生物、化学和物理）。该平台在共形柔性基板上汇集了几种处理和监测模式。更具体地说，在拟议的研究过程中，将开发PDMS/聚对二甲苯/水凝胶复合基质/平台，形成各种模块集成的基础。接下来将设计物理、化学和驱动（电气、机械和化学）模块，以及微流体药物输送模块，将它们集成到智能敷料平台上，以刺激和加速伤口愈合过程。此外，集成电子器件的结合使长期使用的刺激、传感、通信和射频能量清除成为可能。更广泛的影响：开发的平台将对整个生物医学界产生更广泛的影响。BioFlex慢性伤口管理平台将为日益增长的老年人带来巨大的好处，这些老年人由于跌倒而极易受伤，暴露于严重烧伤的退伍军人，运动相关损伤的运动员，以及愈合反应差的糖尿病患者。在这项工作中开发的技术也将对其他应用产生影响，在这些应用中，为了获得良好的治疗和康复结果，必须将电子和靶向药物与组织紧密结合。这些包括中枢和周围神经系统的接口，中空器官的药物输送平台，以及集成的生物-非生物诊断微系统。在教育和推广领域，除了培养研究生外，本科生还将通过以下方式参与研究项目：(1)塔夫茨大学暑期学者计划(2)普渡大学发现学习研究中心（DLRC）实习，(3)麻省理工学院本科生研究机会计划（UROP）和(4)美国国家科学基金会REU计划。将通过各自机构的项目，有针对性地招聘和留住工程/理工科学生，重点是女性、代表性不足的少数民族、残疾人和第一代大学生。具体而言，普渡大学的拉斐特地区学校合作伙伴关系、塔夫茨大学K-12教育的学生教师外展指导计划（STOMP）、麻省理工学院针对代表性不足的少数民族和女性的MSRP，以及塔夫茨大学的工程成功之桥，都将作为教育外展活动的一部分。将开发组织工程和生物医学系统领域的多机构多学科网络开放课程。国际外联工作将侧重于交流想法和样品，以便在其他医疗应用中开发和使用这一已开发的技术。研究成果将通过网络媒体和印刷出版物广泛传播，并通过波士顿科学博物馆广泛传播。

Flexible bioelectronics (BioFlex) is an emerging area with broad implications in advancing basic life sciences and providing much needed tools in many clinical applications. One of the key application areas of flexible biomedical systems is in chronic wound management. Intellectual Merit: The proposed project aims to revolutionize wound treatment by utilizing advances in flexible polymeric MEMS, sensors, biomaterials, tissue engineering, microsystems technology, and microelectronics through the development of the Bio-Flex Smart-Dressing platform. The smart-dressing consists of a flexible/stretchable platform with embedded electronics and an array of physical, chemical, and biological modules capable of sensing (physical and chemical) and active intervention (biological, chemical, and physical) in wound microenvironment. This platform brings together several treatment and monitoring modalities on a conformal flexible substrate. More specifically, during the course of the proposed research, PDMS/Parylene/Hydrogel composite substrate/platform which forms the base for the integration of various modules will be developed. This will be followed by the design of physical, chemical and actuation (electrical, mechanical, and chemical) modules, and microfluidic drug delivery modules their integration onto the smart dressing platform to stimulate and expedite wound healing processes. Furthermore, the incorporation of integrated electronics enables stimulation, sensing, communication and RF energy scavenging for long-term use. Broader Impacts: The developed platform will have a broader impact to the biomedical community at large. The BioFlex platform for management of chronic wounds will be of immense benefit to a growing elderly population with high susceptibility to wounds due to falls, returning war veterans exposed to serious burns, athletes with sports related injuries, and diabetics with poor healing response. The technologies developed during this effort will also have impact in other applications where a close integration of electronics and targeted drug delivery with tissue is necessary in order to achieve favorable therapeutic and rehabilitative outcomes. These include interfaces for central and peripheral nervous systems, drug delivery platforms for hollow organs, and integrated biotic-abiotic diagnostic microsystems. In the education and outreach area, in addition to training graduate students, undergraduate students will be involved in research programs through (1) Tufts Summer Scholars Program (2) Purdue's Discovery Learning Research Center (DLRC) Internships, (3) MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and (4) NSF REU Program. Targeted recruitment and retention of engineering/science students with emphasis on women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and first-generation college students through programs at respective institutions will be carried out. Specifically, Purdue University's Lafayette area school partnership, Tufts Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP) for K-12 education, MIT MSRP for underrepresented minorities and women for summer research and Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts will be targeted as part of the educational outreach activities. Multi-institutional multi-disciplinary web-based open courseware in the area of tissue engineering and BioMEMS will be developed. International outreach efforts will focus on exchanging ideas and samples for the development and use of this developed technology in other medical applications. Research results will be widely disseminated through web media and print publications and disseminated broadly through Museum of Science, Boston.