Rutgers University Piscataway, New Jersey, United States
Introduction: 0% of Americans live with at least one chronic disease. These diseases and their associated comorbidities are now the leading causes of death in the United States. The effective management of complex chronic diseases requires body-wide, long-term, accurate, and continuous monitoring of multiple physiological signals from wearable and implantable devices to precisely determine the pathological state. Wearable physiological signal monitoring can dramatically reduce the demand for physician visits and increase patients' engagement and treatment adherence rates. Specifically, battery-free wearables and implantable electronics reduce device volume and mechanical stiffness, significantly improving wear comfort, which is highly desirable for next-generation wearable and implantable electronics. However, battery-free wearable electronics still face many challenges, mainly wireless energy and data transfer. To address these challenges, my research has been involved in the exploration of rational system design concepts, material and device fabrication innovation, and tailored algorithms to enable smart battery-free wearables and implantable electronics targeting next-generation chronic disease management.
Materials and
Methods: Here, I would like to discuss two of my developed technology platforms to elaborate on the concept of battery-free wearable systems. First, I will describe an RFID-based body area sensor network technology platform. This technology uses electromagnetic waves and RF antennas as energy and data transmission media. I will first introduce its application in chronic wound healing by developing a smart bandage. Such a bandage harvested RF energy, electrically inducing cell migration and accelerated healing. Moreover, the bandage can simultaneously monitor the healing process by sensing wound temperature and impedance. Specifically, I developed a stable and ultralow impedance PEDOT:PSS-based hydrogel electrode with tunable adhesion to skin. Therefore, a low gel/skin impedance was maintained during healing process and the gel was easily removed to avoid medical-adhesive related skin injury during the peel off. The closed-loop design could smartly adjust power delivered to wound based on sensor readouts. This bandage can dramatically improve wound healing speed in both healthy and diabetic mouse models, promising for rapid clinical applications.and inflammation management. (1)
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Then I would like to introduce the second application in skin inflammation. By combining living cells, hydrogels and flexible printed circuit board, we developed an active biointegrated living electronics (ABLE) platform. Its multifunctionality emerges from the synergistic interaction between the biogenic, biomechanical, and bioelectrical realms. Biogenic polymers enhance bacterial viability, and the bacteria themselves modulate the skin's immune environment. The bioelectronics within the system facilitate electrical sensing (e-sensing) to gather information from the skin and utilize electrical stimulation to manage the biosafety of bacteria, addressing long-standing biohazard concerns of handling synthetic living materials with opportunistic pathogens. The living hydrogel plays multiple roles: its encapsulation fosters prolonged bacterial storage and viability, its viscoelastic properties ensure stable skin interaction, aid in information collection from the skin, and assist in biohazard management. Lastly, the hydrogel's skin-adhesion property facilitates long-term data acquisition. Our integrated ABLE platform shows exciting results in managing skin inflammation disease such as psoriasis in mouse models, promising for rapid clinical applications. (2)
Overall, the developed technology platforms can assess multiple health outcomes and treatment responses to various chronic diseases. Ultimately, this technology will help reduce the burden of chronic diseases, lower medical costs, and provide a better quality of life for patients.
References: 1. Y. Jiang*, A. Trotsyuk*, S. Niu*, (*equal authorship) D. Henn, K. Chen, C.-C. Shih, M. R. Larson, A. M. Mermin-Bunnell, S. Mittal, J. Lai, E. Beard, A. Saberi, S. Jing, D. Zhong, S. R. Steele, K. Sun, T. Jain, E. Zhao, W. G. Viana, J. Tang, D. Sivaraj, J. Padmanabhan, M. Rodrigues, D. P. Perrault, M. C. Leeolou, C. A. Bonham, S. H. Kwon, H. C. Kussie, G. Gurusankar, M. Januszyk, G. C. Gurtner, Z. Bao. “Wireless, closed-loop, smart bandage with integrated sensors and stimulators for advanced wound care and accelerated healing”. Nature Biotechnology 2023, 41, 652–662.
2.J. Shi, S. Kim, P. Li, F. Dong, C. Yang, B. Nam, C. Han, E. Eig, L. L. Shi, S. Niu* (*corresponding author), J. Yue*, B. Tian*. “Active Biointegrated Living Electronics for Managing Inflammation". Science, 2024, accepted manuscript.
