Poster N13 - An Electroadhesive Hydrogel Interface for Prolonged Gastrointestinal Theranostics

Introduction: Establishing a robust and intimate mucosal interface that allows medical devices to remain within lumen-confined organs for extended periods has valuable applications, particularly for gastrointestinal (GI) theranostics. Here, we report the development of e-GLUE, an electroadhesive hydrogel interface for robust and prolonged mucosal retention following electrical activation for 1 min.

Materials and

Methods: e-GLUE consists of cationic polymers interpenetrated in a tough hydrogel matrix, capable of supporting active diffusion into the deep mucosal layers. With an electrical stimulation treatment (~1 min), cationic polymers can interact with polyanionic proteins within the deep mucosal tissue that have a relatively slow cellular turnover rate (e.g., >7 days in GI tract)

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Notably, this novel mucosal adhesion mechanism can increase the adhesion energy of hydrogels on the mucosa by up to 30-fold and enable in vivo GI retention of e-GLUE devices for up to 30 days. In swine studies, we demonstrate rapid mucosal adhesion in the presence of luminal fluid, mucus exposure and demonstrate application of e-GLUE for mucosal hemostasis, sustained local delivery of therapeutics, and biosensing in the GI tract.
This platform could enable clinical management of various health conditions, including gastrointestinal bleeding, IBD, and monitoring of inflammation in the GI tract and beyond.

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