Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Nat Nanotechnol. 2018 Jun;13(6):512-519. doi: 10.1038/s41565-018-0111-5. Epub 2018 Apr 30.
Numerous living organisms possess biophotonic nanostructures that provide colouration and other diverse functions for survival. While such structures have been actively studied and replicated in the laboratory, it remains unclear whether they can be used for biomedical applications. Here, we show a transparent photonic nanostructure inspired by the longtail glasswing butterfly (Chorinea faunus) and demonstrate its use in intraocular pressure (IOP) sensors in vivo. We exploit the phase separation between two immiscible polymers (poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene) to form nanostructured features on top of a SiN substrate. The membrane thus formed shows good angle-independent white-light transmission, strong hydrophilicity and anti-biofouling properties, which prevent adhesion of proteins, bacteria and eukaryotic cells. We then developed a microscale implantable IOP sensor using our photonic membrane as an optomechanical sensing element. Finally, we performed in vivo testing on New Zealand white rabbits, which showed that our device reduces the mean IOP measurement variation compared with conventional rebound tonometry without signs of inflammation.
许多生物体都拥有生物光子纳米结构，这些结构为其提供了颜色和其他多样化的生存功能。虽然这些结构已经在实验室中被积极研究和复制，但它们是否可以用于生物医学应用仍不清楚。在这里，我们展示了一种受长尾玻璃翼蝶（Chorinea faunus）启发的透明光子纳米结构，并展示了其在体内眼压（IOP）传感器中的应用。我们利用两种不混溶的聚合物（聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯和聚苯乙烯）之间的相分离在 SiN 衬底上形成纳米结构特征。由此形成的膜具有良好的角度无关的白光透过率、强亲水性和抗生物污染特性，可防止蛋白质、细菌和真核细胞的黏附。然后，我们使用我们的光子膜作为光电机械传感元件，开发了一种微尺度可植入的 IOP 传感器。最后，我们在新西兰白兔身上进行了体内测试，结果表明，与传统的回弹眼压测量相比，我们的设备降低了平均眼压测量的变化，且没有炎症迹象。
