Department of Robotics Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
DGIST-ETH Microrobot Research Center, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2019 Oct;8(20):e1900379. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201900379. Epub 2019 Sep 18.
In cochlear implants, the electrode insertion trauma during surgery can cause damage residual hearing. Preserving the residual hearing is an important challenge and the localized administration of drugs, such as steroids, is one of the most promising ways, but remains a challenge. Here, a microscaffold cochlear electrode array (MiSCEA) consisting of a microfabricated flexible electrode array and a 3D microscaffold for steroid reservoir is reported. The MiSCEA without loaded drug is tested by measuring the electrically evoked auditory brainstem response of the cochlea in guinea pigs (n = 4). The scaffold is then coated with steroid (dexamethasone) encapsulated in polylactic-co-glycolic acid and the continuous release of the steroid into artificial perilymph during six weeks is monitored. The steroid-containing scaffolds are then implanted into guinea pigs (n = 4) and threshold shifts are analyzed for four weeks by measuring the acoustically evoked auditory brainstem response. The threshold shifts tend to be lower in the group implanted with the steroid-containing MiSCEAs. The feasibility of 3D MiSCEA opens up the development of potential next-generation cochlear electrode with improved steroid release dynamics into cochlea.
在人工耳蜗中，手术过程中的电极插入创伤可能导致残余听力受损。保留残余听力是一个重要的挑战，局部给予药物（如皮质类固醇）是最有前途的方法之一，但仍然具有挑战性。在这里，报告了一种由微加工柔性电极阵列和用于类固醇储库的 3D 微支架组成的耳蜗微支架电极阵列（MiSCEA）。通过测量豚鼠耳蜗的电诱发听觉脑干反应，测试了未加载药物的 MiSCEA（n = 4）。然后，支架用包封在聚乳酸-共-羟基乙酸中的类固醇（地塞米松）涂覆，并监测六周内类固醇持续释放到人工外淋巴液中。然后将载有类固醇的支架植入豚鼠（n = 4），并通过测量声诱发听觉脑干反应在四周内分析阈值变化。植入载有类固醇的 MiSCEA 的组的阈值变化趋势较低。3D MiSCEA 的可行性为开发具有改善的类固醇释放动力学的新一代潜在耳蜗电极开辟了道路。
