The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Sci Adv. 2020 Jan 17;6(3):eaay0065. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aay0065. eCollection 2020 Jan.
Triggerable materials capable of being degraded by selective stimuli stand to transform our capacity to precisely control biomedical device activity and performance while reducing the need for invasive interventions. Here, we describe the development of a modular and tunable light-triggerable hydrogel system capable of interfacing with implantable devices. We apply these materials to two applications in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract: a bariatric balloon and an esophageal stent. We demonstrate biocompatibility and on-demand triggering of the material in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Moreover, we characterize performance of the system in a porcine large animal model with an accompanying ingestible LED. Light-triggerable hydrogels have the potential to be applied broadly throughout the GI tract and other anatomic areas. By demonstrating the first use of light-degradable hydrogels in vivo, we provide biomedical engineers and clinicians with a previously unavailable, safe, dynamically deliverable, and precise tool to design dynamically actuated implantable devices.
可被选择性刺激降解的触发材料有望改变我们精确控制生物医学设备活动和性能的能力，同时减少对侵入性干预的需求。在这里，我们描述了一种模块化和可调谐的光触发水凝胶系统的开发，该系统能够与植入式设备接口。我们将这些材料应用于胃肠道 (GI) 道中的两个应用：减肥球囊和食管支架。我们在体外、离体和体内证明了材料的生物相容性和按需触发。此外，我们还在带有可食用 LED 的猪大动物模型中对系统性能进行了表征。光触发水凝胶有可能在整个胃肠道和其他解剖区域得到广泛应用。通过在体内首次展示光降解水凝胶的应用，我们为生物医学工程师和临床医生提供了一种以前无法获得的、安全的、可动态输送的、精确的工具，用于设计动态驱动的植入式设备。
