Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology & Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro , Aveiro 3810-193, Portugal.
Engineering Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro , Vila Real 5000-801, Portugal.
J R Soc Interface. 2024 Sep;21(218):20240279. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2024.0279. Epub 2024 Sep 11.
Bioelectronic bone implants are being widely recognized as a promising technology for highly personalized bone/implant interface sensing and biophysical therapeutic stimulation. Such bioelectronic devices are based on an innovative concept with the ability to be applied to a wide range of implants, including in fixation and prosthetic systems. Recently, biointerface sensing using capacitive patterns was proposed to overcome the limitations of standard imaging technologies and other non-imaging technologies; moreover, electric stimulation using capacitive patterns was proposed to overcome the limitations of non-instrumented implants. We here provide an innovative low-power miniaturized electronic system with ability to provide both therapeutic stimulation and bone/implant interface monitoring using network-architectured capacitive interdigitated patterns. It comprises five modules: sensing, electric stimulation, processing, communication and power management. This technology was validated using tests: concerning the sensing system, its ability to detect biointerface changes ranging from tiny to severe bone-implant interface changes in target regions was validated; concerning the stimulation system, its ability to significantly enhance bone cells' full differentiation, including matrix maturation and mineralization, was also confirmed. This work provides an impactful contribution and paves the way for the development of the new generation of orthopaedic biodevices.
生物电子骨植入物被广泛认为是一种很有前途的技术，可用于高度个性化的骨/植入物界面传感和生物物理治疗刺激。这种生物电子设备基于一种创新的概念，能够应用于广泛的植入物，包括固定和假体系统。最近，提出了使用电容模式的生物界面传感，以克服标准成像技术和其他非成像技术的局限性；此外，还提出了使用电容模式的电刺激，以克服非仪器化植入物的局限性。我们在这里提供了一种创新的低功耗小型化电子系统，具有使用基于网络架构的电容交叉指模式提供治疗刺激和骨/植入物界面监测的能力。它由五个模块组成：传感、电刺激、处理、通信和电源管理。这项技术已经通过以下测试进行了验证：关于传感系统，其检测目标区域中从微小到严重的骨-植入物界面变化的能力已经得到验证；关于刺激系统，其显著增强骨细胞完全分化的能力，包括基质成熟和矿化，也得到了证实。这项工作提供了有影响力的贡献，并为新一代骨科生物设备的发展铺平了道路。
