Non-Technical: Implantable devices have a large potential for use as sensors, drug delivery, and medical devices. According to the National Academy of Sciences, 100 million patients in the U.S. alone can benefit from implantable tissues and systems. However, current implantable technologies still face central challenges of biocompatibility and facile communication with external devices. An improved method for building advanced biocompatible implantable devices could greatly advance the development of implantable sensors, drug-delivery devices, and drug-eluting stents and devices. Hence, the research objective of this proposal is to establish the key elements of a fundamentally new platform for wireless control of implantable devices. Specifically, the proposal seeks to develop a method for using focused ultrasound to actuate small components inside microdevices made of biocompatible materials. Ultrasound is already widely used for diagnostic imaging, and our work will seek to leverage this imaging modality to actuate implanted devices. In addition to research goals, this project contains elements that seek to address other potential benefits for society in education and diversity: - Undergraduate students: new research opportunities and lab modules on "implantable devices" for undergraduate students at both Columbia University and George Mason - High-school students: integration of implantable device research into educational modules for New York City high-school students - Technology transfer: nurturing of undergraduate students interested in commercializing state-of-the-art microdevice research into real- world devices for society
In terms of specific research goals, this proposal aims to construct and demonstrate a new paradigm to efficiency control biocompatible microdevices using ultrasound. Ultrasound is fundamentally attractive because it is non-invasive, can penetrate through millimeters or even centimeters of dense tissue, and uses hardware which can be made compact. In our design, ultrasound can actuate selective microcomponents in the devices by precise focusing of ultrasonic energy or by employing agents that selectively respond to pre-specified acoustic parameters. Importantly, ultrasound can impart energy into implants which themselves contain no embedded biotoxic electronics or power supply, unlike most printed electronics. Despite these attractive qualities, to our knowledge, ultrasound has not been previously used to control implantable microdevices, let alone ones made from biocompatible materials that avoid biofouling. This research proposal is innovative in a number of specific aspects. - Fabrication of microdevices with components responsive to ultrasound - Developing and understanding how acoustic parameters interface with microdevice components in deep tissue - Developing a method to selectively actuate components inside a microdevice
