(449c) From Biocompatible Batteries to Miniaturized Biomedical Devices

Programmable engineering platforms for active control of medical devices include power sources, delivery mechanisms, communication hardware, and associated electronics, most typically in forms that require invasive surgical implantation and extraction. In this talk, I will introduce our self-powered optoelectronic platform that bypasses key disadvantages of those systems. I will present our studies on the integration of battery materials with biological tissues, as well as miniaturized devices we designed based on the above platform. The examples include a millimetre-scale cardiac pacemaker [ref 1] and a miniaturized drug delivery device [ref 2]. The constituent materials are bioresorbable which naturally degrade after a period of stable operation in the human body. Bioresorbable batteries serve as power supplies. Studies of various bioresorbable electrode materials define the key considerations and guide optimized choices in designs. Programmability relies on the use of external light sources to illuminate wavelength-sensitive phototransistors via wavelength-division multiplexing strategy. In vivo demonstrations of multi-site cardiac pacing and programmed release of lidocaine in small and large animal models illustrate the functionality in the context of electrotherapy and drug delivery. This platform can be readily adapted for a broad range of additional applications.

References:

• 1. Y. Zhang‡*, Y. Huang*, W. Ouyang*, R.K. Arora*, I.R. Efimov*, J.A. Rogers*, et al. “Millimetre-scale, bioresorbable optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy”, Nature, 640, 77–86 (2025).
• 2. Y. Zhang, C. K. Franz*, J. A. Rogers*, et al. “Self-powered, light-controlled, bioresorbable platforms for programmed drug delivery”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023, 120 (11) e2217734120.