CAREER: An artificial nervous system for in-body communication between wearable and implantable devices

Bioelectronic sensors and therapeutic actuators enable the real-time monitoring and treatment of wound healing, diabetes, and other critical conditions; however, therapeutic functionality combining these sensors and actuators together remains limited to wearable devices, such as the insulin pump. Unlocking communication with implantable devices could revolutionize treatment for neurodegeneration, sepsis, solid tumors, and other morbidities, but it is hindered by a lack of clinically relevant communication protocols. These protocols either rely on power-hungry systems (e.g. Bluetooth) which demand large batteries and short lifetimes that inhibit implantation, or large antennas for wireless power and data transfer that are too bulky for patient acceptance. This project aims to develop and optimize a communication platform for multiple wearable and implantable devices to network with each other throughout all tissue layers in the body. The scientific goal of this project is to optimize an emitter and receiver network between electromechanical wearable sensors and implantable actuators via computational and experimental approaches, including in vivo experiments in rodent models with potential applications in sciatic nerve stimulation and controlled drug delivery. A second goal of this proposal is to promote bioengineering and STEM post-secondary education by creating high school physics lesson plans describing how bioelectronics relate to physics principles and by hosting high school students in the PI’s lab. This project could have profound impacts on public heath while also improving the toolsets available for fundamental biological analysis by simultaneously coordinating sensors and therapeutics throughout the body. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.