Printable biosensor could be invaluable tool for surgeons

Researchers at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), in conjunction with a team at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL; Los Alamos, NM), are aiming to assist medical professionals with a new 3D-printable biosensor that allows the simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues and organs during surgical procedures.

Developed by Chi Hwan Lee, an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and assistant professor of mechanical engineering, the biosensor is ultrasoft, thin, and stretchable, and capable of “seamlessly interfacing with the curvilinear surface of organs,” namely the heart. The concurrent recording and imaging ability can help surgeons to accurately indicate the origin of disease conditions; according to Lee, conventional methods have proven difficult “because other sensors used for recording typically interrupt the imaging process.”

Bio-inks were used in the biosensor prototype’s development, which are softer than tissue and can stretch without sensor degradation. Additionally, they can naturally adhere to wet surfaces of organs. Several prototypes of the biosensor—of varying sizes, shapes, and configurations—have been developed by the researchers, each tested in the hearts of pigs and mice in vivo. The researchers have also been studying the “biocompatibility and anti-biofouling properties of the biosensors,” along with their effects on cardiac function; no significant adverse effects have been reported.

The new biosensor could be further developed for use in other organs in the body, including the stomach, according to the researchers. Reference: B. Kim et al., Nat. Commun. (2021); doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23959-3.