Wireless power strategies are critical to system level implementation of bio-integrated devices. To achieve mechanically robust, manufacturable systems, batteries are often integrated as an on-board power source to support sensing, wireless communication and signal conditioning. Unfortunately, most sources of battery power use hazardous and environmentally harmful materials, which frustrate incorporation...
Polymer and polymer/ceramic composites known as bone cements are commonly used in musculoskeletal reconstructive surgeries where bone tissue fixation, reinforcement, or void filling may be needed. Polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA, was the initial (and currently only) FDA-approved bone cement for bone-void filling applications yet faces many inherent material-based challenges that impacts its...
Nanocarriers are drug delivery vehicles that have at least one dimension at the nanoscale (10-9 m). Engineering the nanocarrier surface is a strategy for targeting drug delivery to specific cell types to enhance efficacy and minimize side effects. A useful analogy is to consider how the chassis of an automotive...
Soft materials in nature are formed through programmed self-assembly of biomolecules to create complex architectures and optimized physical properties. It is therefore a key challenge in biomaterials science and engineering to understand the principles that govern the structure and properties of such materials, and the interactions between their different components....
Nucleic acids not only are the building blocks of life but also a class of attractive macromolecular therapeutics. However, the delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides into cells has been a major challenge due to their large size and highly negatively charged backbone. Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) are a class of emerging...