Smart surgical implant coatings provide early failure warning while
preventing infection

Date:
May 5, 2023
Source:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau
Summary:
Newly developed 'smart' coatings for surgical orthopedic implants
can monitor strain on the devices to provide early warning
of implant failures while killing infection-causing bacteria,
researchers report.

The coatings integrate flexible sensors with a nanostructured
antibacterial surface inspired by the wings of dragonflies and
cicadas.


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==========================================================================
FULL STORY ========================================================================== Newly developed "smart" coatings for surgical orthopedic implants
can monitor strain on the devices to provide early warning of implant
failures while killing infection-causing bacteria, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. The coatings integrate flexible
sensors with a nanostructured antibacterial surface inspired by the
wings of dragonflies and cicadas.

In a new study in the journal Science Advances, a multidisciplinary team
of researchers found the coatings prevented infection in live mice and
mapped strain in commercial implants applied to sheep spines to warn of
various implant or healing failures.

"This is a combination of bio-inspired nanomaterial design with flexible electronics to battle a complicated, long-term biomedical problem,"
said study leader Qing Cao, a U. of I. professor of materials science
and engineering.

Both infection and device failure are major problems with orthopedic
implants, each affecting up to 10% of patients, Cao said. Several
approaches to fighting infection have been attempted, but all have severe limitations, he said: Biofilms can still form on water-repelling surfaces,
and coatings laden with antibiotic chemicals or drugs run out in a span
of months and have toxic effects on the surrounding tissue with little
efficacy against drug-resistant strains of bacterial pathogens.

Taking inspiration from the naturally antibacterial wings of cicadas
and dragonflies, the Illinois team created a thin foil patterned with
nanoscale pillars like those found on the insects' wings. When a bacterial
cell attempts to bind to the foil, the pillars puncture the cell wall,
killing it.

"Using a mechanical approach to killing bacteria allowed us to bypass
a lot of the problems with chemical approaches, while still giving us
the flexibility needed to apply the coating to implant surfaces," said pathobiology professor Gee Lau, a coauthor of the study.

On the back side of the nanostructured foil, where it contacts the implant device, the researchers integrated arrays of highly sensitive, flexible electronic sensors to monitor strain. This could help physicians watch
the healing progress of individual patients, guide their rehabilitation
to shorten the recovery time and minimize risks, and repair or replace
devices before they hit the point of failure, the researchers said.

The engineering group then teamed up with veterinary clinical medicine professor Annette McCoy to test their prototype devices. They implanted
the foils in live mice and monitored them for any sign of infection,
even when bacteria were introduced. They also applied the coatings
to commercially available spinal implants and monitored strain to
the implants in sheep spines under normal load for device failure
diagnosis. The coatings performed both functions well.

The prototype electronics required wires, but the researchers next plan
to develop wireless power and data communications interfaces for their coatings, a crucial step for clinical application, Cao said. They also
are working to develop large-scale production of the nanopillar-textured bacteria-killing foil.

"These types of antibacterial coatings have a lot of potential
applications, and since ours uses a mechanical mechanism, it has
potential for places where chemicals or heavy metal ions -- as are used in commercial antimicrobial coatings now -- would be detrimental," Cao said.

The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs supported this work.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Medical_Devices # Infectious_Diseases #
Wounds_and_Healing # Disability
o Plants_&_Animals
# Bacteria # Mice # Microbes_and_More #
Biotechnology_and_Bioengineering
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Illinois_at_Urbana-Champaign,_News_Bureau.

Original written by Liz Ahlberg Touchstone. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Yi Zhang, Jinsong Cui, Kuan-Yu Chen, Shanny Hsuan Kuo, Jaishree
Sharma,
Rimsha Bhatta, Zheng Liu, Austin Ellis-Mohr, Fufei An, Jiahui Li,
Qian Chen, Kari D. Foss, Hua Wang, Yumeng Li, Annette M. McCoy,
Gee W. Lau, Qing Cao. A smart coating with integrated physical
antimicrobial and strain-mapping functionalities for orthopedic
implants. Science Advances, 2023; 9 (18) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg7397 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230505165444.htm

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