Ajou University Hospital Develops Biodegradable Wireless Electronic Medicine for Nerve Treatment
A customized wireless electronic medicine technology has been developed that can be fabricated to match the size and shape of a patient's nerves and biodegrades within the body after treatment is completed. By enabling wireless nerve stimulation without an internal battery or external wires connected through the skin, it is expected to be utilized in future treatments for damaged nerves.
Professor Hyun Jung-geun from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Ajou University Hospital announced that through collaborative research with Professor Kang Seung-gyun's team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University, wireless electronic medicine that biodegrades in the body was manufactured using 3D printing, and animal experiments confirmed the possibility of peripheral nerve stimulation and functional recovery.
Recent research on implantable electronic medicine that aids regeneration of damaged nerves through electrical stimulation has been actively pursued; however, devices remaining in the body may require removal surgery after treatment. Biodegradable electronic devices also previously faced limitations in manufacturing and assembly processes, making it difficult to fabricate them tailored to the size and shape of nerves.
The research team developed biodegradable electronic inks composed of conductors, semiconductors, insulators, and protective layers, and applied 3D printing technology to print multiple materials together, integrating core components of the electronic medicine—including a wireless power receiver, semiconductor elements, and stimulation electrodes—within a three-dimensional structure wrapping the nerve. The device receives power wirelessly from outside the body and delivers electrical stimulation to the nerve, and through 3D design, the size and shape can be adjusted to fit each patient's nerve structure.
In small animal experiments, muscle responses to wireless stimulation were confirmed, and at the 8-week point following electrical stimulation for one hour after peripheral nerve injury, functional recovery was observed. In large animal experiments, success was achieved in implanting a device wrapping the nerve and inducing nerve response wirelessly. In animal experiments, no abnormalities appeared in major blood test results, and all constituent materials were designed to biodegrade within the body.
The research team also announced that it implemented a function to detect pressure changes by printing a wireless pressure sensor inside a tissue regeneration support structure. However, the current stage is animal experiments, and additional verification is needed for clinical application.
Professor Hyun Jung-geun stated, "This research is significant in that it demonstrates the possibility of implementing wireless electronic medicine tailored to the size and shape of nerves in patients with nerve injuries and having it biodegrade within the body after treatment, thereby complementing the limitations of existing implantable electronic devices."
The research was published online on September 15 in the international academic journal in materials science "Advanced Functional Materials," with Professors Hyun Jung-geun and Kang Seung-gyun serving as co-corresponding authors. The research was conducted with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and the Industrial Technology Innovation Project of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The paper was also introduced in the Korea Biomedical Research Information Center (BRIC)'s "People Illuminating Korea (Han-bit-sa)".