Successful development and testing of electronic blood vessels

According to the researchers the electronic blood vessels could overcome the limitations of conventional tissue engineered blood vessels, or Tissue Engineered Blood Vessels (TEBVs). In addition, the electronic blood vessels are also capable of the controlled release of genetic material and medicines. They are made from a metal-polymer conductor membrane that is flexible and biodegradable.

“We take the natural structure that mimics blood vessels and go further by integrating more elaborate electrical functions that can provide further treatments such as gene therapy and electrical stimulation,” said lead researcher Xingyu Jiang of the Southern University of Science. and Technology and the National Center for NanoScience and Technology in China.

Development of electronic blood vessels

Previous research has developed a variety of TEBVs that provide mechanical support for difficult-to-treat small-vessel blockages in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, these TEBVs have limitations. They cannot proactively help regenerate blood vessel tissue and, unlike natural tissue, often cause inflammation in response to blood flow. “None of the existing small-diameter TEBVs meet the requirements for the treatment of cardiovascular disease,” said Jiang.

To transcend the limitations of existing technologies, Jiang and colleagues developed biodegradable electronic blood vessels using a cylindrical rod to roll up a metal-polymer conductor membrane made of poly (L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) . They showed that electrical stimulation from the blood vessel in the laboratory increased the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells in a wound healing model. This suggests that electrical stimulation could facilitate the formation of new endothelial blood vessel tissue.

The researchers also integrated the flexible circuits of the blood vessels with an electroporation device, which applies an electric field to make cell membranes more permeable. In doing so, they noted that the combined technologies successfully delivered green fluorescent protein DNA into three types of blood vessel cells in the laboratory.

Successful tests

Next, the researchers tested the device in rabbits, replacing their carotid arteries with electronic blood vessels. Jiang and her colleagues monitored the implants for three months using Doppler ultrasound. It was discovered that the electronic blood vessel allowed continuous sufficient blood flow. The arteries were examined using X-rays and dye. They showed that the artificial arteries seemed to function just as well as the natural ones, with no signs of narrowing.

When the researchers removed the implants at the end of the three-month period and analyzed the rabbits’ internal organs, they found no evidence that the electronic blood vessels had triggered an inflammatory response.

Further development and AI

The successful tests in rabbits are a promising development. Still, Jiang emphasizes that there is still a lot of work to be done before this new technology is suitable for use in humans. First, there will be more extensive tests on rabbits. In addition, the electronic blood vessels must be combined with smaller electronics than the electroporation device used in this study before they are suitable for long-term implantation.

“In the future, optimizations must be made by integrating it with minimized devices, such as minimized batteries and built-in control systems, to make all functional parts fully implantable and even fully biodegradable in the body,” Jiang explains.

Finally, the researchers hope that in the future the electronic blood vessels can also be combined with artificial intelligence to collect and store detailed information about a person’s blood speed, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

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