Macromolecular Bioelectronics Encoded for Biocompatibility, Self-assembly, and Degradability

编码生物相容性、自组装和可降解性的高分子生物电子学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-03554
• 负责人: Tran, Helen
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=748371
• 关键词: Macromolecular; Bioelectronics; Encoded; Biocompatibility; Self

Next-generation electronics will autonomously respond to local stimuli and be harmonious with the human body, opening doors for remarkable opportunities in environmental monitoring, advanced consumer products, and health diagnostics for personalized therapy. For example, fully biodegradable electronics promise to accelerate the integration of electronics with health by obviating the need for costly device recovery surgeries that also significantly increase infection risk. The underpinnings of such next-generation electronics is the development of new electronic materials with a wide suite of functional properties beyond our current toolkit. The overarching long-term vision of my research program is to leverage the rich palette of polymer chemistry to design new materials encoded with information for self-assembly, degradability, and electronic transport. I envision that the creation of these multifunctional materials and an understanding of how they are utilized to construct next-generation electronics will serve as a transformative platform to address previously inaccessible challenges impacting health and sustainability, and in turn create new technologies and markets in Canada. To this end, I propose to focus on three interrelated research thrusts, detailed below, which are aligned with the challenges within the natural sciences and engineering: Research Thrust 1: Self-assembly of sequence-controlled macromolecular electronics Bottom-up bioelectronics bridges well-defined molecular recognition via multivalent interactions with electronically active materials. The self-assembly of sequence-controlled electron-conducting macromolecules into constructs that resemble electronic components and the resulting signal response will be explored to build closed-loop modulation systems for autonomous biosensing and regulation, useful for diagnostics and therapy. Research Thrust 2: Functionalized bottlebrush elastomers for bioelectronic interfaces Advances in implantable electronics, such as brain-computer interfaces, are changing our understanding and treatment of diseases, but these devices fail in long-term implantation due to a mismatch in mechanical and chemical surface properties. Functionalized bottlebrush elastomers are an unexplored materials system for constructing bioelectronic devices, where both the chemical and mechanical properties can be readily tuned through molecular design. Research Thrust 3: Biodegradation of conjugated polymers into natural by-products Biodegradable and recyclable electronics will transform our lives. Beyond transience, the degradation by-products must be non-toxic and bioresorbable. Carotenoids, which resemble oligo-acetylene, are promising building blocks due to their documented single molecule conductance and biodegradability. My team will establish a new polymeric class of semiconductors and conductors that degrade into natural by-products, such as carotene.

下一代电子产品将自动响应局部刺激并与人体和谐相处，为环境监测、先进消费产品和个性化治疗的健康诊断等领域带来巨大机遇。例如，完全可生物降解的电子产品有望通过消除昂贵的设备恢复手术来加速电子产品与健康的融合，而这种手术也会显着增加感染风险。此类下一代电子产品的基础是新型电子材料的开发，其具有超出我们当前工具包的广泛功能特性。我的研究计划的总体长期愿景是利用丰富的聚合物化学来设计编码有自组装、可降解性和电子传输信息的新材料。我设想这些多功能材料的创建以及对如何利用它们构建下一代电子产品的理解将成为一个变革平台，以解决以前无法应对的影响健康和可持续发展的挑战，进而在加拿大创造新技术和市场。为此，我建议重点关注三个相互关联的研究主旨，具体如下，这些主旨与自然科学和工程学中的挑战相一致： 研究主旨 1：序列控制高分子电子学的自组装 自下而上的生物电子学桥接良好-通过与电子活性材料的多价相互作用定义分子识别。将探索序列控制的电子传导大分子自组装成类似于电子元件的结构以及由此产生的信号响应，以构建用于自主生物传感和调节的闭环调制系统，这对于诊断和治疗很有用。研究重点2：用于生物电子接口的功能化洗瓶刷弹性体脑机接口等植入式电子设备的进步正在改变我们对疾病的理解和治疗，但这些设备由于机械和化学表面特性的不匹配而无法长期植入。功能化洗瓶刷弹性体是一种尚未开发的用于构建生物电子设备的材料系统，其化学和机械性能可以通过分子设计轻松调节。研究重点3：共轭聚合物生物降解为天然副产品可生物降解和可回收的电子产品将改变我们的生活。除了短暂性之外，降解副产物必须是无毒且可生物吸收的。类胡萝卜素类似于低聚乙炔，由于其单分子电导性和生物降解性，是有前途的构建单元。我的团队将建立一种新的聚合物类半导体和导体，可降解为天然副产品，例如胡萝卜素。