Adhesive anti-fibrotic interfaces on diverse organs

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Implanted biomaterials often fail long-term due to foreign body reactions and fibrous capsule formation at the implant-tissue interface.
• This fibrotic encapsulation compromises device functionality and efficacy.
• Developing strategies to mitigate this reaction is crucial for improving implantable device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of an adhesive implant-tissue interface to mitigate fibrous capsule formation.
• To evaluate the impact of this interface on inflammatory cell infiltration.
• To assess the long-term biocompatibility and functionality of devices with an adhesive interface.

Main Methods:

• Utilized diverse animal models (rats, mice, humanized mice, pigs) to test adhesive interfaces.
• Performed histological analysis to assess fibrous capsule formation and inflammatory cell infiltration.
• Conducted in vitro assays (protein adsorption, Luminex, qPCR, immunofluorescence, RNA sequencing) for mechanistic validation.
• Evaluated long-term bidirectional electrical communication of implantable electrodes with adhesive interfaces in rats.

Main Results:

• Adhesive implant-tissue interfaces significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration compared to non-adhesive interfaces.
• No observable fibrous capsules were formed on various organs over 12 weeks in vivo.
• Demonstrated sustained bidirectional electrical communication via implantable electrodes with adhesive interfaces over 12 weeks.
• In vitro analyses validated the anti-fibrotic hypothesis.

Conclusions:

• An adhesive implant-tissue interface effectively mitigates fibrous capsule formation and inflammation.
• This strategy supports long-term biocompatibility and device functionality.
• Adhesive interfaces represent a promising approach for developing advanced, long-lasting implantable medical devices.