An organ-conformal, kirigami-structured bioelectronic patch for precise intracellular delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Effective therapeutic delivery to target organs is essential for disease treatment.
• Conventional devices struggle with conformality, control, and efficiency in complex organs.
• Limitations stem from inadequate mechanical and material properties of existing technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel bioelectronic patch for organ-conformal electro-transfection.
• To address challenges in precise and efficient therapeutic delivery to complex organs.
• To demonstrate the potential of a customizable technique for translational therapeutic applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a four-layered, kirigami-structured bioelectronic patch (POCKET).
• Parametric customization for high organ conformality and maximum effective coverage.
• Utilizing a nanopore-cell juxtaposition configuration for precise electro-perforation and intracellular transport.

Main Results:

• POCKET achieved high conformality and precise spatial controllability across various organs.
• Demonstrated efficient and uniform electro-transfection and payload delivery.
• POCKET-mediated therapy protected organs from DNA damage and ischemia-reperfusion injury, restoring function.

Conclusions:

• The POCKET patch offers a customizable and effective solution for precise therapeutic delivery.
• This technology overcomes limitations of conventional devices for complex organ anatomies.
• POCKET shows significant translational potential for treating diseases in challenging target organs.