Flexible Dielectric Acoustic Resonator Patch for Tissue Regeneration

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Acoustics

Background:

• Current ultrasound (US) therapy uses rigid piezoelectric transducers unsuitable for wearable applications due to mechanical incompatibility with soft tissues.
• There is a need for flexible, wearable acoustic devices for non-invasive therapeutic applications like tissue regeneration and wound healing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible dielectric patch capable of generating high-frequency acoustic waves for wearable ultrasound therapy.
• To evaluate the mechanical stability, acoustic output, and therapeutic efficacy of the developed device for wound healing and tissue energy delivery.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a dielectric acoustic resonator patch (DARP) using interdigitated electrodes on a flexible polymer substrate.
• Identification of resonance frequency via droplet streaming analysis.
• Mechanical bending tests, optical transmittance measurements, and fibroblast migration assays.
• Acoustic energy delivery into tissue-mimicking hydrogels.

Main Results:

• A DARP exhibiting acoustic resonance at 20 MHz was successfully fabricated.
• The DARP maintained over 95% acoustic output after 300 bending cycles and demonstrated ~50% optical transmittance.
• Fibroblast migration speed increased 1.5-fold after 5 minutes of DARP stimulation.
• Effective acoustic energy delivery into both curved and planar hydrogel surfaces was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible dielectric acoustic resonator patch is mechanically robust and suitable for wearable applications.
• DARP shows significant potential for enhancing fibroblast migration, indicating efficacy in wound healing.
• This technology offers a promising platform for developing advanced ultrasound-mediated wearable medical devices and regenerative therapies.