Flexible, adaptable, storable patch combines bacteria and sensors to interface with body.
Flexible, adaptable, storable patch combines bacteria and sensors to interface with body.
For years, Prof. Bozhi Tian’s lab has been learning how to integrate the world of electronics—rigid, metallic, bulky—with the world of the body—soft, flexible, delicate.
In their latest work, they have created a prototype for what they call “living bioelectronics”: a combination of living cells, gel, and electronics that can integrate with living tissue.
The patches are made of sensors, bacterial cells, and a gel made from starch and gelatin. Tests in mice found that the devices could continuously monitor and improve psoriasis-like symptoms, without irritating skin.
Read more at University of Chicago
Image: Jiuyun Shi holds a small device he and a team of University of Chicago scientists invented that integrates living cells, gel, and sensors to create “living bioelectronics” to heal skin. (Photo courtesy Jiuyun Shi and Bozhi Tian)
