Abstract
Over the last decade, scientists have dreamed about the development of a bioresorbable technology that exploits a new class of electrical, optical, and sensing components able to operate in physiological conditions for a prescribed time and then disappear, being made of materials that fully dissolve in vivo with biologically benign byproducts upon external stimulation. The final goal is to engineer these components into transient implantable systems that directly interact with organs, tissues, and biofluids in real‐time, retrieve clinical parameters, and provide therapeutic actions tailored to the disease and patient clinical evolution, and then biodegrade without the need for device‐retrieving surgery that may cause tissue lesion or infection. Here, the major results achieved in bioresorbable technology are critically reviewed, with a bottom‐up approach that starts from a rational analysis of dissolution chemistry and kinetics, and biocompatibility of bioresorbable materials, then moves to in vivo performance and stability of electrical and optical bioresorbable components, and eventually focuses on the integration of such components into bioresorbable systems for clinically relevant applications. Finally, the technology readiness levels (TRLs) achieved for the different bioresorbable devices and systems are assessed, hence the open challenges are analyzed and future directions for advancing the technology are envisaged.
Highlights
Traditional medical devices designed and sensing components able to operate in physiological conditions for a prescribed time and disappear, being made of materials that fully dissolve in vivo with biologically benign byproducts upon external stimulation
In vivo tests were performed by deploying the bioresorbable stent with CeO2 and Au@MSN nanoparticles-soaked PLA encapsulating layer in canine aorta: Nile Red dye was used as drug model to demonstrate increased tissue permeability enabled by Au@MSN heating induced by NIR laser and/or RF coil stimulation, while CeO2 nanoparticles inhibited macrophage migration and inflammatory response
In vitro biodegradation experiments of the system encapsulated with a 200 nm thick SiO2 layer were performed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 37 °C, resulting in stable operation for 10 days, followed by performance degradation, until at day 25 the system ceased functioning
Summary
We will review dissolution chemistry and kinetics, and biocompatibility (when available) of the main bioresorbable materials both in vitro and in vivo, namely: inorganic semiconductors (e.g., silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and zinc oxide (ZnO)), oxides and nitrides (e.g., silicon oxides and silicon nitrides), metals (e.g., magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), tungsten (W), and molybdenum (Mo)), and polymers and organic materials (e.g., polyesters, waxes, cyclic poly(phtalaldehyde) (cPPA), and silk).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
