Advances in Materials and Structures for Ingestible Electromechanical Medical Devices.

Advances in Materials and Structures for Ingestible Electromechanical Medical Devices. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2018 Jul 12;: Authors: Bettinger CJ Abstract Ingestible biomedical devices that can diagnose, prevent, and treat a wide range of diseases has been a dream of engineers and clinicians for decades. The increasing apparent importance of gut health on overall health and the prevalence of many gastrointestinal diseases have renewed focus on this emerging class of medical devices. Several prominent examples of commercially successful ingestible medical devices exist. However, many technical challenges remain before ingestible medical devices can achieve their full clinical potential. This minireview summarizes recent discoveries in this interdisciplinary topic including novel materials, advanced materials processing techniques, and select examples of integrated ingestible electromechanical systems. After a brief historical perspective, these topics will be reviewed with a dedicated focus on advanced functional materials and fabrication strategies in the context of clinical translation and potential regulatory considerations. Future perspectives, challenges, and opportunities pertinent to this topic will also be summarized. PMID: 29999578 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Angewandte Chemie - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Angew Chem Int Ed Engl Source Type: research