Biodegradable pressure sensor developed to aid health monitoring

US scientists have developed a new type of biodegradable pressure sensor that could facilitate the monitoring of a range of medical conditions.

The University of Connecticut team created a sensor using medically safe materials, including a thin polymer film that has been modified to offer piezoelectric qualities, meaning it produces an electrical charge when subjected to pressure or squeezed.

This film is sandwiched between molybdenum electrodes and encapsulated with layers of polylactic acid, a biodegradable product commonly used for bone screws and tissue scaffolds.

After being implanted into the abdomen of a mouse, it was shown to be able to offer accurate monitoring of the animal's respiratory rate, reliably tracking contractions in the diaphragm for four days before breaking down into its individual organic components.

This technology could be used to monitor chronic lung disease, swelling of the brain and other medical conditions.

Senior study author Thanh Duc Nguyen, assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering in the Institute of Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health, said: "Medical sensors are often implanted directly into soft tissues and organs. Taking them out can cause additional damage. We knew that if we could develop a sensor that didn't require surgery to take it out, that would be really significant."

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