Rationally Designed Anisotropic and Auxetic Hydrogel Patches for Adaptation to Dynamic Organs. (16th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chansoria, Parth; Blackwell, John; Etter, Emma L.; Bonacquisti, Emily E.; Jasiewicz, Natalie; Neal, Taylor; Kamal, Sarah Alhajli; Hoque, Jiaul; Varghese, Shyni; Egan, Thomas; Nguyen, Juliane
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 32:Number 43(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-08-16
• Subjects: anisotropic -- auxetic -- biomimetic -- fluid leakages -- hydrogels -- patches -- puncture wounds; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202207590
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract: Current hydrogel or fabric patches for organ repair are generally not designed to conform to the complex mechanics of dynamic organs such as the lung or heart. This study presents a new, biocompatible and bilayered, hydrogel‐based patch platform, consisting of a non‐fouling top layer and a cell adhesive bottom layer, that caters to the anisotropic and auxetic characteristics of dynamic organs. Integrated computational and experimental studies are used to screen over 116 unique anisotropic‐auxetic architectures to establish design rules and tailor the patches to a broad range of target organ dynamics. The patches are then validated in ex vivo and in vivo animal models, where the auxetic patches outperformed non‐auxetic patches in conforming to the volumetric dilation‐contraction of dynamic organs. To further expand the functionality of the auxetic patch platform, novel hole‐filling auxetic patches are developed. These hole‐filling patches composited with fibrin robustly reduce pulmonary air leakage in rats with surgically induced lung puncture. This is the first demonstration of a rational patch design framework that features both anisotropic and auxetic properties to cater to a wide range of organ dynamics. These studies pave the way for future clinical development of biomimetic patches. Abstract : Most conventional patches lack the features necessary to withstand the demanding mechanics of dynamic organs of the body. Here, a novel, bi‐layered hydrogel patch rationally designed through computational modeling to match the mechanics of dynamic organs is presented. Patch conformation to various dynamic organs and hole‐filling auxetic patches to treat puncture wounds are demonstrated.