Magnetic Living Hydrogels for Intestinal Localization, Retention, and Diagnosis
Abstract
Natural microbial sensing circuits can be rewired into new gene networks to build living sensors that detect and respond to disease‐associated biomolecules. However, synthetic living sensors, once ingested, are cleared from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract within 48 h; retaining devices in the intestinal lumen is prone to intestinal blockage or device migration. To localize synthetic microbes and safely extend their residence in the GI tract for health monitoring and sustained drug release, an ingestible magnetic hydrogel carrier is developed to transport diagnostic microbes to specific intestinal sites. The magnetic living hydrogel is localized and retained by attaching a magnet to the abdominal skin, resisting the peristaltic waves in the intestine. The device retention is validated in a human intestinal phantom and an in vivo rodent model, showing that the ingestible hydrogel maintains the integrated living bacteria for up to seven days, which allows the detection of heme for GI bleeding in the harsh environment of the gut. The retention of microelectronics is also demonstrated by incorporating a temperature sensor into the magnetic hydrogel carrier.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adfm.202010918
Entities
People
- Dacheng Ma
- Jingjing Wu
- Maria Eugenia Inda
- Shaoting Lin
- Timothy K. Lu
- Xiaoyu Chen
- Xinyue Liu
- Xuanhe Zhao
- Yoonho Kim
- Yueying Yang
Organizations
- ALS Association
- American Heart Association
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Naval Information Warfare Systems Command
- Pfizer
- Singapore–MIT alliance
- The Pew Charitable Trusts
- United States Army Medical Research and Development Command