{"id":24754,"date":"2018-06-27T10:00:10","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=24754"},"modified":"2022-03-16T10:48:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T14:48:46","slug":"scientists-print-medical-sensors-onto-gummies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/scientists-print-medical-sensors-onto-gummies\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Print Medical Sensors onto Gummies"},"content":{"rendered":"

After nearly 100 years of satisfying the taste buds of kids and adults, alike, gummi bears may finally have a greater purpose. <\/span><\/p>\n

A team of researchers has <\/span>developed a method<\/span><\/a> to print microelectrode arrays onto gummy candies, gelatin and other soft substrates. <\/span><\/p>\n

This new method will provide a cheap, fast way to develop microelectrodes that can be used by scientists to study biological changes in the heart and brain, treat disorders of the nervous system, and restore a person\u2019s sensory function.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this study, researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich successfully performed inkjet printing onto gummy candies.<\/span><\/p>\n

A paper describing the study is published in the journal <\/span>Nature<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advantages of soft material<\/b><\/h2>\n

The soft texture of the gummies is key to this study. <\/span><\/p>\n

Traditionally, microelectrode arrays used silicon or glass-based substrates, said <\/span>Bernhard Wolfrum<\/span><\/a>, a professor of neuroelectronics at TUM and lead author of the study. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the hard, sharp form of the original microelectrode arrays causes multiple issues. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a lab, the shape and organization of the cells can be affected by the hardness of the substrate. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a body, rigid materials can cause cell inflammation and loss of organ functionalities. <\/span><\/p>\n

Inkjet printing<\/b><\/h2>\n

The inkjet printer used in this study is essentially a high-tech version of one that may be in a home or office. But, instead of using traditional ink, this printer works with carbon-based ink and adds a neutral protective layer to the carbon paths so the sensors don\u2019t pick up any stray signals. <\/span><\/p>\n

This departs from traditional methods used to create microelectrode arrays. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, microelectrode arrays are fabricated with optical lithography,\u201d said Wolfrum.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, those methods are time-consuming and expensive, and require access to specialized laboratories. <\/span><\/p>\n

Inkjet printing, however, is cheap and quick, and allows scientists to manipulate the design layout of the microelectrode arrays. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe technique allows us to fabricate carbon-based microelectrode arrays on a variety of soft substrates (such as hydrogels), which is not easily done using conventional microfabrication,\u201d said Wolfrum. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe possibility to quickly adapt the geometric layout of the interface and materials may help us to develop more efficient devices for cell stimulation and recording.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Potential applications <\/b><\/h2>\n

Printing microelectrode arrays on soft materials can apply to a wide range of areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is the technique useful in fabricating models for research, but it could also be used in the medical field to change the way patients are treated. <\/span><\/p>\n

“In the future, similar soft structures could be used to monitor nerve or heart functions in the body, for example, or even serve as a pacemaker,\u201d Wolfrum said in a statement. <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before this technique is used to monitor nerve or heart functions in the body, more aspects need to be investigated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe, for applying the printed devices in vivo, the main aspects that have to be investigated are biocompatibility, long-term stability and reliability and resolution,\u201d said Wolfrum. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cResolution using inkjet printing is much weaker compared to optical lithography, which might be problematic depending on the particular application.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

For now, the team is focused on efficient printing. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, currently the main advantage of printing functional devices lies in the rapid prototyping capabilities, not necessarily in the final production of devices,\u201d he said.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers are currently working to print more complex 3D microelectrode arrays. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, they are looking into printable sensors that react to chemical substances, not only fluctuations in voltage. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After nearly 100 years of satisfying the taste buds of kids and adults, alike, gummi bears may finally have a greater purpose. A team of researchers has developed a method to print microelectrode arrays onto gummy candies, gelatin and other soft substrates. This new method will provide a cheap, fast way to develop microelectrodes that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":24762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631,626,232,241,230,229,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3d-printing","category-artificial-intelligence","category-technology","category-medical-breakthrough","category-news","category-lead-stories","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor-224x144.png",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor-300x193.png",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"After nearly 100 years of satisfying the taste buds of kids and adults, alike, gummi bears may finally have a greater purpose. A team of researchers has developed a method to print microelectrode arrays onto gummy candies, gelatin and other soft substrates. This new method will provide a cheap, fast way to develop microelectrodes that…","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/gummi-sensor.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}