(660g) Continuous Monitoring of Tissue Regrowth Using Embedded and Integrated Optical Biosensors

The engineered regeneration of bone is a significant challenge being undertaken to treat conditions such as battlefield and other traumatic casualties, bone cancer, osteoporosis, and others. Advances in the engineered regeneration of hard tissue may potentially lead to significantly improved lives for millions of people. Recent work has focused on the use of bioactive glass (BAG) as a potential material for construction of scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration. Bone regrowth requires maintenance of optimum physiological concentrations of oxygen, glucose, phosphate, calcium, and pH balance. In this work, we have integrated microscale biosensors into the BAG-based bone regrowth scaffolds to monitor: conversion of BAG to HA, transport of nutrients to the cells, diffusion of bioconversion byproducts from the wound site, and general health of the growing cells. The sensor feedback thus helps in maintaining desired levels of these developmental factors in the interstitial fluid, aiding in bringing about optimal bone regrowth and allowing researchers to study the impact of scaffold formulations on regrowth.