Fig. 1: Schematic of implantable, flexible bioelectronics for MI treatment.
From: Programmable production of bioactive extracellular vesicles in vivo to treat myocardial infarction
a Design of the implanted ePOWER patch system for electromodulated therapeutic extracellular vesicle (EV) production and in-situ therapy. Being attached to the impaired heart, ePOWER patch induces BV2 macrophages under load to produce bioactive EVs that improve cardiac repair. ePOWER system integrates an adhesive electroactive patch, a microprogramming control unit (MCU) module, and a WiFi antenna module to enable smartphone control of the treatment process. Insert: Schematic illustration of the implanted ePOWER patch consisting of a conductive layer and adhesive layer. By enabling the in-situ production of rich therapeutic EVs, the need for exogenous cell expansion platform, sufficient EV collection and delivery could be reduced, simplifying the therapeutic approach and leading to a more straightforward and cost-effective method of treatment administration. b Schematic of ePOWER stimulus-inducible intracellular calcium ion influx and the activation of EVs biosynthesis. c Schematic of in-situ produced EVePOWER reprogramming MI-resident cardiac macrophages from M1 (that perpetuates inflammation in the MI area) to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, promoting cardiomyocyte proliferation, endothelial cell migration, angiogenesis and ultimately rescuing myocardial function and improving MI repair. d Rat implanted with the ePOWER patch system, with wired connection to the MCU module cutaneously placed anterior to the heart. e Optical image of ePOWER patch being fully covered on heart tissue. f Representative CT image of the implanted ePOWER system in rat (scale bars, 5 mm).
