Non-Fibrotic Bioelectronics and Devices on Diverse Organs

Implanted biomaterials and devices face compromised functionality and efficacy in the long-term by foreign body reaction and subsequent formation of the fibrous capsule at the implant-tissue interface. Here, we demonstrate that an adhesive implant-tissue interface can avoid fibrous capsule formation by minimizing the establishment of the inflammatory microenvironment and subsequent infiltration of inflammatory cells at the implant-tissue interface. Histological analysis shows that the adhesive implant can preserve the implant-tissue interface without fibrous capsule formation on diverse organs including the abdominal wall, colon, stomach, lung, and heart over 12 weeks in rat models in vivo. In vitro protein adsorption, multiplex Luminex assays, quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence analysis, and RNA sequencing are additionally performed to validate the hypothesis. We further demonstrate long-term bi-directional electrical communication enabled by implantable electrodes with an adhesive interface over 4 weeks in a rat model in vivo. This finding may offer a promising strategy for long-term implant-tissue interfacing without fibrous capsule formation.