Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

US10369255B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• President and Fellows of Harvard College · US
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology · US
• Children's Medical Center Corporation · US

Inventors

• Charles M. Lieber · Lexington, US
• Jia Liu · Corning, US
• Bozhi Tian · Cambridge, US
• Tal Dvir · Nesher, IL
• Robert S. Langer · Newton, US
• Daniel S. Kohane · Newton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 21, 2016
• Grant date: Aug 6, 2019
• Expiry date: Oct 30, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61L2400/12
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to nanoscale wires and tissue engineering. In various embodiments, cell scaffolds for growing cells or tissues can be formed that include nanoscale wires that can be connected to electronic circuits extending externally of the cell scaffold. The nanoscale wires may form an integral part of cells or tissues grown from the cell scaffold, and can even be determined or controlled, e.g., using various electronic circuits. This approach allows for the creation of fundamentally new types of functionalized cells and tissues, due to the high degree of electronic control offered by the nanoscale wires and electronic circuits. Accordingly, such cell scaffolds can be used to grow cells or tissues which can be determined and/or controlled at very high resolutions, due to the presence of the nanoscale wires, and such cell scaffolds will find use in a wide variety of novel applications, including applications in tissue engineering, prosthetics, pacemakers, implants, or the like.