A ‘stacked’ bionic materials store promises a medical revolution

Pacemakers and bionic ears (cochlear implants) were the first medical bionic devices to be used successfully in humans.

Recent developments in organic electronics and nanotechnology has greatly expanded the bionic materials store to make possible the design and creation of a whole new range of bionic devices.

This positive medical scenario is the theme behind an article to be published today (AEST) in the well-known journal, Science, by a trio of UOW researchers.

The Perspectives article, entitled “Electrode-Cellular Interface” was contributed by the Director of UOW’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) and Executive Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), Professor Gordon Wallace; Chief Investigator for ACES and inventor of the bionic ear, Professor Graeme Clark; and Dr Simon Moulton (IPRI).

“The bionic materials store is well and truly stacked with the challenge now being in determining the most appropriate electrode materials for a particular application,” Professor Wallace said.

“For medical bionic applications involving tissue engineering – such as implants for peripheral nerve, spinal cord repair or muscle regeneration – the ability to produce biodegradable and bioabsorbable materials with an appropriate function and lifetime profile will be critical,” he said.

Professor Wallace said that for bionic prosthetics challenges include reducing power requirements, finding natural (biological) power supplies and extending device lifetime.

He said that in the case of bionic repair systems, devices should be biodegradable.

“Our increasing understanding of the properties of new electrodes and of how to design and control the electrode-cellular interface promises exciting advances in medical bionics,” Professor Wallace said.

The Perspectives article can be viewed at the following website: http://www.sciencemag.org/

Last reviewed: 9 April, 2009