A team of researchers from the University of Arizona has developed an ultra-thin wireless device that can grow to the surface of bones, which could one day help doctors monitor bone health and healing for a long time. These devices, called bone surface electronics, are described in a paper published in Nature Communications on Thursday.

"As a surgeon, I am most excited about using the measurements collected by bone surface electronics to one day provide personalized orthopedic care to my patients-the goal is to accelerate recovery and maximize post-traumatic function," the study The co-senior author Dr. David Margolis said, Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at UArizona School of Medicine in Tucson and Plastic Surgeon at Banner University Medical Center Tucson.

Fragile fractures associated with diseases such as osteoporosis lead to more hospital stays than heart attacks, breast or prostate cancer. Research co-corresponding author and assistant professor of biomedical engineering Craig M. Berge Institute of Engineering researcher.

"It is very important to be able to monitor the health of the musculoskeletal system," said Gutruf, who is also a member of the university's BIO5 Institute. "With this interface, you basically have a computer on your bones. This technology platform allows us to create investigative tools for scientists to discover how the musculoskeletal system works, and use the information collected to promote rehabilitation and treatment."

Gutruf explained that because the muscles are so close to the bones and move so frequently, the device must be thin enough to avoid irritating surrounding tissues or shifting.

"The thin structure of the device, about as thick as a piece of paper, means that it can conform to the curvature of the bone to form a tight interface," said Alex Burton, a PhD student in biomedical engineering and co-first author of the study. Said. "They also don't need batteries. This can be achieved using a power projection and communication method called Near Field Communication or NFC, which is also used for contactless payments in smartphones."

The ceramic adhesive grows to the bone

The outer layer of bone falls off and renews just like the outer layer of skin. Therefore, if you use traditional adhesives to stick something to the bone, it will fall off after a few months. To meet this challenge, John Szivek (Professor of Plastic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering), a co-author of the study and member of the BIO5 Institute, developed an adhesive that contains calcium particles with an atomic structure similar to bone cells. Fix the bone surface with the electronic equipment to the bone.

"Bone basically thinks that the device is part of it and grows to the sensor itself," Gutruf said. "This allows it to form a permanent bond with bones and measure it over a long period of time."

For example, a doctor can connect the device to a broken or broken bone to monitor the healing process. This is especially helpful for patients suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis, because they often break bones again. Understanding the speed and effectiveness of bone healing can also provide information for clinical treatment decisions, such as when to remove temporary hardware such as plates, rods, or screws.

Some patients take medications designed to accelerate bone healing or increase bone density, but these prescriptions may have side effects. Close bone monitoring will enable doctors to make more informed decisions about drug dosage levels.

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