The delivery of drugs in a controllable fashion is a topic of intense research activity in both academia and industry because of its impact in healthcare. Implantable electronic interfaces for the body have great potential for positive economic, health, and societal impacts; however, the implantation of such interfaces results in inflammatory responses due to a mechanical mismatch between the inorganic substrate and soft tissue, and also results in the potential for microbial infection during complex surgical procedures. Here, we report the use of conducting polypyrrole (PPY)-based coatings loaded with clinically relevant drugs (either an anti-inflammatory, dexamethasone phosphate (DMP), or an antibiotic, meropenem (MER)). The films were characterized and were shown to enhance the delivery of the drugs upon the application of an electrochemical stimulus in vitro, by circa (ca.) 10–30% relative to the passive release from non-stimulated samples. Interestingly, the loading and release of the drugs was correlated with the physical descriptors of the drugs. In the long term, such materials have the potential for application to the surfaces of medical devices to diminish adverse reactions to their implantation in vivo.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has facilitated the genetic modification of various model organisms and cell lines. The outcomes of any CRISPR-Cas9 assay should be investigated to ensure/improve the precision of genome engineering. In this study, carbon nanotube-modified disposable pencil graphite electrodes (CNT/PGEs) were used to develop a label-free electrochemical nanogenosensor for the detection of point mutations generated in the genome by using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Carbodiimide chemistry was used to immobilize the 5′-aminohexyl-linked inosine-substituted probe on the surface of the sensor. After hybridization between the target sequence and probe at the sensor surface, guanine oxidation signals were monitored using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Optimization of the sensitivity of the nanogenoassay resulted in a lower detection limit of 213.7 nM. The nanogenosensor was highly specific for the detection of the precisely edited DNA sequence. This method allows for a rapid and easy investigation of the products of CRISPR-based gene editing and can be further developed to an array system for multiplex detection of different-gene editing outcomes.

In situ forming hydrogels are a class of biomaterials that can fulfil a variety of important biomedically relevant functions and hold promise for the emerging field of patient-specific treatments (e.g., cell therapy, drug delivery). Here we report the results of our investigations on the generation of in situ forming hydrogels with potential for wound healing applications (e.g., complex blast injuries). The combination of polysaccharides that were oxidized to display aldehydes, amine displaying chitosan and nanostructured ZnO yields in situ forming bionanocomposite hydrogels. The physicochemical properties of the components, their cytotoxicity towards HaCat cells and the in vitro release of zinc ions on synthetic skin were studied. The in situ gel formation process was complete within minutes, the components were non-toxic towards HaCat cells at functional levels, Zn²⁺ was released from the gels, and such materials may facilitate wound healing.

Electroactive hydrogels based on derivatives of polyethyleneglycol (PEG), chitosan and polypyrrole were prepared via a combination of photopolymerization and oxidative chemical polymerization, and optionally doped with anions (e.g., lignin, drugs, etc.). The products were analyzed with a variety of techniques, including: FT-IR, UV-Vis, ¹H NMR (solution state), ¹³C NMR (solid state), XRD, TGA, SEM, swelling ratios and rheology. The conductive gels swell ca. 8 times less than the non-conductive gels due to the presence of the interpenetrating network (IPN) of polypyrrole and lignin. A rheological study showed that the non-conductive gels are soft (G′ 0.35 kPa, G″ 0.02 kPa) with properties analogous to brain tissue, whereas the conductive gels are significantly stronger (G′ 30 kPa, G″ 19 kPa) analogous to breast tissue due to the presence of the IPN of polypyrrole and lignin. The potential of these biomaterials to be used for biomedical applications was validated in vitro by cell culture studies (assessing adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts) and drug delivery studies (electrochemically loading the FDA-approved chemotherapeutic pemetrexed and measuring passive and stimulated release); indeed, the application of electrical stimulus enhanced the release of PEM from gels by ca. 10–15% relative to the passive release control experiment for each application of electrical stimulation over a short period analogous to the duration of stimulation applied for electrochemotherapy. It is foreseeable that such materials could be integrated in electrochemotherapeutic medical devices, e.g., electrode arrays or plates currently used in the clinic.