Abstract

Biomaterials for the Early Detection and Treatment of Disease

Joyce Wong, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University

In this talk, I will present two different stories that illustrate the power of biomaterials in clinical applications. The first addresses a major challenge in developing surgical solutions for children with congenital heart disease. Current solutions involve multiple staged surgeries because the implants do not grow with the child. We have developed several methods to generate a layered tissue patch that mimics the cellular organization of native vessels and a bioMEMS device that can be used to assess physiological function of these tissue-engineered constructs with patient data input. The second story addresses our efforts to detect and prevent surgical adhesions, bands of tissue arising from abdominal surgeries that can lead to small bowel obstruction and infertility. The annual cost of adhesion-related complications to the US healthcare system is estimated to be as high as $5 billion. We have developed a novel formulation of ultrasound contrast agents that are stable for up to 4 days and target components found during the initial stage of adhesion formation.