PI: Rosalyn Abbott
Co-PI(s): N/A
University: Carnegie Mellon University
Industry partner: Biombyx, LLC
Current treatments for soft tissue defects do not adequately fill the void resulting in repeat surgeries and poor psychosocial and socioeconomic side effects for patients. Major challenges exist involving
widespread tissue resorption, mismatches in the geometry of the tissue replacement and defect, and lack of scaffolding to retain cells at the implant site. Scaffold biomaterials have been proposed; however, they are too stiff and result in scarring, inappropriate inflammation, and/or breakdown before tissue in-growth occurs. Unfortunately, tissue in-growth is different in each patient and currently cannot be predicted prior to surgery. Therefore, to address these clinical concerns the objectives of this proposal are to engineer a soft biomaterial platform that can 1) retain tissues at the surgical site, 2) be broken down on-demand to match tissue in growth, and 3) be precisely engineered to match the tissue defect of the patient. Harnessing Biombyx’s low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) expertise and CMU’s biomedical engineering expertise, the proposed approach uses LIFU to trigger biomaterial breakdown to match the patient’s unique wound. If successful, the proposed work will bring more jobs and improve healthcare in PA by decreasing treatment costs, improving surgical outcomes, avoiding unnecessary additional surgeries, and treating a broad range of patients.