Wireless, Multimodal Monitoring of Organ Health Using 3D-Printed, Barbed, Bioresorbable Stretchable Microneedle Sensor Arrays

Abstract

Comprehensive and continuous assessment of organ physiology and biochemistry, beyond the capabilities of conventional monitoring tools, can enable timely interventions for intraoperative complications like organ ischemia and nerve injuries and postoperative conditions such as organ dysfunction and transplant rejection. Here, we report a wireless implant with a 3D-printed, barbed, bioresorbable stretchable microneedle sensor array that offers multimodal monitoring of organ metabolism, oxygenation, and electrophysiology as well as spatiotemporal mapping of biomarkers across different organ regions. The development of a deformation-coupled 3D-printing technique enables 3D-programmable manufacturing of microneedles with monolithic backward-facing barbs, offering conformal yet robust 3D probing of organs with dynamic mechanics. Electrochemical functionalization of microneedle tips serves as a universal approach for localized sensing of physiological and biochemical parameters, enabling concurrent monitoring of up to 36 parameters (glucose, uric acid, oxygen,etc.) and spatiotemporal mapping of up to 32 sites. An electrically programmable self-destruction mechanism based on crevice corrosion and bioresorption eliminates the need for traumatic retrieval of microneedles. Demonstrations in clinically relevant complications like kidney ischemia and gut disorders in animal models highlight the broad applications of this device in intra- and postoperative monitoring.