Conductive polymers in bioelectronics have a range of application from drug delivery to physiological sensing. Their physical properties can be optimised for a specific application.
For medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain which require a medications dose at regular timed intervals, drug delivery systems are used. For drug delivery, a variety of signals are used to trigger the release of drugs and small molecules which includes light, electrical signals and chemical reactions such as enzymes and pH. Conductive polymer hydrogels are commonly used for releasing drugs in patients and the polymer used is designed to counter the charge of the drug. The polymer undergoes either oxidation or reduction which cause the previously electrostatically trapped charged drug to diffuse into the patients body.
For medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain which require a medications dose at regular timed intervals, drug delivery systems are used. For drug delivery, a variety of signals are used to trigger the release of drugs and small molecules which includes light, electrical signals and chemical reactions such as enzymes and pH. Conductive polymer hydrogels are commonly used for releasing drugs in patients and the polymer used is designed to counter the charge of the drug. The polymer undergoes either oxidation or reduction which cause the previously electrostatically trapped charged drug to diffuse into the patients body.
Electronic devices that form an interface with living tissue have become a necessity in clinics to improve the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. An example of this is electrocorticography (ECoG) electrode arrays which are used for functional mapping of cognitive processes before certain types of brain surgery for diagnostic purposes. In addition, these electrodes can be used for brain-machine interfaces which assists people with severe motor disabilities. ECoG electrodes must conform to the curvilinear shape of the brain and this is where conductive polymers come in.
Biosensors are another type of analytical device which converts biological responses into an electrical signal. The most reliable and common types of electrochemical biosensors utilised commercially are those that use biological recognition species such as enzymes, antibodies and cells to identify the substrate and record electrical signals via bioreceptors. Since the biological recognition species are organic and are electrically non-conducting, a conducting interfacial material is required between the biomolecules and the electrode which shows high hydrophilicity and biocompatible. Commonly used interfacial materials tend to be either conductive polymers or hydrogels.
The numerous practical demonstrations of both the effectiveness of organic bioelectronics and the flexibility of the platform are a good indication that organic bioelectronics will become an important component in the next generation of medical devices.