A team from Northwestern University, backed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has innovated an oxygen-producing device that vitalizes cells within an implantable “living pharmacy,” designed for the autonomous generation of therapeutic agents to manage circadian rhythms.
The innovation is set to enhance the effectiveness of cell-based treatments.
Such therapies are emerging as effective for medication delivery, tissue replacement, activating natural healing processes, among other applications.
The persistent challenge has been to ensure cell survival for continuous therapy production.
The team has employed an intelligent, power-saving water electrolysis method to supply the cells with oxygen.
This strategy promises to keep cells viable both outside the body (in vitro) and within living organisms (in vivo), offering solutions for short-term and prolonged use cases.
Pioneering Achievement in Biomedical Engineering
In 2021, DARPA awarded a team led by Northwestern University with a contract potentially worth $33 million to create an implantable “living pharmacy” to modulate the human sleep/wake cycles. The team has now made a pivotal advancement toward this ambitious project.
Their latest innovation is a device that generates oxygen directly at the implant site to prolong cell survival within the autonomous implant. Oxygen is essential for sustaining cellular life for extended durations within the implant, which directly influences their ability to continually produce therapeutic compounds.
The method used involves electrically splitting water that surrounds the cells to create oxygen, while preventing the formation of harmful substances like chlorine or hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, by modulating the electric current, the oxygen output can be adjusted.
Progress in Cell Survival and Device Functionality
Recent tests revealed that the new device, named the “electrocatalytic on-site oxygenator” or “ecO2,” kept 70-80% of cells alive for nearly a month under oxygen-poor conditions outside the body and for several weeks inside the body (in vivo). In contrast, without ecO2, only about 20% of the cells survived past ten days, and the researchers believe that the cells’ drug-secreting abilities would diminish even more rapidly. Advances in wireless technology and communication are propelling confidence that the device can be operated for extended periods, potentially over several months.
This research will be published in “Nature Communications” on November 9.
Illustrating the performance, a comparative image showcases cells with the oxygenation device (left), where live cells are green, and dead cells red. Credit is attributed to Jonathan Rivnay from Northwestern University.
Implications for Cell-Based Treatment Approaches
Jonathan Rivnay of Northwestern, who co-directed this study, highlights that the device has the potential to enhance cell-based therapeutic outcomes, which involve utilizing biological cells for treating diseases or injuries. These therapies could be revolutionary for tissue repair, medication administration, or amplifying the body’s natural regenerative abilities, with possible applications in healing wounds, and treating conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer. In-situ oxygen generation is vital for the success of such ‘biohybrid’ cell therapies, demanding ample cells for adequate therapeutic production, thus necessitating high metabolic output. Their solution includes integrating the ecO2 device to generate oxygen directly from the body’s fluid.
Rivnay, a professor of biomedical engineering and materials science at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and the principal investigator of the DARPA-funded project, co-led the new research with Tzahi Cohen-Karni from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The primary authors of the study are Abhijith Surendran from Northwestern and Inkyu Lee from CMU.
Outlook on Implantable Medication Delivery Systems
The ultimate aim behind the “living pharmacy” concept is to create devices that indefinitely deliver drugs, eliminating the concern over medication adherence. To succeed, the implant must be durable and require minimal replenishment.
Northwestern is spearheading this initiative in collaboration with Omid Veiseh from Rice University, merging synthetic biology with bioelectronics to synthesize treatments within the device. Sustaining the viability of these engineered cells is key to the advancement of these therapeutic devices. While prior research has investigated methods to deliver oxygen to cells, those relied on cumbersome external equipment unfit for internal human use.
Rivnay’s team opted for water-splitting, a well-known method for energy conversion and storage. Unlike other approaches focusing on acidic or alkaline conditions, their interest lies in generating oxygen under conditions that are akin to the human body’s environment.
The ecO2 device’s innovation lies in the use of sputtered iridium oxide, an efficient electrocatalyst also applicable in biomedical settings. The device operates by inducing a low-voltage electrochemical reaction, utilizing water present in bodily fluids to release oxygen.
Tests and Potential Uses
In laboratory tests, ecO2 provided sufficient oxygen to maintain a high density of cells alive under oxygen-deficient conditions, suggesting that such devices can be seamlessly incorporated into bioelectronic systems, allowing for high-density cell cultures within smaller devices, expanding potential uses.
Without the assistance of ecO2, control cells experienced rapid deterioration.
Further Developments Toward Clinical Use
The research team is now concentrating on the long-term implementation of ecO2, particularly focusing on the use of durable materials that can function within the body for extended periods, with the objective of addressing chronic diseases.
“This technology is anticipated to result in smaller, more effective cell therapy devices with regulated capabilities,” Rivnay states, with the translation of this technology to clinical settings being a prime objective, as they explore different disease models currently.
The referenced study, “Electrocatalytic on-site oxygenation for transplanted cell-based therapies,” has received support from DARPA under the agreement number FA8650-21-1-7119.
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about implantable oxygen generator
What is the “living pharmacy” implant developed by Northwestern University researchers?
The “living pharmacy” is an implantable device that produces oxygen to keep cells alive and autonomously produce therapeutics, particularly to regulate the human body’s sleep/wake cycles.
How does the new device improve the outcomes of cell-based therapies?
The device, through an innovative water-splitting technique, provides vital oxygen to the therapeutic cells, enhancing their viability and longevity, which is crucial for continuous drug delivery and tissue repair applications.
What is the significance of the oxygenating boost in the “living pharmacy”?
The oxygenating boost is crucial for maintaining the implanted cells’ metabolic functions, enabling them to stay alive and produce therapeutic agents for longer periods, potentially improving treatment outcomes.
What makes the electrocatalytic on-site oxygenator (ecO2) an advancement in cell-based therapy?
The ecO2 device supports high-density cell survival in both in vitro and in vivo environments, showing promise for acute and chronic medical applications without the need for external bulky equipment.
How did researchers overcome the challenge of keeping cells alive in the implant?
By utilizing a low-voltage water-splitting technique, the researchers were able to produce oxygen directly within the implant, maintaining cell viability without harmful byproducts.
What potential impacts could the “living pharmacy” have on treatments for chronic diseases?
The device’s ability to sustain therapeutic cell function over extended periods offers a groundbreaking approach for chronic disease treatments, with the potential to deliver continuous, regulated therapy.
What are the next steps for the “living pharmacy” project?
The team is focusing on enhancing the material stability of the ecO2 device for long-term operation in the body, with the goal of using it for chronic disease treatments and moving toward clinical application.
More about implantable oxygen generator
- Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering
- DARPA NTRAIN Project Overview
- Nature Communications Journal Publication
- Professor Jonathan Rivnay’s Research Profile
- Carnegie Mellon University’s Biomedical Engineering Department
- Electrochemical Water Splitting Basics
- Advanced Therapies in Biomedical Engineering
- Chronic Disease Treatment Innovations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
5 comments
really fascinating how they’re integrating technology with biology to make these advances, though gotta wonder about the long-term effects of having something like that inside you
great to see more innovative research coming out of Northwestern’s engineering school, they’re always pushing the envelope!
splitting water to get oxygen for cells sounds simple but I bet its a complex process. Kudos to the scientists for figuring this out!
this is like something out of a sci-fi movie, creating tiny pharmacies inside the body that make their own medicine? wow
wasn’t sure what DARPA was up to these days, but this is quite the project they’ve funded…could change the game for people with chronic illnesses, i guess