Medical Design Briefs - January 2023 - 32

and providers. The system is also wellpoised
for use in both traditional and
virtual clinical trials, as it could provide
objective and reliable indicators of
whether a drug candidate is improving
symptoms. Many new and better therapies
could reach the market as a result,
and our system could one day even play
a role in the effort to find a cure for PD.
n Product Journey
Led by Seun Araromi, PhD, a former
postdoctoral fellow who is now a research
associate in materials science and mechanical
engineering at the Wyss Institute and
Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences (SEAS), a
team of researchers in the labs of Wyss associate
faculty members Conor Walsh,
PhD, and Rob Wood, PhD, collaborated to
create a soft, durable, fabric-based sensor.
Conversations with the Wyss Institute's
business development team helped the scientists
identify Parkinson's disease as a potential
area where their sensor could have
significant impact, as it is so sensitive that it
could detect changes in the curvature of a
muscle as it moves.
MyoExo was named a Wyss Institute
Validation Project in 2021. The team
quickly moved to involve patients with
PD in their research, partnering with
Terry Ellis, PhD, at Boston University to
invite them into the lab to test multiple
iterations of the device and provide feedback
about its comfort and functionality.
n Impact
The team plans to launch a startup to
commercialize this technology and make
it available to patients who are suffering
from Parkinson's disease. They are actively
recruiting participants with PD for
an upcoming clinical trial, specifically
those with moderate to high degrees of
muscle rigidity. Interested patients can
contact clinicalresearch@wyss.harvard.
edu for more information.
For more information, visit https://
wyss.harvard.edu. Contact: wyss_bd@
wyss.harvard.edu.
Silicon Nanochip Could Treat Traumatic Muscle Loss
The technology was
previously shown to
change skin tissue
into blood vessels and
nerve cells.
Indiana University
Indianapolis, IN
Technology developed by researchers
at the Indiana University School of Medicine
can change skin tissue into blood
vessels and nerve cells. It has also shown
promise as a treatment for traumatic
muscle loss.
Tissue nanotransfection is a minimally
invasive nanochip device that can reprogram
tissue function by applying a harmless
electric spark to deliver specific
genes in a fraction of a second.
A new study, published in Regenerative
Medicine, tested tissue nanotransfectionbased
gene therapy as a treatment, with
the goal of delivering a gene known to be
a major driver of muscle repair and regeneration.
They found that muscle function
improved when tissue nanotransfection
was used as a therapy for seven days following
volumetric muscle loss in rats. It is the
first study to report that tissue nanotransfection
technology can be used to generate
muscle tissue and demonstrates its benefit
in addressing volumetric muscle loss.
Volumetric muscle loss is the traumatic
or surgical loss of skeletal muscle that results
in compromised muscle strength and
mobility. Incapable of regenerating the
32
IU researchers are using a minimally invasive nanochip device to reprogram tissue function. (Credit:
Liz Kaye, Indiana University)
amount of lost tissue, the affected muscle
undergoes substantial loss of function,
thus compromising quality of life. A 20
percent loss in mass can result in an up to
90 percent loss in muscle function.
Current clinical treatments for volumetric
muscle loss are physical therapy
or autologous tissue transfer (using a
person's own tissue), the outcomes of
which are promising but call for improved
treatment regimens.
" We are encouraged that tissue nanotransfection
is emerging as a versatile
platform technology for gene delivery,
gene editing, and in vivo tissue reprogramming, "
says Chandan Sen, director
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
of the Indiana Center for Regenerative
Medicine and Engineering, associate vice
president for research and distinguished
professor at the IU School of Medicine.
" This work proves the potential of tissue
nanotransfection in muscle tissue, opening
up a new avenue of investigational
pursuit that should help in addressing
traumatic muscle loss.
Importantly,
demonstrates the versatility of the tissue
nanotransfection technology platform in
regenerative medicine. "
The Indiana Center for Regenerative
Medicine and Engineering is home to
the tissue nanotransfection technology
for in vivo tissue reprogramming, gene
Medical Design Briefs, January 2023
it

https://wyss.harvard.edu http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com

Medical Design Briefs - January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Medical Design Briefs - January 2023