Development and evaluation of a spray applicator for platelet-rich plasma.

Autologous platelet-rich blood derivatives are used in a variety of medical fields in which the enhancement of wound healing by applying growth factors released from platelets is an especially promising application. Treatment of the whole surface of large-area wounds with a small volume of blood derivatives is best achieved by spraying. In this study, we present a compact and self-contained spraying device without external connections such as a power supply or compressor. The biocompatible propellant R134a is used to aspirate and atomize the blood derivatives. A 3D-printed, two-substance nozzle functions as the operating unit, throttle, mixing zone and atomization unit. The spray characteristics were evaluated via experimental flow volume, cone and droplet size measurements. Biological evaluation was performed by flow cytometry comparing platelet activation in the blood derivatives before and after spraying, and PDGF ELISA comparing growth factor release, respectively. Homogeneity and morphology of the sprayed blood cells were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the developed spraying device has excellent spray characteristics with low mechanical impact on the cellular components of the blood derivatives. Our spraying device is a promising tool for applying evenly distributed platelet-rich blood derivatives to treatment sites.

Additive-manufactured microporous polymer membranes for biomedical in vitro applications.

Microscale porous membranes are used in a wide range of technical and medical applications such as water treatment, dialysis and in vitro test systems. A promising approach to control membrane properties and overcome limitations of conventional fabrication techniques is given by additive manufacturing (AM). In this study, we designed and printed a microporous membrane via digital light processing and validated its use for biomedical in vitro applications based on the example of a cell culture insert. A multi-layer technique was developed, resulting in an eight-layer membrane with an average pore diameter of 25 µm. Image analyses proved the printing accuracy to be high with small deviations for an increasing number of layers. Permeability tests with brilliant blue FCF (E133, triarylmethane dye) and growth factors comparing the printed to track-etched membranes showed similar transfer dynamics and confirmed sufficient separation properties. Overall, the results showed that printing microporous polymer membranes is possible and highlight the potential of AM for biomedical in vitro applications such as cell culture inserts, scaffolds for tissue engineering or bioreactors.

A novel blood incubation system for the in-vitro assessment of interactions between platelets and biomaterial surfaces under dynamic flow conditions: The Hemocoater.

Hemocompatibility evaluation of biomaterials necessitates the use of blood incubation systems which simulate physiological flow conditions. However, most of the current systems have various limitations, especially restricted material variability, poor access to the test surface or damage of blood cells due to the use of a pump. In this paper, we combined the advantages of existent setups and developed a new planar shaped incubation test bench to lift those restrictions and mimic the pulsatile in-vivo situation. The adjustable flow conditions at the tested material surface were defined and corresponded to those in blood vessels. Platelet/material-interaction, as major aspect of hemocompatibility, was investigated for four common polymeric materials (polyoxymethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene and silicone elastomer) with platelet deprivation and platelet adhesion tests. Highly significant differences in the adhesion of platelets onto the tested material surfaces were measured. The number of adhered platelets on the most hydrophobic sample (silicone elastomer) was four-times higher than on the most hydrophilic sample (polyoxymethylene). These findings were confirmed with a scanning microscopic analysis and demonstrated the suitability of the testing device for the evaluation of platelet/material interactions. Moreover, hemolysis measurements demonstrated that the system did not provoke blood damage. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2430-2440, 2016.

Electronic Patient Reported Outcomes in Paediatric Oncology - Applying Mobile and Near Field Communication Technology.

BACKGROUND: Electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePRO) gathered using telemonitoring solutions might be a valuable source of information in rare cancer research. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this paper was to develop a concept and implement a prototype for introducing ePRO into the existing neuroblastoma research network by applying Near Field Communication and mobile technology. METHODS: For physicians, an application was developed for registering patients within the research network and providing patients with an ID card and a PIN for authentication when transmitting telemonitoring data to the Electronic Data Capture system OpenClinica. For patients, a previously developed telemonitoring system was extended by a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) interface for transmitting nine different health parameters and toxicities. RESULTS: The concept was fully implemented on the front-end side. The developed application for physicians was prototypically implemented and the mobile application of the telemonitoring system was successfully connected to OpenClinica. Future work will focus on the implementation of the back-end features.

An mHealth system for toxicity monitoring of paediatric oncological patients using Near Field Communication technology.

Home-based monitoring might be useful to reduce the burden of long-lasting oncological treatment for children. Current telemonitoring applications focus on chronic diseases or elderly people. Based on the workflow for different stakeholders and the identification of parameters important in paediatric oncology, we developed a prototype of a smartphone-based telehealth system using Near Field Communication technology for monitoring paediatric neuroblastoma patients at home. The parameters blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, body weight, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, wellbeing, pain level, nausea level and skin alterations could be monitored using a smartphone, a designated app, point-of-care measurement devices and a smart-poster containing RFID tags. The system has been designed to increase the quality of life for paediatric cancer patients. As a future step, a clinical trial is currently being planned to evaluate the system in clinical setting.