Advances in biomaterial synthesis and fabrication, stem cell biology, bioimaging, microsurgery procedures, and microscale technologies have made minimally invasive therapeutics a viable tool in regenerative medicine. Therapeutics, herein defined as cells, biomaterials, biomolecules, and their combinations, can be delivered in a minimally invasive way to regenerate different tissues in the body, such as bone, cartilage, pancreas, cardiac, skeletal muscle, liver, skin, and neural tissues. Sophisticated methods of tracking, sensing, and stimulation of therapeutics in vivo using nanobiomaterials and soft bioelectronic devices provide great opportunities to further develop minimally invasive and regenerative therapeutics (MIRET). In general, minimally invasive delivery methods offer high yield with low risk of complications and reduced costs compared to conventional delivery methods. Here, we review minimally invasive approaches for delivering regenerative therapeutics into the body. The use of MIRET to treat different tissues and organs is described. Although some clinical trials have been done using MIRET, it is hoped that such therapeutics find wider applications to treat patients. Finally, we highlight some future perspective and challenges for this emerging field.
Magnetic flux concentration effect of Metglas as a function of its sheet aspect ratio was investigated for Metglas/polyvinylidene fluoride laminates. Taking advantage of this effect, the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient of 21.46 V/cm∙Oe for a laminate with 1 mm wide and 30 mm long Metglas sheet (25 μm thick) is achieved, which is much higher than those reported earlier in similar laminates without making use of the flux concentration effect. The results demonstrate an effective means to significantly enhance the sensitivity of magnetostrictive/piezoelectric composite laminates as weak magnetic field sensors.
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