Biology subjects

Rogers, J. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Rogers, J. A..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Mesoscale Soft Robotics for Mechanically Perturbing and Functionally Monitoring Responses in Human Organoids

Human organoids represent promising models for studies of significance to the biology and medical communities. Of the existing approaches for monitoring organoids, none offers the ability to apply programmable mechanical forces while simultaneously recording multi-modal physiological responses, of relevance to phenomena spanning from traumatic brain injuries to cardiac rhythm disorders. Here, we present a mesoscale soft robotic organoid interface that enables programmable delivery of forces to organoids of diverse shapes, and to map electrophysiological activity and mechanical responses. The platform combines actuation elements with integrated sensors for quantitative measurement and control. Studies using this technology reveal that spheroidal cortical organoids exhibit distinct responses to mechanical trauma, including silencing, recovery, and changes in neuronal firing patterns. Additional experiments on cardiac ring tissues demonstrate that sustained stretching induces beat-to-beat rhythm variability and altered conduction. The results establish a framework for investigating force-triggered transitions between physiological and disease-like states in human tissue models.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2026

Healing cascades and infections in wounds monitored using a wearable sensor of gaseous flux

Capabilities for quantitative monitoring of chronic wounds remain an unmet clinical need, as existing diagnostic approaches rely on semiquantitative evaluation of symptoms that lack sensitivity especially during early stages of infection. Here we present a scheme for tracking wound physiology that leverages a miniature, wireless skin-interfaced device for non-contact, transient measurements of the flux of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and water vapor from the wound microenvironment. Unlike emerging smart bandage platforms that rely on physical contact with the fragile wound bed to interrogate liquid-phase biomarkers, this strategy uses an engineered microclimate and suspended suite of sensors to measure the diffusive transport of wound-derived gases across the wound surface but separated from it. The result enables quantitative evaluation of metabolic activity and healing progression without perturbing the healing tissues. In biofilm growth models of Staphylococcus aureus, measurements demonstrate that trends in VOC flux correlate strongly with bacterial growth kinetics and precede any visible biofilm formation. Longitudinal monitoring in infected murine wound healing models shows that concurrent measurements of water vapor and VOC flux provide complementary physiological insights, capturing both the trajectory of barrier restoration and the dynamics of bacterial burden. The findings establish this non-contact sensing scheme as a distinct and clinically translatable paradigm for wound monitoring, with broad implications for non-invasive surveillance of disease states in which tissue metabolic activity and skin barrier integrity serve as actionable physiological readouts. Significance StatementLimited capabilities in continuous, quantitative assessment of a wound make early diagnosis and effective management challenging, particularly in cases of infection that rapidly progress before symptoms appear. Non-contact approaches for wound monitoring that preserve fragile tissue can transform wound care. In this context, gaseous flux from the wound bed provides an integrative measure of microbial activity and barrier restoration. This study establishes a wearable sensing platform that quantifies these fluxes in real time, enabling early infection detection and temporal tracking of wound healing. These results highlight a path toward personalized treatment strategies and reduced reliance on episodic clinical evaluation.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Local optogenetic control of genome editing and tumorigenesis in vivo using wireless implantable optoelectronics

Precise spatial regulation of site-specific DNA recombination (SSR) in vivo remains a challenge due to limited tunability of current platforms. Here, we present an optogenetic approach that overcome these limitations by employing engineered light-regulated recombinase E-LightR-Cre and tunable wireless implantable optoelectronic devices. E-LightR-Cre meets the key criteria for spatial regulation of SSR in vivo, showing no detectable activity in the dark, while demonstrating robust activation upon blue-light illumination. To achieve local E-LightR-Cre activation in murine lungs, we developed wireless, fully-implantable optoelectronic devices enabling focal illumination with no discernible organ damage. By modulating illumination intensity and duration, we can control the size of the activated area. Local expression of oncogenic KRas-G12D in a photoactivated subpopulation of cells in vitro revealed rapid reprogramming of the mutant expressing cells and their non-activated neighbors. Light-guided activation of E-LightR-Cre in mouse lungs resulted in focal expression of a reporter gene and allowed us to induce local formation of oncogenic lesions in vivo.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Patterned wireless transcranial optogenetics generates artificial perception

Synthesizing perceivable artificial neural inputs independent of typical sensory channels remains a fundamental challenge in the development of next-generation brain-machine interfaces. Establishing a minimally invasive, wirelessly effective, and miniaturized platform with long-term stability is crucial for creating a clinically meaningful interface capable of mediating artificial perceptual feedback. In this study, we demonstrate a miniaturized fully implantable wireless transcranial optogenetic encoder designed to generate artificial perceptions through digitized optogenetic manipulation of large cortical ensembles. This platform enables the spatiotemporal orchestration of large-scale cortical activity for remote perception genesis via real-time wireless communication and control, with optimized device performance achieved by simulation-guided methods addressing light and heat propagation during operation. Cue discrimination during operant learning demonstrates the wireless genesis of artificial percepts sensed by mice, where spatial distance across large cortical networks and sequential order-based analyses of discrimination performance reveal principles that adhere to general perceptual rules. These conceptual and technical advancements expand our understanding of artificial neural syntax and its perception by the brain, guiding the evolution of next-generation brain-machine communication.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

An Autonomous Implantable Device for the Prevention of Death from Opioid Overdose

Opioid overdose accounts for nearly 75,000 deaths per year in the United States, representing a leading cause of mortality amongst the prime working age population (25-54 years). At overdose levels, opioid-induced respiratory depression becomes fatal without timely administration of the rescue drug naloxone. Currently, overdose survival relies entirely on bystander intervention, requiring a nearby person to discover and identify the overdosed individual, and have immediate access to naloxone to administer. Government efforts have focused on providing naloxone in abundance but do not address the equally critical component for overdose rescue: a willing and informed bystander. To address this unmet need, we developed the Naloximeter: a class of life-saving implantable devices that autonomously detect and treat overdose, with the ability to simultaneously contact first-responders. We present three Naloximeter platforms, for both fundamental research and clinical translation, all equipped with optical sensors, drug delivery mechanisms, and a supporting ecosystem of technology to counteract opioid-induced respiratory depression. In small and large animal studies, the Naloximeter rescues from otherwise fatal opioid overdose within minutes. This work introduces life-changing, clinically translatable technologies that broadly benefit a susceptible population recovering from opioid use disorder.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

An integrated microfluidic and fluorescence platform for probing in vivo neuropharmacology

Neurotechnologies and genetic tools for dissecting neural circuit functions have advanced rapidly over the past decade, although the development of complementary pharmacological method-ologies has comparatively lagged. Understanding the precise pharmacological mechanisms of neuroactive compounds is critical for advancing basic neurobiology and neuropharmacology, as well as for developing more effective treatments for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, integrating modern tools for assessing neural activity in large-scale neural networks with spatially localized drug delivery remains a major challenge. Here, we present a dual microfluidic-photometry platform that enables simultaneous intracranial drug delivery with neural dynamics monitoring in the rodent brain. The integrated platform combines a wireless, battery-free, miniaturized fluidic microsystem with optical probes, allowing for spatially and temporally specific drug delivery while recording activity-dependent fluorescence using genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs), neurotransmitter sensors GRABNE and GRABDA, and neuropeptide sensors. We demonstrate the performance this platform for investigating neuropharmacological mechanisms in vivo and characterize its efficacy in probing precise mechanistic actions of neuroactive compounds across several rapidly evolving neuroscience domains.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Multifunctional Materials Strategies for Enhanced Safety of Wireless, Skin-Interfaced Bioelectronic Devices

Many recently developed classes of wireless, skin-interfaced bioelectronic devices rely on conventional thermoset silicone elastomer materials, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), as soft encapsulating structures around collections of electronic components, radio frequency antennas and, commonly, rechargeable batteries. In optimized layouts and device designs, these materials provide attractive features, most prominently in their gentle, noninvasive interfaces to the skin even at regions of high curvature and large natural deformations. Past work, however, overlooks opportunities for developing variants of these materials for multimodal means to enhance the safety of the devices against failure modes that range from mechanical damage to thermal runaway. This paper presents a self-healing PDMS dynamic covalent matrix embedded with chemistries that provide thermochromism, mechanochromism, strain-adaptive stiffening, and thermal insulation, as a collection of attributes relevant to safety. Demonstrations of this materials system and associated encapsulation strategy involve a wireless, skin-interfaced device that captures mechanoacoustic signatures of health status. The concepts introduced here can apply immediately to many other related bioelectronic devices.

bioengineering↗