WPI researcher receives NSF CAREER Award to create bioadhesives for medical applications

A Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher is developing a new class of medical adhesives by bringing together hydrogels and glue-like polymers to safely and reliably connect human tissues to therapeutic devices implanted in the body, such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, and artificial joints.

Jiawei Yang, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering who is affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has received a prestigious $644,659 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to create bioadhesives that can provide strong, stable adhesion and comply with the mechanical demands on biological tissues.

Medical devices and human beings are made of very different materials. Medical devices are mostly made of hard materials, such as metal or plastic. Human tissue is generally soft and wet. There is a critical need for better adhesives that are soft and wet, like human tissues, to knit together tissues and devices. Better adhesives can work better with the body and would significantly improve healthcare and quality of life for patients."

Jiawei Yang, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

Yang will develop bioadhesives with two layers-a transparent solid hydrogel layer and a clear liquid adhesive layer. Yang will develop a modular system of hydrogels that are tailored to the mechanical properties of target tissues and polymers that can merge with human tissues. Together, the hydrogel-polymer bioadhesives will provide fast, strong, stable, and deep adhesion in the body. 

As part of his five-year project, Yang will collaborate with Dr. Steffen Pabel at Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a hydrogel heart patch loaded with medications to treat atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat. He also will create education and research programs about hydrogels for children and college students. PhD student Jiatai Sun will work on the project with Yang.

"There are many potential applications for new bioadhesives," Yang said. "They might be used to pair with electrodes that are implanted in the body to treat Parkinson's disease or manage and treat heart failure. They also could be combined with therapeutic agents to heal damaged cartilage or generate healthy new tissues."

Hydrogels are materials composed of water and networks of polymers, which are very large molecules. Wound dressings, contact lenses, and absorbent materials in diapers are all examples of hydrogels.

Hydrogel bioadhesives have been mostly used in emergency medicine to temporarily patch injuries, close wounds, and seal tissues. Yet they are less suited to long-term use in the body, specifically in implantation, because they cannot provide strong and stable adhesion while matching the mechanical properties of target tissues in the body, Yang said.

"Mechanical properties of human tissues vary significantly. Brain tissue is extremely soft and needs an extremely soft hydrogel, while a hydrogel used with cartilage needs to be stiff enough to flex and bear weight," Yang said. "One size does not fit all when it comes to bioadhesives."

CAREER Awards support early-career researchers at colleges and universities as they launch their professional activities and lay the groundwork for future research. Yang joined the WPI faculty in 2024 after earning his PhD at Harvard University and working as a research fellow at Boston Children's Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.