Purpose-specific Light Delivery Tools

Light is great, but it is not perfect. First and foremost, light does not penetrate as deeply as needed for practical use in vivo. It reflects the physical limitation of light and highlights the demand of integrating light delivery tools into phototherapeutics. The bioengineering aspect of the research in our group is to take lessons from optogenetic practitioners and promote an interdisciplinary approach to get around with the penetration issue of light. Along this line, our group will dedicate to tailoring different microLED devices for different phototherapeutic purposes: 1) insertable microLED needles for minimally invasive systemic light delivery, 2) retractable microLED implants for continuous and long-term in vivo light supply, and 3) portable microLED patch for programmed dermal photostimulation – the list goes on. The coupling of purpose-specific light delivery tools is expected to repurpose many photoresponsive nanomedicines and help translate their therapeutic efficacies in vivo.