About
Dr. Sriparna Bhattacharya is a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University. She is leveraging her physics background to develop biomedical sensors through multidisciplinary collaborations at Clemson University. Sriparna believes that major contributions towards the multifaceted field of biomedical sciences can happen when different disciplines can be integrated together. Before her interest in biomedical fields, she developed materials for thermoelectric energy generation during her doctoral work at Clemson University and utilized the novel resonant ultrasound spectroscopy to elucidate elastic and thermal properties of materials during her postdoctoral tenure at the University of Tennessee. Currently, in collaboration with her mentor, Prof. Jeffrey Anker, at the Department of Chemistry, Sriparna is developing a novel ultrasound luminescent chemical imaging technology to detect implant infection. Their research demonstrated the proof of concept for imaging changes in pH through a light scattering media, the details of which are submitted for publication in the Advanced Healthcare Materials journal. So far, Sriparna has published 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has given more than 20 presentations at national and international conferences. She has been selected to participate in the NIH Career Accelerator 22-23 program, which will enable her to identify more NIH-relevant topics for grant submission. She and Prof. Anker actively collaborate with Dr. J. D. Adams, MD, from Prisma Health.
Visit Dr. Bhattacharya's Faculty Profile.
How their research is transforming healthcare
Medical implants are quintessential for treating many diseases in the modern world; however, implant infection remains a grave concern due to the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacterial biofilms at the implant surfaces. Sriparna’s research, in collaboration with Prof. Jeffery Anker at Clemson University, aims to develop tools for the early detection of implant infection by understanding the heterogeneity of biofilms and the local chemical environment in tissue near the implant surface (e.g., through changes in biological relevant pH). She and Prof. Anker are developing a hybrid ultrasound luminescent chemical imaging technique. Specifically, they are developing ultrasound luminescent pH-sensitive films, i.e., mechanoluminescent materials coated with a pH-sensitive dye inside a biocompatible polymer coating that can be an indicator of acidosis. Their preliminary experiments demonstrate that imaging with ultrasound modulation through tissue-mimicking light scattering media can probe changes in pH at an implant surface. In the future, they will develop alternate charging mechanisms, improve the sensor design, light collection, and imaging setup before investigating this sensor in an animal model of infection. In addition, they plan to undertake a two-pronged approach to generate light deep inside the tissue, viz.,1) develop an array of programmable and implantable microLEDs that can be integrated with the implant, and 2) incorporate optical materials in medical implants to probe the microenvironment in the tissue surrounding the implant surface. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms responsible for biofilm formation is expected for future diagnosis of infection.
Health Research Keywords
Faculty Scholar, Implant infection; chemical imaging; biofilm heterogeneity; ultrasound luminescence; pH sensing
