About
Dr. Sriparna Bhattacharya is a Research Associate 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. Recently, in collaboration with her mentor, Prof. Jeffrey Anker, at the Department of Chemistry, Sriparna developed a novel ultrasound luminescent chemical imaging technology to detect implant infection. Their research (supported by the Prisma Health Transformative seed grant and the SC BioCRAFT Tiger grant) demonstrated the proof of concept for imaging changes in pH through a light scattering media, the details of which are published in the Advanced Sensor Research journal (10.1002/adsr.202300182). Currently, in collaboration with Prof. Anker and a team of researchers at the Tampere University in Finland, Sriparna is elucidating the effect of oxygen perfusion through bone scaffolds to promote vascularization at the site of large bone defects to facilitate bone regeneration. Sriparna has published ~50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and delivered over 20 presentations at national and international conferences. She was selected to participate in the NIH Career Accelerator 22-23 program that provides guidance for NIH-relevant grant proposals. 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 developed a hybrid ultrasound luminescent chemical imaging technique. Specifically, they developed 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 experiments demonstrated 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 are undertaking 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 (supported by the CU SUCCEEDS Tiger grant), 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, oxygen perfusion, bone scaffolds
