"New brain implant material for biohybrids and BCIs"

Today, we’re thrilled to share new research published in #Nature that introduces a novel brain implant application made possible with Axoft Materials. The research (link ⬇️) shows how Axoft’s ultra-soft Fleuron™ material can be used to overcome the long-standing challenge of designing bioelectronics capable of stably tracking neural activities in the developing brain as it undergoes large morphological changes. This work is an important milestone toward the development of future #biohybrids and brain-computer interfaces. A massive congrats and thank you to all of the authors of this impactful research! In particular, Hao Sheng, Ren Liu, Qiang Li, Zuwan Lin and Prof. Jia Liu, co-founder and scientific advisor at Axoft. Recording neural activity at the cellular level throughout brain development is critical in the study of neuroscience and neurodevelopmental disorders, however conventional rigid implants present fundamental mechanical mismatches between electronic and biological materials – making it impossible to interrogate the highly dynamic developing brain with accuracy, compatibility or longevity. This newly published research outlines how a Fleuron™-based, tissue-level-soft, sub-micrometer-thick, stretchable mesh microelectrode array can: - Leverage the 2D-to-3D reconfiguration process of brain tissue during embryonic development to stretch and distribute throughout the entire brain, fully integrating into the 3D tissue structure. - Show no discernible impact on brain development or function, as proven through immunostaining, gene expression analysis and behavioral testing. - Enable long-term, stable, brain-wide, single-unit-single-spike-resolved electrical mapping, and thereby illustrate how neural electrical activities and population dynamics emerge and evolve during brain development. The figure below shows: The seamless integration of the Fleuron-based mesh electronics inside a tadpole neural tube (left); Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Fleuron-based mesh electronics (right) Research paper: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eMAuiHtz More info on Axoft Materials: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eRNvvMc7 Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Harvard Medical School Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard The University of Texas at Austin #neurotechnology #bci #biohybrids #cyborgs