Carbon Nanofiber-Based Microelectrodes for Chronic Neural Interfaces
Patent Number: Pending
Executive Summary:
General Description:
Microelectrodes provide a direct pathway to investigate brain activities electrically from the external world, which has advanced our fundamental understanding of brain functions and has been utilized for rehabilitative applications as brain–machine interfaces. However, minimizing the tissue response and prolonging the functional durations of these devices remain challenging. In their current form, microelectrode sensors that can be implanted in the brain are bulky and rigid, made from metal or silicon. The brain's soft, fragile tissue is easily damaged by these unyielding devices, which can be unsuitable for long-term implant. Dr. Jia and her colleagues are working on the next generation of neural microelectrode sensors, which are robust, flexible, biocompatible, very small, and can have clinical applications for a variety of neurological disorders.
Strengths:
Patent Status: Pending
Inventor Bio: Xiaoting Jia
https://ece.vt.edu/people/profile/jia
Executive Summary:
- Invention Type: Therapeutic, Diagnostic, Device
- Patent Status: Pending
- Technology Summary Link:
- Research Institute: Virginia Tech
- Disease Focus: Mental Health
- Basis of Invention: A miniature neural device that would not only record signals from the brain, but also stimulate neural activity
- How it works: A miniaturized all polymer-based neural probe with carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites as recording electrodes via the scalable thermal drawing process. In situ CNF unidirectional alignment can be achieved during the thermal drawing, which contributes to a drastic improvement of electrical conductivity by 2 orders of magnitude compared to a conventional polymer electrode, while still maintaining the mechanical compliance with brain tissues. The resulting neural probe has a miniature footprint, including a recording site with a reduced size comparable to a single neuron and maintained impedance that was able to capture neural activities
- Lead Challenge Inventor: Xiaoting Jia
- Development Stage: In vivo data in mice
- Novelty: Microelectrodes provide a direct pathway to investigate brain activities electrically from the external world, which has advanced our fundamental understanding of brain functions and has been utilized for rehabilitative applications as brain–machine interfaces. However, minimizing the tissue response and prolonging the functional durations of these devices remain challenging. Therefore, the development of next-generation microelectrodes as neural interfaces is actively progressing from traditional inorganic materials toward biocompatible and functional organic materials with a miniature footprint, good flexibility, and reasonable robustness.
- Clinical Applications: Neurological disorders, including PTSD, tremors, and Parkinson disease
General Description:
Microelectrodes provide a direct pathway to investigate brain activities electrically from the external world, which has advanced our fundamental understanding of brain functions and has been utilized for rehabilitative applications as brain–machine interfaces. However, minimizing the tissue response and prolonging the functional durations of these devices remain challenging. In their current form, microelectrode sensors that can be implanted in the brain are bulky and rigid, made from metal or silicon. The brain's soft, fragile tissue is easily damaged by these unyielding devices, which can be unsuitable for long-term implant. Dr. Jia and her colleagues are working on the next generation of neural microelectrode sensors, which are robust, flexible, biocompatible, very small, and can have clinical applications for a variety of neurological disorders.
Strengths:
- Improved electrical conductivity
- Added flexibility
- Added biocompatibility
- Reduced size to nanometer scale
Patent Status: Pending
Inventor Bio: Xiaoting Jia
https://ece.vt.edu/people/profile/jia
