Preclinical Testing for the Boston Retinal Prosthesis with Penetrating Electrodes

根据现有的资助拨款，里佐博士(马萨诸塞州眼耳科的首席调查员 医务室)和他的分包商仿生眼技术公司(纽约州伊萨卡)致力于开发视觉假体 为视力严重受损的人恢复功能性视力。作为这项工作的一部分，我们优化了一个 324通道无线发送器/接收器，为植入式高密度刺激器提供电源和数据 眼睛后面的电路(ASIC芯片)。这一装置代表着独立控制的 通道数超过任何商业神经刺激器。在为部队做准备期间 经过FDA审查的设备的临床前测试计划，出现了意想不到的问题 用ASIC芯片的无线通信模块发现的。我们的团队开发了一项有效的工作-- 围绕解决方案，此补充提案寻求额外资金，以验证我们的Low- 电源，可编程，基于门阵列的无线收发电路。成功验证我们的ASIC+工作- About解决方案将提供高度复杂的电路，这些电路可以集成到各种低成本的 为植入式神经假体装置提供动力。次奖获得者仿生眼将寻求利用商业优势 这种电路通过向其他公司提供许可机会来传播这项技术 仅在视力恢复领域就可以实现。

Under an existing funded grant, Dr. Rizzo (Principal Investigator, from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) and his subcontractor Bionic Eye Technologies (Ithaca, NY) have worked to develop vision prostheses to restore functional sight to people with profound vision impairment. As part of this work, we have optimized a 324-channel wirelessly transmitter/receiver that provides power and data to an implanted high-density stimulator circuit (ASIC chip) behind the eye. This device represents a significant increase in the independently-controllable channel count over any commercially available neural stimulator. During the course of preparing units for a program of “pre-clinical” testing for the device that has been vetted by the FDA, unanticipated problems were discovered with the ASIC chip’s wireless communication module. Our team has developed an effective a work- around solution, and this supplemental proposal seeks additional funds to validate the performance of our low- power, programmable, gate array-based wireless transceiver circuit. Successful validation of our ASIC + work- around solution will provide highly sophisticated circuitry that could be incorporated into a wide array of low- power implantable neuroprosthetic devices. Sub-awardee Bionic Eye will seek to take commercial advantage of this circuitry by offering licensing opportunities to other companies to disseminate this technology beyond what could be realized within the field of sight restoration alone.