Self-Motile Implantables for Advanced Neural Interfaces

神经接口是神经系统和人造设备之间的通信桥梁。几十年来，在生物兼容材料、设备形状和结构工程以及植入方法方面的创新推动了可以通过多种方式(如电气、化学和光学接口)传递和记录信号的设备的发展。尽管取得了这些进展，但具有特殊空间分辨率的高性能记录和刺激系统尚未达到慢性操作所需的标准，组织损伤和复杂且不可预测的异物反应严重阻碍了长期操作。正在进行的缓解这种不匹配的最先进研究包括开发由有机柔性和软材料组成的微创、多功能和微型化设备。通过将生物电子学与软机器人技术相结合，我们的目标是开发基于薄膜的脑植入物，能够在体内形成形状，实现亲密的界面，并以最小的侵入性改善神经调节性能。我们将致力于生物相容性驱动材料的识别、制造和表征，软机器人的结构设计和形状规划，以及生物电子集成以及体外和体内测试。该项目将弥合两个迄今独立发展的尖端研究领域：软机器人和生物电子学之间的差距。这一进步超越了当今现有的神经技术，朝着具有高性能和与神经系统长期互动的潜力的先进神经植入物又迈进了一步。作为一个邻近的好处，这项工作还将有助于其他生物医学工具，如导管和药物输送装置，以及微创手术中的实践，并导致全新一代生物医学装置和治疗方法。

Neural interfaces are communication bridges between the nervous system and man-made devices. Decades of innovation on biocompatible materials, device shape and structural engineering, and implanting methods has advanced the development of devices that can deliver and record signals through multiple modalities, such as electrical, chemical and optical interfaces. Despite these advancements, high-performance recording and stimulating systems with exceptional spatial resolution have not yet met the required criteria for chronic operation, which is dramatically impeded by tissue damage and complex and unpredictable foreign body responses. On-going state-of-the-art studies to alleviate this mismatch include the development of minimally invasive, multifunctional, and miniaturized devices consist of organic flexible and soft materials. By combining bioelectronics with soft robotics, we aim to develop thin film-based brain implants capable of shape morphing inside the body for an intimate interface and improved neuromodulation performance with minimal invasiveness. We will work on the identification, fabrication and characterization of biocompatible actuating materials, configuration design and shape programming of soft robots, and bioelectronics integration as well as in vitro and in vivo tests. This project will bridge the gap between two cutting-edge research fields that have thus far evolved separately: soft robotics and bioelectronics. This advance goes beyond today's existing neurotechnologies, moving a step further towards advanced neural implants that hold the potential of high-performance and long-term interaction with the nervous system. As an adjacent benefit, this work will also contribute to other biomedical tools such as catheters and drug delivery devices and practices in minimally invasive surgery, and lead to a whole new generation of biomedical devices and treatments.