cfaed Seminar Series

Bioelectronic medicine may soon enable the restoration of body functions lost in injury or
disease. This will have high impact in the nervous system, where failure of self-repair
following trauma, stroke or neurodegeneration can have profound and permanent
consequences on the patient’s quality of life. Implanted systems will deliver, tune and
coordinate a therapeutic program consisting of electrical impulses, drugs, light, or
replacement cells. The realization of this vision is hindered by the lack of an implantable
technology that can blend with the host organ and deliver such complex functionality.
In this talk, I will summarize my experience in building neuroprosthetic implants. I will
emphasize on the materials and technologies used for fabricating devices that not only
integrate with mechanically delicate neural tissues but also deliver multi-modal
neuromodulation. We created an artificial membrane that mimics the mechanical
properties of dura mater - the protective skin around the brain and spinal cord - and
integrated nanocomposite electrodes, thin-film interconnects and microfluidics to enable its
functionality. Chronically implanted on the surface of the spinal cord, the electronic dura
mater was used to restore walking in rats with paralyzing spinal cord injury by delivering
precise electro-chemical stimulation to the dormant spinal cord [1]. Finally, I will discuss
how bioelectronic systems can be harnessed to repair the injury and possibly deliver a
permanent therapeutic effect.