A small transistor allows the device to receive and transmit neurophysiological brain signals while simultaneously activating the implanted device. As researchers make great strides in healthcare, they are finding that the effectiveness of these treatments can be improved in a variety of ways. As a result, doctors are increasingly looking for ways that can and look at the physiological symptoms and plan a more responsive treatment. The need for efficient and flexible bioelectronic devices.
Implantable bioelectronic devices play an important role in these treatments, but many challenges have prevented their widespread adoption. These devices require special equipment for acquisition, processing, data transmission and signal strength. Until now, realizing these capabilities in devices has involved the use of many harsh, incompatible materials that can cause physical damage and discomfort to patients well, these tools.
Columbia researchers have invented the first self-contained, flexible, all-purpose bioelectronic device
Columbia Engineering researchers announced today that they have developed the first self-contained, conformable, fully organic bioelectronic device that can not only access and transmit neurophysiological brain signals, but can also provide energy for the brain to work.
This device, about 100 times smaller than a human hair, is based on an organic transistor structure that combines a vertical channel with a small liquid that exhibits long-term stability, high electrical performance and low-voltage operation. the body.
The results are detailed in a new study, published today in Nature. Researchers and clinicians know that it is important for transistors that show these characteristics at the same time: low operating voltage, biocompatibility, operational stability, agreement for in vivo work; and high electrical performance, including fast transient response, high transconductance, and crosstalk-free operation.
Silicon-based transistors are the most efficient technology, but they are not a perfect solution because they are hard, rigid, and cannot create an efficient ionic interface in the body.
The team solved these problems by introducing a scalable, self-contained, submicron IGT (internal ion-triggered organic electrochemical transistor) architecture, the vIGT. They incorporated a vertical channel arrangement that increases the inherent speed of the IGT architecture by optimizing the channel geometry and allowing high density arrangement of transistors next to each other – 155,000 of them per square centimeter.
Scalable VGITs are the fastest electrochemical transistors.
The components of vIGT are commercially compatible materials that do not require insulation in the biological environment and are not sensitive to water or ions. The composition of the channel can be reproduced on a large scale and the solution can be customized, making it easier to access the production process.
They are flexible and suitable for embedding in a variety of flexible plastics and have long-term stability, low cross-talk between transistors, and high density capability, enabling the creation of circuits well connected.
“Organic electronics are not known for their high quality and reliability,” said study leader Dion Khodagholy, assistant professor of electrical engineering. But with our new vGIT architecture, we can add a vertical channel with its own ion feed. Self-filling with ions made transistors very fast – in fact, they are now the fastest electrochemical transistors. »
To improve the speed of work even further, the team used advanced nanofabrication techniques to cut and fill these transistors on sub-micrometer scales. Manufacturing was done in the Columbia Nano Initiative cleanroom.
To develop the structure, researchers first need to understand the challenges in diagnosing and treating patients with neurological disorders such as epilepsy, and the methods currently used.
They work with their colleagues in the department of neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), especially with Jennifer Gelinas, assistant professor of neurology, electrical and biomedical engineering and director of epilepsy and cognition lab.
The combination of high speed, flexibility and low voltage operation allows the transistor to be used not only for recording nerve signals, but also for data transmission and powering the device. Researchers have used this feature to demonstrate a complete and reliable input that can record and transmit high-level neural activity from outside, on the brain, and inside, inside the brain.
“This work can open up different possibilities of translation and make the introduction of drugs accessible to many patients who are not eligible for these devices because of the complexity and high risks of these procedures, Gelinas said.
“It’s amazing to think that our research and our tools can help doctors make better diagnoses and can have a positive impact on patients’ lives,” added Claudia Cea, co-author of the paper. is a recent doctorate graduate from Columbia and will be a postdoctoral fellow.
Fellow at MIT this fall, Next step
The researchers plan to work with CUIMC neurosurgeons to confirm the effectiveness of vIGT-based interventions in the industry. The team hopes to develop a flexible and safe implant that can detect and diagnose the different brain waves caused by neurological diseases.
Source: Columbia University.
