Injectable electronics offer hope for degenerative disease treatment

According to a study described in Nature Nanotechnology the group, led by Harvard chemist Prof Charles Lieber, has demonstrated that biocompatible electronic scaffolds can be injected into the human brain and used to monitor neural activity, stimulate tissues and even promote regeneration of neurons.

“This opens up a completely new frontier where we can explore the interface between electronic structures and biology,” said Lieber

The breakthrough builds on earlier work at Lieber’s lab, where cells were cultured within scaffolds that were then used to record electrical signals generated by the tissues.

“We were able to demonstrate that we could make this scaffold and culture cells within it, but we didn’t really have an idea how to insert that into pre-existing tissue,” said Lieber.

The team realised that when released from the fabrication substrate, the electronics scaffold became invisible and flexible and could be sucked into a glass needle or pipette and injected into the body.