Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2022 - 43

Injectable, Flexible Electrode Could Replace Rigid
Nerve-Stimulating Implants
By electrically stimulating nerves, this therapy can reduce epileptic seizures and soothe
chronic pain without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
B
iomedical engineers developed an
electrode that can be injected as a
liquid and then cure in the body, creating
the groundwork for a new kind of
neural interface system.
Today's neuromodulation treatments
rely on expensive surgically implanted
devices that require complex procedures
to install and often fail since they
are rigid devices attempting to mesh
with soft biological tissue.
The new liquid can be injected
around the nerve where it cures in the
body to create a wired contact. Typical
implants are stiff, so as the body moves,
they wear and tear and break down.
The liquid cures, so the result is much
closer to the normal elasticity of tissue.
It can actually be stretched and its size
increased 150 to 200 percent without
losing its conductivity.
To create the injectrode, the researchers
mixed a silicone base - similar
to surgical glue - with small metal
particles to make the liquid sufficiently
conductive.
The team is testing a scheme in
which they inject the fluid around the
nerve, then extrude a thin insulated
string of the material back to just underneath
the surface of the skin, where
they inject more of the composite material.
Then they can use a basic transcutaneous
electrical nerve stimulation
(TENS) unit to stimulate the nerve
(1) Pre-Polymer Carrier
(2) Conductive Elements
(1&2)
(1)
(2)
injectrode
The researchers inject the fluid around the nerve, then extrude a thin insulated string of the material
back to just underneath the surface of the skin, where they inject more of the composite
material. (Photo: Neuronoff, Inc.)
from the surface of the skin, making
the whole setup less expensive and
more adaptable compared to traditional
implanted electrodes.
The researchers made a bypass from
the surface of the skin to the location
to be stimulated. Eventually, a robotic
surgical system could be used for a
procedure that would be akin to getting
a tattoo.
For more information, contact Kip Ludwig
at kip.ludwig@wisc.edu; 608-265-3544.
Material Detects COVID-19 Quickly and Accurately
Potential applications for a graphene atomic-level sensor include detecting COVID, ALS, and cancer.
University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
R
esearchers have used graphene
- one of the strongest, thinnest
known materials - to detect the SARSCoV-2
virus in laboratory experiments.
The discovery has potential applications
in the fight against COVID-19
and its variants.
In experiments, researchers combined
sheets of graphene - which are
more than 1,000 times thinner than a
Tech Briefs, April 2022
postage stamp - with an antibody designed
to target the spike protein on the
coronavirus. They then measured the
atomic-level vibrations of these graphene
sheets when exposed to COVID-positive
and COVID-negative samples in artificial
saliva. These sheets were also tested
in the presence of other coronaviruses
like Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS-CoV).
www.techbriefs.com
The vibrations of the antibody-coupled
graphene sheet changed when
treated with a COVID-positive sample
but not when treated with a COVID-negative
sample or with other coronaviruses.
Vibrational changes, measured with
a Raman spectrometer, were evident in
less than five minutes.
Graphene - which has been called
a " wonder material " - has unique
43
TB Health Biotech 0422_1.indd 43
Cov
ToC
3/15/22 2:26 PM

http://www.techbriefs.com http://info.hotims.com/82320-844

Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2022