Brain Matter Mesh

The development of flexible electronics means that it’s now possible to combine them with natural biological materials for studies in living animals (in vivo). However difficulties remain with delivering these electronics to internal sites of interest, such as the brain. Researchers have now come up with a simple technique where an electronic mesh is injected into biological materials. A flexible mesh is held within a small needle – less than one tenth of a millimetre in diameter – and when ejected by a syringe, the mesh is able to unfold (pictured) and mould itself to a surface. This procedure has been recently demonstrated in the brain of a living mouse – the mesh was injected with controlled delivery, integrating itself with brain matter and coming into contact with neurons, thus forming a neuron-nanoelectronic interface for the in vivo monitoring of brain activity. Future engineering and biomedical research will benefit from this pioneering method.

Written by Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas

Writer

Currently at Warwick University, Helen is working towards a chemistry doctorate in nanomaterials. However her scientific interests remain broad, and she enjoys exploring these different areas as a writer for the University paper.

• Image from work by Lieber Research Group
• Harvard University, USA
• Copyright held by Nature Publishing Group
• Research published in Nature Nanotechnology, June 2015