Fully bioresorbable hybrid opto-electronic neural implant system for simultaneous electrophysiological recording and optogenetic stimulation

Bioresorbable neural implants based on emerging classes of biodegradable materials offer a promising solution to the challenges of secondary surgeries for removal of implanted devices required for existing neural implants. In this study, we introduce a fully bioresorbable flexible hybrid opto-electronic system for simultaneous electrophysiological recording and optogenetic stimulation. The flexible and soft device, composed of biodegradable materials, has a direct optical and electrical interface with the curved cerebral cortex surface while exhibiting excellent biocompatibility. Optimized to minimize light transmission losses and photoelectric artifact interference, the device was chronically implanted in the brain of transgenic mice and performed to photostimulate the somatosensory area while recording local field potentials. Thus, the presented hybrid neural implant system, comprising biodegradable materials, promises to provide monitoring and therapy modalities for versatile applications in biomedicine.

Myeongki Cho, Jeong-Kyu Han, Jungmin Suh, Jeong Jin Kim, Jae Ryun Ryu, In Sik Min, Mingyu Sang, Selin Lim, Tae Soo Kim, Kyubeen Kim, Kyowon Kang, Kyuhyun Hwang, Kanghwan Kim, Eun-Bin Hong, Min-Ho Nam, Jongbaeg Kim, Young Min Song, Gil Ju Lee, Il-Joo Cho, Ki Jun Yu