Latest news with #JiaLiu
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Cyborg tadpoles ‘hold clues to origin of autism'
Cyborg tadpoles with electrodes grown into their brains have been created by Harvard scientists to help study autism and schizophrenia. Tiny flexible electrodes were implanted into tadpole embryos when they were days old, allowing them to completely embed into the central nervous system as the amphibians is the first time that researchers have shown it is possible to create a device that integrates seamlessly into the brain while it develops. Usually, scientists implant metal electrodes into mature brains to monitor brain cell activity, but by then, the critical early stages of development are over and the process often causes some neuronal damage. Neurological conditions such as autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are thought to be 'baked in' to the brain early on, so being able to watch the brain developing could offer vital clues into why they develop. 'Autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia – these all could happen at early developmental stages,' said Dr Jia Liu, assistant professor of bioengineering at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 'There is just no ability currently to measure neural activity during early neural development. Our technology will really enable an uncharted area. 'If we can fully leverage the natural development process, we will have the ability to implant a lot of sensors across the 3D brain non-invasively, and at the same time, monitor how brain activity gradually evolves over time. No one has ever done this before.' To create the cyborg tadpoles, scientists used soft, stretchy implantable ribbons containing dozens of sensors capable of recording the activity of single neurons in the brain. The probes were developed at Harvard and are made from a material known as a 'fluorinated elastomer', similar to Teflon, which can live stably in the brain for several months. It is as soft as biological tissue but can be engineered into highly resilient electronic components that can house multiple sensors for recording brain activity. The ribbons were implanted on an area of the embryo called the 'neural plate', which is the earliest stage of the nervous system. As the embryo develops, the plate bends into a u-shape, taking the ribbon probes inside. By the time the neural plate has grown into the neural tube – the basis of the brain and central nervous system – the electronics are completely embedded inside, where they can give a read-out of how the neurons are firing and communicating with each other. Researchers say the device can record electrical activity from single brain cells with millisecond precision, with no impact on normal tadpole embryo development or behaviour. By integrating their stretchable device into the neural plate, the researchers showed they could continuously monitor brain activity during each embryonic stage. 'These so-called cyborg tadpoles offer a glimpse into a future in which profound mysteries of the brain could be illuminated, and diseases that manifest in early development could be understood, treated or cured,' Harvard said in a press notice about the new technology. The research is published in the journal Nature. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Business Wire
14-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Axoft Announces Commercialization of Fleuron, Covered by an Exclusive License Agreement with Stanford University
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Axoft, a neurotechnology company, today announced the availability of its novel, ultra-soft materials for purchase by research and industrial organizations for research and development applications. Named Fleuron™, the material is designed to improve implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces (iBCIs) by providing superior biocompatibility, and significantly reducing tissue scarring and lead migration over time. The material was recently used in Axoft's first-in-human clinical study, which marked the first time this type of bio-inspired material was authorized for human use and demonstrated that Fleuron passed the required ISO-10993 compatibility standards. In addition to Fleuron's commercial launch, Axoft announced that it has secured an exclusive license agreement with Stanford University, which protects core aspects of the technology. Many iBCIs struggle to maintain a stable, high-density interface with soft biological tissues over the long term due to their rigidity and limited biocompatibility. Fleuron addresses this challenge by mimicking the mechanical properties of brain tissue. Resembling a rubber-like version of Teflon, Fleuron offers both longitudinal stability as thin-film material and is compatible with high-density neural interface microfabrication, while minimizing disruption to brain tissues. The material enables new applications for biomedical micro-electromechanical systems (bioMEMS), organ-on-a-chip and implantable devices, and can be used in micro- and nano-fabrication to make high-density microelectrode arrays capable of capturing stable single-neuron electrical activity for more than a year and a half, based on preclinical models. Dr. Jia Liu, co-founder and scientific advisor of Axoft, initiated the development of Fleuron while at Stanford during his postdoctoral training in Professor Zhenan Bao's research group. Dr. Liu went on to join Harvard University as Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, where he worked with Axoft co-founder and CEO Dr. Paul Le Floch to improve the scalability of Fleuron for a wide range of bioelectronics applications. The related intellectual property developed at Stanford was recently licensed exclusively to Axoft for applications in iBCIs for the treatment of neurological disorders, bioMEMS, bioelectronics and other devices. 'Fleuron is up to 10,000x softer than the polyimide or Parylene C used by most iBCI companies and up to 1,000,000x softer than silicon. It's specifically designed to improve the stability of the tissue-electronics interface, reduce scar tissue and prevent implant drift within the brain over time,' said Dr. Le Floch. 'Fleuron can be used for a wide range of applications where hardware meets biology, including biohybrid devices, organ-on-a-chip, microfluidics and neural interfaces. It includes a platform of materials that are extremely biocompatible yet highly performant and capable of integrating with scalable manufacturing techniques. The broader research and industry landscape stands to benefit from Fleuron, as it has the potential to become a new standard in biomedical engineering.' Several industrial and academic organizations are already using Fleuron for their own research and development. Axoft uses custom Fleuron formulations in its iBCI devices, which have resulted in unmatched biocompatibility, long-term signal stability and a high bandwidth interface that maximizes the information exchanged between the brain and electronics. The first Fleuron products are available for purchase today for use as soft, negative photoresists for microfabrication. Axoft plans to launch more material formulations by the end of 2025 for additional biomedical engineering applications. About Axoft Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Axoft is building implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces (iBCIs) leveraging bio-inspired materials to enable a seamless interface between the brain and electronics, and allow for measurement and stimulation at high-resolution in any brain region. Axoft is on a mission to unlock new treatments for patients suffering from neurological disorders by producing iBCIs that answer critical unmet needs. For more information, visit or follow us on LinkedIn.
