A micro-scale printable nanoclip for electrical stimulation and recording in small nerves

Abstract

Our nerve interface addresses key challenges in interfacing with small nerves in the peripheral nervous system. Its small size, ability to remain on the nerve over sub-chronic timescales, and ease of implantation, make it a promising tool for future use in the treatment of disease.

Printable microscale interfaces for long-term peripheral nerve mapping and precision control

“…Fabrication of the nanoclip nerve interface. The nanoclip interface for chronic peripheral nerve mapping and control used fabrication procedures and design features similar to our recent report (Lissandrello et al, 2017).…”

“…To anchor the thin-film array to the nerve, we developed a micro-scale mechanical nerve carrier -the "nanoclip" (Lissandrello et al, 2017) -that consists of two hinged trap doors flanking the entrance of a semi-cylindrical cavity that passes through the body of the small device (~300x300x400 µm) and securely retains the nerve against the electrodes (Figure 1a, S2b-d). The nanoclip is fabricated using a novel two-photon direct-write lithography technique developed for this application .…”

“…shows strong homologies to mammalian sensorimotor nerves, containing approximately 1000 myelinated and unmyelinated fibers (Lissandrello et al, 2017;Wild, 1997)reasoning that any disruption of nerve function would be revealed in acoustic distortion of the otherwise highlystereotyped song (Lissandrello et al, 2017;Ölveczky et al, 2011). We recorded song from adult male zebra finches (n = 3 birds) for three days before and eight days after bilaterally placing nanoclips on the nXIIts.…”

“…We previously introduced the nanoclip to harness microscale 3D printing to create interfaces with geometries tailored with near micron-resolution to the implant target, and showed that such a device could interface acutely with a small peripheral nerve (Lissandrello et al, 2017). Here, we present a nanoclip interface integrating a multichannel thin-film electrode suitable for chronic interfacing with peripheral nerves in small animal models ( Figure 1), and we demonstrate stable, longitudinal, in vivo recording of behaviorally-linked nerve activity with high signalto-noise ratio (SNR).…”

Bioelectronics: The Promise of Leveraging the Body’s Circuitry to Treat Disease

“…New understanding of the mechanisms regulating the functions and signaling of those neural circuits, their correlation with disease-specific biomarkers and the development of new animal models have significantly accelerated the pathway from proof-of-concept demonstration to clinical translation. Exquisite innovation from the materials science community is leading to the integration of high performance nanoscale conductors -like carbon nanotubes [19][20][21] and graphene [22] -into flexible devices with novel electronic and optical properties. Exciting new materials are giving engineers the ability to make active, foldable, high-density neural interfaces that can dissolve after use [23] and novel magnetic nanoparticle-based approaches for wireless neuromodulation in vivo [24].…”