"Biohybrid materials and devices for bioelectronic medicine"
Bioelectronic medicine enables the treatment of a wide range of chronic diseases through electrical stimulation of the nervous system and other organs. A formidable obstacle to communicate with specific circuits in the brain and across the body is the lack of technologies to interface with electroactive cells (e.g. neurons and myocytes) without destructive surgery.
Here I will describe biohybrid approaches, which fuse genetic tools with synthetic materials, to enable nondestructive and precise communication with specific cell types across both the brain and body. I will begin by describing how materials processing of tissue into transparent hydrogels can enable organ-wide visualization of single biomolecules and cells within fixed animal tissue and human clinical samples. I will then highlight two parallel yet complementary approaches for the remote control of cells with genetic specificity. First, I will demonstrate how fundamental materials design of magnetic nanotransducers can enable rapid and remote control of deep brain circuits using alternating magnetic fields. I will then discuss the development of noninvasive optogenetics using the ultrapotent opsin ChRmine to control neural circuits and organs like the heart for bioelectronic medicine. Finally, I will discuss the impact of these findings in the context of future biohybrid materials and devices that will enable understanding of the physiological roles of specific cells, tissues and organs within intact biological systems.
