Wireless UltraSound Powered Diamond based Neural Stimulators

The neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disordered in Central nervous system (CNS) are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability in the world, which eventually treatment cost is about 800 billion per year.

The main reason behind the non-existence of efficient treatment is that unlike young neurons, mature neurons from the CNS lose the ability to regenerate their axons after injury.

To understand the detailed mechanisms, remain not only unknown in Neuroscience but represents also a major challenge for public health and society. Neuro-stimulation is technique that stimulate the activity of neuron and provides solutions to fill the knowledge gap.

Current neuro-stimulation techniques somehow limited to large neuron brain areas, rely on wires to powering system, and suffers from rejection by body inflammable.

The emerging wireless and battery-free technologies based on ultrasonic communication allows to remove electrode connections to external source.

The overall goal of SonoNeuroS project is to develop proof of concept of a fully wireless ultrasound-based powering of electrical stimulation technique with in sub-mm range with diamond electrode materials.

This research proposal aims to develop and validate the proposed stimulators for sufficient amount fully wireless power communication, battery free with shrinking size for implantable within 100 m.

We will use diamond due to interesting properties for chronic implantation is its high resistance to corrosion, very good biocompatibility.

In this idea combining ultrasound powering with Piezoelectric Micro-Machined Ultrasonic Transducer (p-MUT) technology to diamond electrodes, in order to reduce the size results at a smaller scale axial resolution of single neuron activity.

After develop wireless neural stimulators, we will have used it to study the effect of electrical stimulation on output of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which provides new way towards to visual prostheses.