Inbrain Neuroelectronics has designed a brain implant that can both read signals and stimulate brain impulses. Its brain-computer interface (BCI) uses graphene to create a high-resolution interface with the brain. Now, the Company has announced it is gearing up for its first-in-human testing, planed for this summer.
The technology is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI), which have been used for medical diagnostics, as communication devices for people who can’t speak, and to control external equipment, including robotic limbs. However, Inbrain intends to transform its BCI technology into a therapeutic tool for patients with neurological issues such as Parkinson’s disease.
Since Inbrain’s chip is made of graphene, the neural interface has some interesting properties, including the ability to be used to both record from and stimulate the brain. That bidirectionality comes from addressing a key problem with the metallic chips typically used in BCI technology: Faradaic reactions. Faradaic reactions are a particular type of electrochemical processes that occurs between a metal electrode and an electrolyte solution. As it so happens, neural tissue is largely composed of aqueous electrolytes. Over time, these Faradaic reactions reduce the effectiveness of the metallic chips. So, Inbrain replaced the metals typically used in such chips with graphene.
“Metals have Faraday reactions that actually make all the electrons interact with each other, degrading their effectiveness … for transmitting signals back to the brain,” said Carolina Aguilar, CEO and co-founder of Inbrain.
The Company manufactures the chip on a wafer using standard semiconductor techniques, keeping it ultra-thin at 10 micrometers. The chip is embedded with tiny graphene features (not quantum dots) ranging from 25 to 300 micrometers, enabling high-resolution brain signal reading and stimulation.
Interestingly, the new graphene device has the ability to “inject 200 times more charge without creating a Faradic reaction.” This offers stability for “over millions of pulses of stimulation” for brain therapy.
The first human test of Inbrain’s chip will take place at the University of Manchester. The chip will be used during brain tumor surgery to help surgeons identify cancerous tissue with high micrometric precision. This will allow surgeons to remove the tumor while preserving healthy brain areas for proper speech and cognition.
Prior to the human trial, the new graphene chip underwent rigorous biocompatibility testing in animals. These earlier studies paved the way for safe human testing.
Although the Manchester study focuses on brain tumor surgery, Inbrain’s revolutionary chip might eventually be used to treat Parkinson’s. For this, the chip will be upgraded to work in the part of the brain that controls movement called the nigrostriatal pathway. Reportedly, it will be able to decipher the brain’s signals for actions like stepping or raising an arm (similar to existing BCIs). Moreover, Its micrometer-scale precision allows it to pick up on signs of Parkinson’s, like shaking, stiffness, and problems with walking.