OEAN

Organic Electronic Artificial Neurons

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Disorders of the nervous system effect hundreds of millions of people worldwide and the costs of these afflictions, both in terms of life lost and healthcare expenditure, are a heavy burden on us all. We propose to employ the delivery property of the ion pump, coupled with a sensing electrochemical transistors to build an organic electronic artificial neuron for intervention into the malfunctioning signaling pathways implicated in specific neurological disorders. Of particular importance is the ion pump’s ability to precisely deliver the neurotransmitters glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid, the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters of the central nervous system, respectively. By regulating delivery of these and other molecules, the practitioner could selectively raise and lower the relative neural excitability within a small, well-defined region of the brain, such as one generating seizures, using a device easily integrated into standard surgical procedures developed for electrode implants. Moreover, autoregulation is made possibe by incorporating a sensing transistor to monitor variation in neurotransmitters concentration that will trigger release with the ion pump. The organic electronic nature of the ion pump and the electrochemical sensing transistor technologies makes them optimal for interfacing both biological systems and traditional electronics. Furthermore, the use of polymers and other bio-compatible soft materials, make them well suited for implant into the body. Using the body’s endogenous signaling system as the cue, self-regulated artificial neurons will enable new therapies whereby patients’ health can be restored by supplementing their malfunctioning signaling pathways, rather than invading them with substances and signals alien to the body. The artificial neuron can therefore provide therapy for a wide range of previously untreatable neurological disorders and help patients with these afflictions return to health.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Neurological disorders represent a major socioeconomic burden worldwide. To facilitate the development of novel treatments, European scientists have developed artificial neurons.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Although certain therapies have proved successful for neurological disorders, treatment is lacking for numerous other impairments. This is highly dependent on the understanding of underlying neurological mechanisms responsible for the disability. However, the complex circuitry of the nervous system has proven difficult to interface, and thus novel technological solutions are required.

In answer to this, scientists on the EU-funded 'Organic electronic artificial neurons' (OEAN) project proposed to generate a device that could operate in a chemical-electrical manner similar to the neuron. Connection of this device to electronic hardware would allow scientists to observe neural signalling electronically, rendering the artificial neuron a key to studying neural signalling pathways.

To construct a functional artificial neuron, scientists combined biosensing technology with electronically controlled substance delivery. Instead of commercially available sensors, OEAN partners used polymers capable of conducting electricity to manufacture a transistor-based sensor for detecting the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate.

Since glutamate is not electrochemically active, scientists used an enzyme to degrade it into hydrogen peroxide, a compound that is routinely detected using a platinum sensor. The innovation of the OEAN project was that it used platinum nanoparticles to generate hydrogen peroxide sensors and electrochemical transistors to amplify the signal. The generated device displayed high sensitivity for glutamate at the micromolar range. Scientists also succeeded in manufacturing these devices by inkjet printing, which is expected to expedite production and lower cost.

The OEAN device combines the electrical properties of a conducting polymer with the catalytic properties of platinum nanoparticles at the same location. In addition, the delivery element can be loaded with various chemicals extending its applicability to the monitoring of other molecules such as blood glucose levels. These features make this technology a promising candidate for next-generation biometric applications.