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Stretchable, Long-Term Neural Implant on the Spinal Cord Could Restore Walking

So-called 'surface implants' have reached a roadblock. They can't be applied long-term to the spinal cord or brain, beneath the nervous system's protective envelope (known as the dura mater), because when nerve tissues move or stretch, they rub against the rigid devices. Repeated friction causes inflammation, scar tissue buildup, and rejection. Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) now introduce the e-Dura implant, which is designed specifically for implantation on the surface of the brain or spinal cord. The neural implant combines electrical and chemical stimulation and has successfully made paralyzed rats walk again. Soft and stretchable, it is the first of its kind that can be implanted directly on the spinal chord without damaging it. Its silicon substrate is covered with cracked gold electric conducting tracks, and the electrodes are made of an innovative composite of silicon and platinum microbeads. They can be deformed in any direction, while still ensuring optimal electrical conductivity. A fluidic microchannel enables the delivery of pharmacological substances that will reanimate the nerve cells beneath the injured tissue.

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    Transcript

    00:00:04 neural implant are system designed to study and treat the injured nervous system the most popular one is the cckar implant that restores hearing there are multiple Technologies available but in the long term very often they trigger inflammation and even rejection by the host our Innovation is that we've designed an implant that is soft and stretchable just like the surrounding

    00:00:29 tissue the implant integrates electrical stimulation and chemical stimulation yet remain fully elastic using this implant we've been able to restore Locomotion in paralyzed animals and this not only over shorttime lab experiments but also over weeks of implantation and this without injuring the spinal cord the spinal cord can stretch and relax uh during daily movement if the implant doesn't

    00:00:57 accommodate this defamation then they will be a lot of shearing and rubbing at the interface which will create inflammation Duram matter is the protective skin of the central nervous system our implant which we called edura like electronic Duram matter resemble the mechanical property of natural Duram matter and it also host electrodes and interconnects and a chemical delivery

    00:01:21 system the result we have obtained with these animal experimentation um show that we might have solved one of the biggest challenge for the next generation of surface electrode implants we now intend to push forward the technology towards clinical therapies and also bring forward our Innovation to the market