A scientific team from the Swedish universities of Linköping, Lund and Gothenburg have succeeded in growing electrodes in living tissue using the organism’s molecules as activators. The results, published in Sciencepave the way for the manufacture of fully integrated electronic circuits in living organismss, according to the authors.
“For several decades we have tried to create electronics that mimicked biology. Now we let biology create the electronics for us”, comments the leader of the work Magnus Berggrenfrom the University of Linkoping.
To bridge the gap between biology and technology, the researchers developed a method to create soft, substrateless, electronically conductive materials in living tissue.
Linking electronics to biological tissue is important for understanding complex biological functions, combating brain diseases, and developing future human-machine interfaces.
However, conventional bioelectronics have a fixed and static design that is difficult, if not impossible, to combine with signals from biologically living systems, notes a statement from Linköping University.
To bridge this gap between biology and technology, the researchers developed a method to create soft, substrate-less materials and electronic conductors in living tissue.
Researchers from the University of Linköping Xenofon Strakosas, Magnus Berggren, Daniel Simon and Hanne Biesmans. / Thor Balkhed
Enzymes that act as assembly molecules
By injecting a gel containing enzymes that act as assembly molecules, the scientists were able to grow electrodes in the tissue of zebrafish and medicinal leeches.
Specifically, in experiments conducted at Lund University, the team was able to form electrodes in the brain, heart and caudal fins of zebrafish and around the nervous tissue of leeches. The animals were not damaged by the injected gel nor were they affected by the formation of electrodes.
The structure of the injected gel changes when it is in contact with substances in the body, making it a conductor of electricity.
According to the researchers, the structure of the gel changes when it is in contact with substances in the body, making it a conductor of electricity.
The endogenous molecules of the body are sufficient to trigger the formation of electrodes. No need for genetic modification nor of external signals, such as light or electrical power, which have been necessary in previous experiments.
“New paradigm in bioelectronics”
This study, according to those responsible, paves the way towards a “new paradigm in bioelectronics”. If previously it was necessary to implant physical objects to start electronic processes in the body, in the future it will be enough to inject a viscous gel, they say.
The researchers further demonstrate that the method can target electronic conductive material to specific biological substructures, thereby creating suitable interfaces for nerve stimulation.
In the long term, it might be possible to make fully integrated electronic circuits in living organisms, they say.
“Our results open up entirely new avenues for thinking about biology and electronics. We still have many problems to solve, but this study is a good starting point for future research,” he stresses. Hanne Biesmansco-author of the work.
Reference:
M. Berggren et al. “Metabolite-induced in vivo fabrication of substrate-free organic bioelectronics”. Science (February, 2023)
Rights: Creative Commons.