Abstract

Over the past 30 years implantable bionic devices such as cochlear implants and pacemakers, have used a small number of metal electrodes to restore sensory perception or muscle control to patients following disease or injury of excitable tissues. With the miniaturisation of electronic chips, bionic devices are now being developed to treat a wide variety of neural and muscular disorders. Of particular interest is the area of high resolution devices that require smaller, more densely packed electrodes. Due to poor integration with living tissue, conventional metallic electrodes cannot meet these small size requirements and are limited in their ability to safely deliver charge at therapeutic levels. A range of alternate polymer based electronic materials have been investigated by Dr Green including conductive hydrogels (CHs), conductive elastomers (CEs) and living electrodes (LEs). These technologies provide synergy between low impedance charge transfer, reduced stiffness and an ability to be provide a biologically active interface. While these approaches have initially been used to modify existing implant electrodes (including cochlear implants and bionics eye arrays), these technologies also offer new opportunities for producing fully organic electrode arrays which are not bound to metallic substrates. This talk will outline materials development and characterisation of both in vitro properties and translational in vivo performance. The challenges for translation and commercial uptake of novel technologies will also be discussed.