Value Proposition
· 3D shell MEAs is a novel platform for encapsulation, electrical stimulation, and recording of organoids
· Electrophysiological measurements of electrically active 3D organoids.
· Relevant to brain development, neurological disorders, drug screening; neuromorphic computing and brain-machine interfaces; and organoid intelligence
Unmet Need
· Organoids serve as a useful method for recapitulating neurological diseased states and drug discovery. With the growing use of organoids for nervous system modeling comes a need for an optical and electronic platform to record electrical activity to verify organoid functionality and physiological relevance. Traditional devices for electrophysiological measurements of excitable cells are microelectrode arrays (MEAs) composed of planar electrodes that are only suitable for electrophysiological measurements of monolayer cultures. This greatly limits their application for 3D organoids as the measurements are only limited to the contact surface area. Additionally, monolayer cultures are a poor representation of cellular behavior in vivo. Therefore, there is a strong need for an MEA device capable of recording 3D electrical activity in organoids
Technology Description
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a microelectrode device for 3D electrophysiological measurements of electrically active organoids. Microelectrode arrays are non-invasive platforms for electrical recordings and network mapping of cellular electrical activity, but traditional MEAs are limited by their planar electrode design, limiting their application to monolayer cultures. This 3D shell MEA is designed to encapsulate organoids and measure electrophysiology of excitable organoids in 3D.
Stage of Development
· Prototype
Data Availability
· Data can be found at below publication
Publication
'Organoid intelligence' could create brain cell-led computers | CNN
Huang, et al. Shell microelectrode arrays (MEAs) for brain organoids. Science Advances. Aug. 17, 2022.
