Development of a Smart Wireless Multisensor Platform for an Optogenetic Brain Implant
André B. Cunha,
Christin Schuelke,
Alireza Mesri,
Simen K. Ruud,
Aleksandra Aizenshtadt,
Giorgio Ferrari,
Arto Heiskanen,
Afia Asif,
Stephan S. Keller,
Tania Ramos-Moreno,
Håvard Kalvøy,
Alberto Martínez-Serrano,
Stefan Krauss,
Jenny Emnéus,
Marco Sampietro,
Ørjan G. Martinsen
Affiliations
André B. Cunha
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 24, 0371 Oslo, Norway
Christin Schuelke
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 24, 0371 Oslo, Norway
Alireza Mesri
Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Simen K. Ruud
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 24, 0371 Oslo, Norway
Aleksandra Aizenshtadt
Hybrid Technology Hub—Centre of Excellence, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 1110 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
Giorgio Ferrari
Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Arto Heiskanen
Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Afia Asif
Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Stephan S. Keller
National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Tania Ramos-Moreno
Lund Stem Cell Center, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
Håvard Kalvøy
Department of Clinical and Biomedical Engineering, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 20, 0372 Oslo, Norway
Alberto Martínez-Serrano
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Center of Molecular Biology ‘Severo Ochoa’, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Nicolás Cabrera 1, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Stefan Krauss
Hybrid Technology Hub—Centre of Excellence, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 1110 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
Jenny Emnéus
Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Marco Sampietro
Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Ørjan G. Martinsen
Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 24, 0371 Oslo, Norway
Implantable cell replacement therapies promise to completely restore the function of neural structures, possibly changing how we currently perceive the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. One of the major clinical hurdles for the routine implementation of stem cell therapies is poor cell retention and survival, demanding the need to better understand these mechanisms while providing precise and scalable approaches to monitor these cell-based therapies in both pre-clinical and clinical scenarios. This poses significant multidisciplinary challenges regarding planning, defining the methodology and requirements, prototyping and different stages of testing. Aiming toward an optogenetic neural stem cell implant controlled by a smart wireless electronic frontend, we show how an iterative development methodology coupled with a modular design philosophy can mitigate some of these challenges. In this study, we present a miniaturized, wireless-controlled, modular multisensor platform with fully interfaced electronics featuring three different modules: an impedance analyzer, a potentiostat and an optical stimulator. We show the application of the platform for electrical impedance spectroscopy-based cell monitoring, optical stimulation to induce dopamine release from optogenetically modified neurons and a potentiostat for cyclic voltammetry and amperometric detection of dopamine release. The multisensor platform is designed to be used as an opto-electric headstage for future in vivo animal experiments.
