MIT’s Tiny Light-Activated Devices Offer Hope for Neuron Repair

Tejal Somvanshi

MIT researchers developed microscopic wearable devices that wrap around neurons to potentially restore damaged brain cell functions using light-activated polymer technology.

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These battery-free subcellular devices, crafted from azobenzene polymer, conform to axons and dendrites without causing cellular damage when activated wirelessly through light exposure.

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Researchers created thousands of these devices outside clean rooms using a stamping technique on water-soluble sacrificial layers.

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The polymer devices roll into microtubes smaller than a micrometer when exposed to light, allowing controlled wrapping around curved neuronal structures.

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Testing on rat neurons proved the devices could wrap around axons and dendrites, potentially serving as synthetic myelin sheets for treating conditions like multiple sclerosis.

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The devices can be combined with optoelectrical materials and atomically thin materials for potential integration of sensors and circuits.

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The Swiss National Science Foundation and U.S. National Institutes of Health Brain Initiative supported this research toward developing neural interfaces.

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