A non-surgical brain implant enabled through cell-electronics hybrid for focal neuromodulation

Bioelectronic implants for brain stimulation are used to treat brain
disorders but require invasive surgery. To provide a non-invasive
alternative, we report non-surgical implants consisting of immune
cell–electronics hybrids, an approach we call Circulatronics. The devices
can be delivered intravenously and traffic autonomously to regions of
inflammation in brain, where they implant and affect neuromodulation,
circumventing the need for surgery. To achieve suitable electronics, we
designed and built subcellular-sized, wireless, photovoltaic electronic
devices (SWEDs) that harvest optical energy with high power conversion
efficiency. In mice, we demonstrate non-surgical implantation in inflamed
brain region as an example of therapeutic target for several neural
diseases, by employing monocytes as cells, covalently attaching them to
the SWEDs and administering the resulting hybrids intravenously. We also
demonstrate neural stimulation with 30 µm precision around the inflamed
region. Thus, by fusing electronic functionality with the biological
transport and targeting capabilities of living cells, this technology can
form the foundation for autonomously implanting bioelectronics.