Mission. This multidisciplinary symposium intends to bring together experts from academia and medical devices industry working on electronic, chemical, biological and mechanical aspects of the interaction between the synthetic devices and neural tissues. Invited talks showcasing applications of specific materials properties to neuronal monitoring and ?functional devices. As materials design for neural interfaces manipulation will promote the discussion between the members of the community inspiring the future development of multi-- is closely coupled to areas of bioengineering as well as developing treatments for neurological disorders, we believe that this symposium addresses the scientific mission of both the NIBIB and NINDS. Synopsis. Mammalian nervous system contains billions neurons and glia connected into intricate networks through a variety of chemical, electrical, and mechanical signals. Disruptions to inter-cellular and inter-regional communication within the nervous system often lead to debilitating neurological and psychiatric conditions such as Parkinson's disease or major depression. To understand the complexity of neural signaling and develop therapeutic approaches to the diseases of the nervous system, neural interface devices have been under investigation for the past 30 years. Neural tissues, however, possess low elastic moduli that are in stark contrast with traditional wafer-built electronics. This mismatch often leads to foreign body response following implantation. It has been recently recognized that the design of an interface between the brain and a synthetic sensor is a materials science problem. The Symposium BM8: Materials Design for Neural Interfaces will discuss the recent progress in development of flexible and organic electronics, and bio- and nanomaterials aimed at creating multifunctional and minimally invasive probes. The symposium will also highlight the advances in materials chemistry that have enabled novel imaging approaches such as tissue clearing techniques and synthetic activity indicators allowing not only to probe the dynamics but understand the structure of neural pathways. The result of our symposium will be a roadmap of future materials-driven neural interface research.
The goal of the symposium BM8 ?Materials Design for Neural Interfaces? is to initiate a dialog between materials engineers, organic chemists, microscopists, and neuroscientist with a goal of developing a research roadmap for neural interfaces and recruiting younger engineering scholars into the field. The collaborations between engineers and neurobiologists that are anticipated to emerge from this multidisciplinary dialog are essential to the development of neurotechnologies, which in turn can further our studies of neural circuits and contribute to therapies for psychiatric, neurological, and neuromuscular disorders.
