Medicine

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics announces world’s first human graphene-based Brain Computer Interface procedure

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced the world’s first human procedure of its cortical interface in a patient undergoing brain tumor resection. INBRAIN’s BCI technology was able to differentiate between healthy and cancerous brain tissue with micrometer-scale precision.

This milestone represents an advancement in demonstrating the ability of graphene-based BCI technology beyond decoding and translating brain signals, to become a reliable tool for use in precision surgery in diseases such as cancer, and in neurotechnology more broadly. The study was sponsored by the University of Manchester, and primarily funded by the European Commission’s Graphene Flagship project. The clinical investigation study was conducted at Salford Royal Hospital.

Read the full story Posted: Sep 28,2024

Archer to test for chronic kidney disease on its Biochip gFET sensors

Archer Materials has started experiments to detect and monitor chronic kidney disease on its Biochip graphene field effect transistor (“gFET”) sensors.

Archer, through one of its foundry partners, has reportedly verified a process that directly grows graphene surfaces to produce enhanced devices, rather than transferring the graphene to a device from a wafer, as previously done. The team has tested the devices by storing them in normal air conditions over a two-month period, finding no significant degradation in performance. 

Read the full story Posted: Aug 31,2024

Researchers develop saliva-based cortisol electrochemical sensor with graphene electrode

Researchers from Tufts University recently developed a graphene-enhanced highly sensitive saliva-based cortisol sensor – eliminating the need for invasive blood tests.

The Point-of-Care (POC) electrochemical biosensor boasts a detection limit of 0.24 fg/mL, making it 100 times more sensitive than existing saliva tests. This innovation relies on the Gii-Sens “electrode” – a sensing strip produced by nanomaterial company, iGii – integrated into the sensor. 

Read the full story Posted: Aug 20,2024

Inbrain Neuroelectronics gets ready for first-in-human testing of its graphene-based brain implant

Inbrain Neuroelectronics has designed a brain implant that can both read signals and stimulate brain impulses. Its brain-computer interface (BCI) uses graphene to create a high-resolution interface with the brain. Now, the Company has announced it is gearing up for its first-in-human testing, planed for this summer.

The technology is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI), which have been used for medical diagnostics, as communication devices for people who can’t speak, and to control external equipment, including robotic limbs. However, Inbrain intends to transform its BCI technology into a therapeutic tool for patients with neurological issues such as Parkinson’s disease. 

Read the full story Posted: Jul 24,2024

Researchers use engineered graphene material to improve the performance of intraneural peripheral nerve electrodes

Limb neuroprostheses aim to restore motor and sensory functions in amputated or severely nerve-injured patients. These devices use neural interfaces to record and stimulate nerve action potentials, creating a bidirectional connection with the nervous system. Most neural interfaces are based on standard metal microelectrodes. 

Left: a histological section of the nerve implanted with an electrode longitudinally. Right, an image of the sciatic nerve with an EGNITE electrode implanted transversely to allow stimulation and recording of nerve impulses. Image credit: UAB

Researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and ICN2 have demonstrated in animal models how Engineered Graphene for Neural Interface (EGNITE), a derivative of graphene, allows the creation of smaller electrodes, which can interact more selectively with the nerves they stimulate, thus improving the efficacy of the prostheses. The study also demonstrated that EGNITE is biocompatible, showing that its implantation is safe.

Read the full story Posted: Jul 12,2024

Researchers develop soft robotic gripper using graphene and liquid crystals

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have designed a soft robotic "hand" made from liquid crystals (LCs) and graphene, that could be used to design future surgical robots. 

One of the issues that need to be addressed before such robots can be used in operating rooms is to figure out how to precisely control and move these deformable robots. Also, many current soft robots contain metals, which means that their use in water-rich environments—like the human body—is rather limited.

Read the full story Posted: Jun 22,2024

iGii (formerly Integrated Graphene) secures investment of over $11 million

iGii, formerly Integrated Graphene, has announced it has raised £8.8 million (over USD$11.7 million) in new funding to accelerate growth. iGii will use the funds to accelerate customer projects, increase its manufacturing capacity, and deepen its research and development to explore further applications of its patented Gii material. iGii plans to expand its facilities and continue creating highly skilled local jobs.

The funding round was led by a £4 million injection from the Scottish National Investment Bank, with a further £4.8 million coming from existing iGii shareholders Archangel Investors and Par Equity, both of which first invested in the business in 2020.

Read the full story Posted: Jun 19,2024

Archer Biochip gFET design fabricated on a six-inch wafer by Graphenea's foundry

Archer Materials, a semiconductor company advancing the quantum technology and medical diagnostics industries, has fabricated one of its Biochip graphene field effect transistor (gFET) designs through a six-inch whole wafer run by its foundry partner in Spain, Graphenea.

Archer had sent the Biochip gFET design to Graphenea for fabrication through a whole wafer run in Dec 20231. The gFETs are designed with structures suitable for liquid multiplexing, with advances in chip design features, including in gating design and materials, to address technological challenges in maintaining graphene device stability from chip-to-chip.

Read the full story Posted: Jun 17,2024

Researchers develop graphene oxide spray coating for antiviral protection of face masks

Researchers at Spain's IMDEA Materials Institute, Rey Juan Carlos University and Valladolid University have developed a new spray coating to improve the antiviral efficacy of personal protective equipment, notably face masks.   

The team's system is based on nanoplatelets of graphene oxide (GO) spray coated via a simple one-step procedure over a poly(lactic acid) textile fabric, allowing a homogeneous coating. The incorporation of GO does not affect the textile structure nor its air permeability, while it increases its water contact angle, potentially preventing droplet trespassing. 

Read the full story Posted: May 06,2024

Tachmed partners with St George’s, University of London, to advance graphene-based health diagnostic platform

Tachmed, a UK-based developer of at-home digital healthcare solutions, has teamed up with experts in infection control at St George’s, University of London, to help accelerate the development of a new diagnostic platform for a range of health conditions, using graphene biosensor technology. 

During the four-month collaboration, funded by an Innovate UK Accelerated Knowledge Transfer grant, Dr. Henry Staines, senior lecturer in global health at the Institute for Infection & Immunity at St George’s, will provide critical knowledge exchange. This is expected to boost development of the technology by optimizing Tachmed’s biosensor, which is required to confirm if a pathogen is present or not within a patient sample.

Read the full story Posted: May 04,2024