University of California San Diego researchers have developed a neural implant capable of reading brain activity that could advance research into creating a brain-computer interface (BCI) without being overly invasive.

The new implant consists of a thin transparent strip made of a polymer with several graphene electrodes 20 micrometers in diameter, each of which is connected to a circuit board via tiny wires. The strip sits on the surface of the brain allowing it to detect neural activity consisting of electrical activity and calcium activity. Unlike previous methods, the chip allows scientists to conduct longer experiments without the need to have a subject fixed in place under a microscope.

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid researchers have reported the development of an electrically tunable graphene-based biosensor that leverages sound waves to provide unprecedented infrared sensitivity and specificity at the single layer limit. By precisely matching the tunable graphene plasmon frequency to target molecular vibrations, even faint spectral fingerprints emerge clearly.

This acoustically activated approach enables precise in situ study of angstrom-scale films, unlocking new infrared applications across chemistry, biology and medicine.

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing, Harvard University and the University of Stuttgart have advanced the field of molecular sensing by developing a novel method to improve the sensitivity of surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA). SEIRA uses plasmonic nanostructures to amplify the infrared signals of molecules adsorbed on their surface. Graphene is a particularly promising material for SEIRA because of its high sensitivity and tunability. However, the interaction between graphene and molecules is weakened by intrinsic molecular damping.

The new approach employs synthesized complex-frequency waves (CFW) to amplify the molecular signals detected by graphene-based sensors by at least an order of magnitude. It also applies to molecular sensing in different phases.

HydroGraph Clean Power has announced that its flagship graphene product, FGA-1, has been successfully trialed in Hawkeye Bio’s biomedical sensor aimed at the early detection of lung cancer. Hawkeye Bio is a clinical stage medical technology company focused on the early detection of cancer.

HydroGraph’s graphene was selected by Hawkeye Bio based on the purity and consistency of its graphene. Headquartered in Toronto, HydroGraph’s manufacturing facility is located in Manhattan, Kan.

Researchers from Zhejiang University, Zhiyuan Research Institute and Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications have reported a thin elastic conductive nanocomposite that is formed by cryogenically transferring laser-induced graphene (LIG) to a hydrogel film. 

The low-temperature atmosphere enhances the interfacial bonding between the defective porous graphene and the crystallized water within the hydrogel. Using the hydrogel as an energy dissipation interface and out-of-plane electrical path, continuously deflected cracks can be induced in the LIG leading to an over fivefold enhancement in intrinsic stretchability. 

Canada-based Zentek has announced the launch of Triera Biosciences as its wholly owned subsidiary for its aptamer platform technology. This subsidiary now owns the exclusive, global licensing rights for all aptamer-based technology from the collaboration with McMaster University.

The Company is repotedly taking this action following the strong, consistent pre-clinical results of its universal aptamer as a treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 virus including the latest Omicron XBB 1.5 variant and will continue to build upon its previous work on a rapid detection platform within the new subsidiary. Triera will offer a pure play in the biotech space when operated as an independent business and be more accessible to potential pharmaceutical partners, funders, and other interested parties.

A new Horizon Europe funded project was launched in October 2023. With a consortium of 11 partners from 8 different countries, the Next-2Digits project aims to develop the next generation of sensors and imagers enabled by 2D materials digital integration. Next-2Digits will run for 3 years and 3 months.

Coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens, Next-2Digits benefits from the presence of academic, research and industrial teams, whose areas of work span from graphene and 2D materials synthesis, characterization, manipulation, and integration, as well as in the fields of photonics, material science, application-based integration technologies and validation.

A new Horizon Europe project has kicked off called MUNASET. The project will aim to develop a rapid, highly sensitive and easy-to-use graphene-based biosensor platform to address therapy response prediction and allow faster and more precise treatment identification, improve therapy outcomes and reduce hospitalization time. MUNASET will also help secure Europe’s industrial leadership over the entire value chain of novel graphene-based bio-analytical tools. 

The MUNASET consortium received funding for over €4 million to cover activities for four years and is under the leadership of Professor Alexey Tarasov, Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences. It is composed of six partners across four European countries: Germany, Finland, Belgium and Spain. The consortium members include: Graphenea Semiconductor SL, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Mainz University Medical Center and ProActive Ltd. The MUNASET project is a new member of the Graphene Flagship initiative.

An international team of researchers, including scientists from University of California San Diego, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has developed a handheld, non-invasive graphene-based device that can detect biomarkers for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. The biosensor can also transmit the results wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone.

The biosensor consists of a chip with a highly sensitive transistor, made of a graphene layer that is a single atom thick and three electrodes–source and drain electrodes, connected to the positive and negative poles of a battery, to flow electric current, and a gate electrode to control the amount of current flow. Image credit: UCSD

The team tested the device on in vitro samples from patients. The tests reportedly showed the device is as accurate as other state-of-the-art devices. Ultimately, researchers plan to test saliva and urine samples with the biosensor. The device could be modified to detect biomarkers for other conditions as well.

Archer Materials, a semiconductor company advancing the quantum computing and medical diagnostics industries, has demonstrated multiplexing readout for its advanced Biochip graphene field effect transistor (“gFET”) device.

Archer confirmed single-device multiplexing using four advanced gFETs as sensors, which were integrated into the Archer advanced Biochip platform. This is significant as Archer intends to apply its multiplexing capability in the Biochip to test for multiple diseases on a single chip at once.