Cuff Electrodes with Soft Wire Electrical Leads

Project Summary AbstractDevelopment of a Nerve Cuff Electrode from Soft and Elastomeric Conducting Wires STTR Phase I ApplicationPIBrady ClapsaddleTDA ResearchIncBio electronic interfaces are used in a wide array of applications for recording and providing electrical impulses to treat diseaseOne common interface device for the PNS is the cuff electrodeCurrent cuff electrodes have many failure modesmost commonly breakage of the brittle metal microwire leads during implantation or regular movementStiff metal wires also irritate soft tissueleading to inflammatory response and scarringResearchers and clinicians have realized that increased lifetime and ease of implantation of cuff electrodes would greatly benefit research and electrotherapyprompting advances in commercial cuff electrodes in recent yearsThe development of materials that are easier to implant and have better tissue compatibility has been at the forefront of these advancesThese new cuffs howeverstill mainly use metal microwires for contact with the tissueConducting polymers and carbonaceous materials offer better mechanical compatibility with tissues than their metal counterpartsTDA has recently developed a softelastomeric wire material that is compatible with tissueFurthermoreTDAandapos s wires are elasticstretching to andgtof their original sizedepending on formulationand thus TDAandapos s soft wires have the potential to eliminate many failure modes of traditional cuff electrodes by replacing brittle metal microwiresDue to their stretchablepliable natureTDAandapos s soft wires can withstand the stress of implantation and result in robust interfaces with hardwareUsing these materialswe propose to develop novel cuff electrodes with soft polymeric electrical leads to improve durabilityease of implantationand tissue compatibility of cuff electrodes for applications in the peripheral nervous systemPNSOur approach is to fabricate cuff electrodes with flexible conducting wiresOnce fabricatedour collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh will demonstrate implantability in the PNSacute in vivo functionalityand long term performance in a chronic in vivo study Project NarrativeDevelopment of a Nerve Cuff Electrode from Soft and Elastomeric Conducting Wires STTR Phase I ApplicationPIBrady ClapsaddleTDA ResearchIncCuff electrodes are used in a wide array of bio applications for recording and providing electrical impulses to treat diseaseCurrent cuff electrodes for chronic implantation applicationshoweveroften fail due to common failure modes during implantation and use over long periods of timeIn this projectusing a novel electrode materialwe will develop cuff electrodes to improve durabilityease of implantationand tissue compatibility of cuff electrodes for applications in the peripheral nervous systemPNS