SBIR Phase II: NeuroBionics IO Fiber: A Multifunctional Neural Probe for Advancing Neuroscience Research

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to catalyze progress in neuroscience by providing researchers with a powerful new tool. The technology developed in this project integrates multiple functions—recording electrical activity, delivering light, monitoring optical signals, and delivering small volumes of fluid—into a single, flexible device. This multimodal capability has the potential to accelerate medical discoveries in complex disorders. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project addresses a critical need for new neuroscience tools that allow scientists to probe using multiple techniques simultaneously. Currently, researchers must rely on separate devices for recording electrical activity, stimulating or monitoring with light, and delivering chemicals or drugs. Combining these into one device typically requires custom fabrication that is time-intensive, error-prone, and difficult to reproduce. This project will advance a novel neural interface that integrates all of these capabilities into a single, plug-and-play platform that is compatible with standard neuroscience equipment. The work will establish scalable manufacturing methods, quality control protocols, and connector systems so that these devices can be produced reliably at scale. The anticipated outcome is a commercially available neural probe that will allow researchers to carry out experiments that are currently not possible. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.