On the trail of neural implants that trick the immune system

One of the challenges for neurobiologists who implant neural cells in patients is successfully fooling the immune system into forgetting that these electronic devices, which allow signals to be received or sent to neurons, are foreign bodies. Since the 2000s, the use of dexamethasone has been one of the preferred avenues. This anti-inflammatory drug helps to mitigate the body's reaction and the phenomenon of " encapsulation " of the implant in scar tissue—which is built to protect the body from external aggression. These tissues thus act as an insulator between the neurons and the implant, which loses its effectiveness. This effect is significant, for example, in the case of cochlear implants , which are used to improve hearing. The anti-inflammatory drug has already proven effective in countering this "isolation" problem, but researchers are working on an approach that will limit side effects.

A team of international researchers, whose work was published in Advanced Healthcare Materials on June 17, is exploring the possibility of a chemical bond between the prosthesis material and the drug. Through a covalent bond—the sharing of electrons between two atoms—they have managed to " attach " the drug molecule to the prosthesis, like a coating. To test their technique, the researchers chose to bond the largest part of the neuroprosthesis, the polyimide support, a flexible plastic, with dexamethasone.

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