Multimodal Bioelectronics to Probe Brain-Body Physiology

Probing physiological signals underlying communication between the brain and peripheral organs is essential to the study of organ contributions to the central nervous system function and to the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic, affective, and neuroimmune conditions. Although numerous physical and genetic approaches have been developed to probe brain physiology, the complex anatomy of peripheral organs and the substantial immunosurveillance outside the central nervous system impede direct translation of brain neurotechnologies to the periphery. In this talk, I will discuss our group’s strategies to interface with peripheral organs such as the gastrointestinal tract at the scale of circuits, and then illustrate how nanomaterials can be employed as wireless transducers of physical signals to specific cells and receptors.