Fiber-Based Tools to Probe Brain-Body Physiology

Complex interplay between the brain and the other body system governs our behavior, immunity, and disease progression. Yet, probing of the brain-body circuits is challenging, as peripheral nerves and organs are in continuous motion and are subject to stringent immunosurveillance. Our group applies fiber-fabrication methods in combination with traditional solid-state electronics to create multifunctional wireless interfaces with peripheral organs such as the gastrointestinal tract to probe physiological functions with cell-type and regional specificity. Concomitantly, we create fibers to interface with multiple brain regions, and develop materials-based approaches to enable straightforward surgical placement of multi-regional neural interfaces spanning multiple organs.