Input/Output (I/O) Bioelectronics using Two-Dimensional Nanocarbons

My team’s efforts are focused on the development and engineering of nanocarbons-based flexible platforms to interrogate and affect the properties of cells and tissue, with a specific goal to understand signal transduction (chemical or electrical) in tissue or complex three-dimensional (3D) cellular assemblies. Our highly flexible bottom-up nanomaterials synthesis capabilities allow us to form unique hybrid-nanomaterials that can be used in various input/output bioelectrical interfaces, i.e., bioelectrical platforms for chemical and physical sensing and actuation. In this talk I will review our current efforts for monitoring (and affecting) the complex signal transduction in 3D in vitro systems toward disease progression investigations. Utilizing graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) atomically thin carbon allotrope, we can simultaneously record the intracellular electrical activity of multiple excitable cells with ultra-microelectrodes that can be as small as an axon (ca. 2µm). The outstanding electrochemical properties of the synthesized hybrid-nanomaterials allow us to develop highly efficient catalysts, that can be deployed as electrical sensors and (chemical) actuators. We demonstrated sensors capable of exploring brain chemistry and sensors/actuators that are deployed in a large volumetric muscle loss animal model. In summary, the exceptional synthetic control and flexible assembly of nanomaterials provide powerful tools for fundamental studies and applications in life science and potentially seamlessly merge nanomaterials-based platforms with cells, fusing nonliving and living systems together.