Call for Papers

Please contact the symposium organizers with questions.

Neuroscientists have recently made significant progress in understanding how brain circuits govern different aspects of normal and abnormal behaviors utilizing new neural interfacing tools. On the other hand, clinical doctors have also started to apply the newly developed neural interfacing technologies for diagnostics, monitoring, and treatment of neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimber’s disease, epilepsy, and depression. Advanced biomaterials and bioelectronics are playing increasingly significant roles in neural interfacing technology developments, with examples ranging from conductive polymers for low impedance neural recording interface, flexible/stretchable electronics for biocompatible neural interface with minimal immune response, to magnetic nanoparticles based technology for non-invasive neural stimulation. However, there are still pressing needs for developing new neural interfacing systems that combine multiple desirable properties for neural recordings and modulation, such as high spatiotemporal resolution, cell-type specificity, large areas, minimum invasiveness, and long-term stability. The focus of this symposium will discuss the current materials-enabled approaches for achieving unprecedented performance in these desirable properties, including the design of advanced nanomaterials and organic materials, novel fabrication technologies for electronic devices, innovative formulation strategies for therapeutic delivery to the nervous system, as well as synergistic strategies that combine the innovations of materials science and genetic/protein engineering. These emerging neural interfacing approaches encompass a wide range of modalities, ranging from electrical, optical, magnetic, to ultrasound. With these emerging neural interfacing technologies, we expect future abilities to study the brain and treat neurological diseases with heretofore impossible resolution and precision.

Topics will include:

• Conductive polymers for neural interfacing
• Flexible and stretchable bioelectronics fabrication
• Stimuli-responsive (optical/magnetic/ultrasound) nanomaterials for neuromodulation
• Cell-type specific neuromodulation
• Drug/gene delivery materials for neural interfacing
• Neural electrode developments
• Minimally-invasive neural interfacing method
• Integrated Devices with multiple neural interfacing modality

Invited Speakers (tentative):

• Polina Anikeeva (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
• Zhenan Bao (Stanford University, USA)
• Jinwoo Cheon (Yonsei University, Republic of Korea)
• Bianxiao Cui (Stanford University, USA)
• Shaoyi Jiang (Cornell University, USA)
• Won Jong Kim (Pohang University of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
• Stéphanie P. Lacour (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Hyunjoo (Jenny) Lee (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)
• Nanshu Lu (The University of Texas at Austin, USA)
• John Madden (The University of British Columbia, Canada)
• George Malliaras (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
• Jacob Robinson (Rice University, USA)
• John A. Rogers (Northwestern University, USA)
• Takao Someya (The University of Tokyo, Japan)
• Bozhi Tian (The University of Chicago, USA)
• Chong Xie (Rice University, USA)
• Xuanhe Zhao (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)

Symposium Organizers