MICROELECTORODE ARRAY, METHODS FOR PREPARING THE SAME AND USES THEREOF

• US 20120004716A1
• Filed: 03/15/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rutgers University
• Original Assignee: Rutgers University
• Inventors: Firestein-Miller, Bonnie L., Langhammer, Christopher, Zahn, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/148
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0531 Brain cortex electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes

Abstract

A microelectrode array having a substrate with a plurality of grooves and a plurality of electrical contact pads, the grooves each with at least one electrode electrically connected to at least one of the electrical contact pads, each of the grooves containing at least one myotube that overlays the at least one electrode.

Claims

1. A microelectrode array comprising a substrate, the substrate comprising a plurality of grooves and a plurality of electrical contact pads, the grooves each comprising at least one electrode electrically connected to at least one of the electrical contact pads, each of the grooves containing at least one myotube that overlays the at least one electrode.

2. The microelectrode array of claim 1, wherein the myotubes are independent from one another.

3. The microelectrode array of claim 2 wherein the grooves have widths that are between 30 μ

m and 150 μ

m.

4. The microelectrode array of claim 3 wherein the grooves have widths that are between 30 μ

m and 70 μ

m.

5. The microelectrode array of claim 1, wherein the substrate is flexible and rolled into a cylinder such that the myotubes are trapped inside resulting channels.

6. The microelectrode array of claim 1, wherein at least one of the myotubes is attached to a peripheral nerve.

7. The microelectrode array of claim 1 further comprising a laminin layer.

8. The microelectrode array of claim 1 wherein the plurality of grooves are connected to a neural explant region on the substrate.

9. The microelectrode array of claim 1 wherein the neural explant region comprises neural tissue that couples to the myotubes.

10. A neural interface method comprising:

causing neural tissue to couple with skeletal-muscular tissue disposed on a substrate and in electrical contact with at least an electrode on the substrate; and

utilizing electrical signal information generated by the at least an electrode from the skeletal-muscular tissue to infer corresponding neuronal firing information of the neural tissue.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the skeletal-muscular tissue is at least a myotube.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising using topographical formations on the substrate to guide the at least a myotube to the at least an electrode.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of grooves, each groove comprising at least one electrode, and each of the grooves contains at least one myotube that overlays the at least one electrode.

14. A method of integrating muscle cells with a microelectrode array (MEA) comprising disposing topographical formations on a substrate comprising an MEA design to guide myotubes to predetermined locations on the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein each of the predetermined locations comprises at least a respective electrode.