Blood Aids Polymer Creation to Modulate Neurons

Sanket Samal and colleagues report a method for assembling a conductive polymer (CP) within embryonic and brain tissues of living zebrafish and mice, using natural blood proteins and whole blood as catalysts. The researchers show that these in vivo-assembled polymers, interfacing with neurons, can be targeted with near-infrared light to selectively and reversibly control neuronal activity in living mice. The blood-catalyzed system offers "a promising pathway to seamlessly integrate electronics into living tissues by creating functional synthetic CPs directly within biological systems," write Samal et al. Researchers are interested in expanding the use of CPs for bioelectronic devices, because they are biocompatible and stable in biofluid environments and offer precise electronic communication needed for neuromodulation. Building these polymer interfaces inside the body from the start could increase their biocompatibility and reduce the use of residual, potentially toxic catalyst materials. Samal et al. demonstrated this approach by creating n-doped poly(benzodifurandione) (n-PBDF) with hemoprotein catalysts, resulting in stable and ionically sensitive CP networks. Guglielmo Lanzani and Maria Rosa Antognazza discuss how this technique could be optimized for neuromodulation and regenerative medicine in a related Perspective.