Optogenetics, the ability to use light to trigger specific neurons thanks to a bit of genetic modification, has appeared as a promising new tool for studying the nervous system and may serve as a platform for creating therapeutic devices to address various conditions. A major problem with this technology is being able to deliver light into the body of a live animal without tethering it with fiberoptics or implanting large battery powered devices.
At Stanford researchers created a device weighing only 20 milligrams and taking up 10 mm3 in volume that can be implanted and then wirelessly powered to emit a blue light on command. This allows the animal to be free to move about and not carry a heavy load that can make experiments difficult to perform.
The implants are powered by a microwave chamber with a novel metal lid that has holes smaller than the frequency of the microwaves being produced. This shields the animal from the radiation, making it safe to be on top of the unit. But, when the body of the animal makes contact with the top plate, some energy leaks through, but only enough to power the tiny blue LED. The animal is not irradiated and there’s no significant heating produced around the implant.
The researchers tested three different implants on the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves of lab mice with great success, paving the way for considerably easier use of optogenetics in research and for various applications we can only imagine.
Flashback: Wireless Light Source Frees Optogenetics Research…
Study in Nature Methods: Wirelessly powered, fully internal optogenetics for brain, spinal and peripheral circuits in mice…
Source: Stanford…