DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.obe.2022.008
Publication date: 14th January 2022
The interface between biological cells and non-biological materials has profound influences on cellular activities, chronic tissue responses, and ultimately the success of medical implants and bioelectronic devices. The optimal coupling between cells and materials is mainly based on surface interaction, electrical communication and sensing1.
In the last years, many efforts have been devoted to engineer materials to recapitulate both the environment (i.e., dimensionality, curvature, dynamicity)2 and the functionalities (i.e., long and short term synaptic plasticity)3 of the neuronal tissue to ensure a better integration of the bioelectronic platform and cells. In this scenario, resembling the operation and the composition of the neuronal membrane might be beneficial to reconstitute synaptic proteins’ arrangement (i.e. synaptic receptors) and electronic functionalities to further optimize the communication between neuronal cells and in vitro bioelectronic platforms2.
Here, we explore how organic neuromorphic devices and supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) can recapitulate short and long term plasticity in biohybrid synapses.
Through the neurotransmitters’ oxidation (i.e. catecholamines) first, we were capable of modulating the synaptic potentiation and ultimately the coupling with biological cells to form a functional synapse.
and artificial membranes we were capable of tuning the response of a neuromorphic platform to modulate its conductance over time. Then, we functionalized the organic neuromorphic transistor with a supported lipid bilayer and investigated how the PEDOT:PSS – artificial membrane interface can affect the ion flow and thus the device’s conductance over time and the short term plasticity of the biohybrid synapse.
In turn, this could represent a first step toward in vitro adaptive neurohybrid interfaces to engineering neuronal networks with biomimetic structural and functional connections at synaptic level.
References
1. Lubrano, C. et al. Towards biomimetic electronics that emulate cells. MRS Commun. 10, 398–412 (2020).
2. Mariano, A. et al. Advances in cell-conductive polymer biointerfaces and role of the plasma membrane (2021).
3. Keene, S. T. A biohybrid synapse with neurotransmitter-mediated plasticity. Nat. Mater. 19, 16 (2020).
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