@article{cc81bae37db1462a9b7070bd7dd46a2a,
title = "Shape-conformal porous frameworks for full coverage of neural organoids and high-resolution electrophysiology",
abstract = "Human neural organoids are essential platforms for fundamental and applied research due partly to their complex, three-dimensional neuronal circuit geometries. Standard and recently developed neural interface technologies have shortcomings in their ability to electrically characterize and control neural activity in these systems, owing to their limited accessibility to neuron populations and microelectrode densities. Here we report a shape-matched, soft, three-dimensional mesoscale framework with nearly full surface coverage to neural organoids that supports high channel count interfaces for precision electrophysiology and programmed electrical stimulation. The neural interface is designed via inverse modelling techniques and self-assembles three-dimensionally around the organoids. Three-dimensional reconstruction of neural activities allows high-resolution spatial electrophysiology to reveal network-level characteristics in neural organoids. The porous framework offers options for simultaneous fluorescence imaging, localized optogenetic neuromodulation, longitudinal monitoring, pharmacological evaluations and modelling of neural disease phenotypes, demonstrating broad applicability for studies of human-derived cortical and spinal organoids.",
author = "Naijia Liu and Shahrzad Shiravi and Tianqi Jin and Jiaqi Liu and Zhengguang Zhu and Jiying Li and Ingrid Cheung and Haohui Zhang and Yue Wang and Qingyuan Li and Zijie Xu and Liangsong Zeng and Quezada, \{Maria Jose\} and Andres Villalobos and Yasaman Samei and Shreyaa Khanna and Shuozhen Bao and Mingzheng Wu and Sida Liang and Xu Cheng and Zengyao Lv and Maeng, \{Woo Youl\} and Yamin Zhang and Haiwen Luan and Boppart, \{Stephen A.\} and Yonggang Huang and Yihui Zhang and Franz, \{Colin K.\} and Finan, \{John D.\} and Rogers, \{John A\}",
note = "We thank members of the Rogers Lab, Finan Lab, Franz Lab and Huang Lab for helpful discussions and technical support. We thank T. Osaki for helpful discussions on data analysis. Microfabrication in this work was performed at the NUFAB facility of Northwestern University{\textquoteright}s NUANCE Center, with support from the SHyNE Resource (NSF ECCS-2025633), the IIN, and Northwestern{\textquoteright}s MRSEC programme (NSF DMR-2308691). Micro-CT characterizations were performed at the Imaging Technology Group at Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Northwestern University Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging (RRID: SCR\_021192) generously supported by NCI CCSG P30 CA060553 awarded to the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. This work was supported by the Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (N.L., J.Liu, Z.Z., J.Li, Y.W., Q.L., Z.X., L.Z., M.W., Ya.Z., H.L. and J.A.R.), the National Institutes of Health under award number R011NS113935 (N.L., S.S., Y.S., S.K., C.K.F. and J.D.F.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant number 12225206 (T.J., X.C. and Yi.Z.), the New Cornerstone Science Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZE (T.J., X.C. and Yi.Z.), the Belle Carnell Regenerative Neurorehabilitation Fund (I.C., M.J.Q. and C.K.F.), the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (A.V.), the NIH/NIBIB Center for Label-free Imaging and Multiscale Biophotonics (CLIMB), P41EB031772 (S.A.B. and J.A.R.), and the Haythornthwaite Foundation Research Initiation Grant (H.L.).",
year = "2026",
month = feb,
day = "18",
doi = "10.1038/s41551-026-01620-y",
language = "English (US)",
journal = "Nature biomedical engineering",
issn = "2157-846X",
publisher = "Nature Research",
}