Carbon Cybernetics has created an implanted gadget that can monitor individual brain cells’ activity. The firm is working on a device that will predict and prevent epileptic seizures.
An array of 32 flexible carbon fibre electrodes is used in the implant. They’re small enough to record individual brain cells’ activity. The implant does not trigger an immune response since carbon fibre is biocompatible.
Epilepsy affects up to 50 million individuals globally. A third of them are unable to manage their seizures with medicines. They also have no idea when a seizure may happen. This makes avoiding harmful situations, keeping a career, and making plans difficult.
Metal electrodes are commonly used in current seizure prediction methods. They are worn on or under the scalp and are used to monitor a person’s brain activity. These electrodes, on the other hand, are quite large. They can only detect average electrical activity patterns across huge areas of the brain. They’re also not sensitive enough to accurately assess electrical activity in order to effectively forecast seizures.
Carbon Cybernetics’ brain implant is based on research done by Professor Steven Prawer, Associate Professor David Garrett, and a team of academics. Materials science, physics, chemistry, biomedical engineering, brain modelling, and clinical neuroscience are among their specialities.
Carbon Cybernetics was formed in 2018 by four researchers from the University of Melbourne.
