Raudel Avila retweetet
Our latest paper appeared today as a cover (inside front) feature article in Advanced Functional Materials, titled “A Bioresorbable Neural Interface for On-Demand Thermal Pain Block.” The focus is on a bioresorbable, implantable form of neural electronics that supports precisely controlled, reversible thermal modulation to achieve action potential block in peripheral nerves for acute pain management. The integration of a microscale heater–sensor pair in a cuff geometry enables dynamic and on-demand regulation of localized Joule heating with real-time feedback control, maintaining safe therapeutic temperatures. Wireless operation through a resorbable receiving coil with a voltage-regulating component ensures stable power transfer and reliable performance, establishing a practical route toward untethered and clinically deployable operation. The broader significance lies in demonstrating that heat, rather than electricity, can serve as a potentially safe and reversible, non-pharmacological mechanism for neuromodulation, thereby opening new directions for bioresorbable device design in pain control, post-surgical recovery, and other transient therapeutic interventions. As with much of our work in this area, the project involved a highly collaborative effort, in this case originally started by Prof. Geumbee Lee (former postdoc, now on the faculty at Kyungpook National University) and subsequently led by Dr. Jeonghwan Park (postdoc in the group), Dr. @HakYoung_Ahn (postdoc in the group), Prof. Minho Seong (former postdoc, now on the faculty at @PusanUni) and Dr. Taehoon Kim (postdoc in the group) for experimental work; by Yulin Zhou (PhD student with Prof. @AvilaROAD) for modeling efforts; and by Yamen Xu (former MS student in the group, and PhD student with Prof. Matthew MacEwan) for animal model evaluations. Per the full author list, many other people also contributed in important ways. For senior collaborators, we thank Prof. @AvilaROAD (former co-mentored PhD student with Prof. Yonggang Huang, now on the faculty at @RiceUniversity) for modeling and Prof. Matthew MacEwan (Washington University in St. Louis medical school) and Prof. Wilson Z. Ray (Washington University in St. Louis medical school) for medical insights and animal work.
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