MULTI-SITE, NEUROTRANSMITTER-BASED RETINAL INTERFACE

摘要

Nearly all retinal prosthetics have focused on electrical stimulation of the nervous system. We are developing a novel prosthetic interface for the retina based on neurotransmitter delivery. In the past, we have demonstrated the ability to stimulate individual rat pheochromacytoma cells (PC12 cell line) using microfluidic delivery through micron-sized apertures. This delivery was highly reproducible, very controllable, and quantifiable. But this early stage device was limited to a single stimulation site and crude microfluidics. Here, we present the next stage in microfluidic retinal prosthetics with a multi-stimulation site device that incorporates more advanced control over the microfluidic delivery. We created an array of apertures in a thin silicon nitride membrane, to which we can deliver neurotransmitters in an addressable manner. Excitable cells (PC12) are seeded on the device and imaged using Ca~(2+)-sensitive dyes with a confocal microscope. We can then excite the cells at an array of multiple precise locations near the apertures, demonstrating the next step in neurotransmitter-based retinal prosthetics.