Plasmonic Stimulation of Cells Using Gold Nanoparticles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current neural prosthetic devices, such as cochlear implants and cardiac pacemakers, face challenges with electrical stimulation, including low spatial resolution and potential tissue damage due to invasive electrodes and bulk heating from infrared light, which complicates the stimulation of discrete auditory nerve fibers and peripheral nerves.
Innovation Solution
The use of plasmonic gold nanoparticles with visible wavelength light to stimulate electrically active cells, allowing for non-invasive, localized heating and improved spatial resolution through surface plasmon resonance, enabling the development of wireless, high-resolution prosthetic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If electrical stimulation is used to stimulate auditory nerve fibers, then neural prosthetic devices can function, but spatial resolution is low and tissue damage occurs due to current spread and invasive electrodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical stimulation system with an optical system. Gold nanoparticles coated on electrodes are illuminated with laser light to generate localized heat through photothermal conversion, which then stimulates neural tissue optically rather than electrically, eliminating current spread and improving spatial resolution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the stimulation effect to a very small region. The gold nanoparticle coating on the electrode tip creates highly localized heating when illuminated, allowing stimulation of specific auditory nerve fibers without affecting surrounding tissue, thus achieving high spatial resolution
2Ease of operation
If infrared light is used for stimulation, then non-invasive stimulation is achieved, but bulk heating of tissue occurs complicating discrete fiber stimulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses gold nanoparticles coated on the electrode tip to convert light energy into localized heat at the nanoparticle level. This creates a highly focused heating zone at the electrode-tissue interface without bulk heating of surrounding tissue, enabling non-invasive stimulation with high spatial precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the wavelength parameter from infrared to visible light (532 nm green laser). This visible light wavelength is strongly absorbed by gold nanoparticles through surface plasmon resonance, enabling efficient photothermal conversion at the nanoparticle level while avoiding the bulk heating problems associated with infrared light
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Plasmonic stimulation achieves superior spatial and temporal resolution, avoids tissue heating, and provides a wireless method for stimulating neurons and cardiomyocytes, potentially revolutionizing neural prosthetics and diagnostic tools.
Implementation Method 1
plasmonic gold nanoparticles with visible wavelength light to stimulate electrically active cells, allowing for non-invasive, localized heating and improved spatial resolution through surface plasmon resonance
Implementation Method 2
The likely mechanism of infrared stimulation is a temperature rise due to photothermal interaction and membrane capacitance changes
Implementation Method 3
plasmonic stimulation of electrically excitable biological cells using visible wavelength light
Data Source
AI summary
A novel method to stimulate electrically active biological cells using visible wavelength light and metallic nanoparticles possessing plasmonic properties is presented herein. Using this technology, prosthetic devices such as cochlear and retinal implants and cardiac pacemakers can be developed to have superior properties as compared to the currently utilized electrical stimulation designs. These properties include improved spatial resolution; less or non-invasive devices; and higher fidelity of transduction. An additional advantage of using visible light wavelengths is the avoidance of unwanted heating of surrounding tissue that occurs with infrared stimulation.