Researchers from Switzerland and the United States have developed a groundbreaking cochlear implant designed to restore hearing in patients with severe limitations.
Globally, around 500,000 people live with disabling hearing loss. Cochlear implants help many with severe cases or tinnitus regain partial hearing. However, they fall short for those with damaged ear canals or inner ear dysfunction.
In such cases, auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) stimulate the auditory brainstem directly. Yet, these neuroprostheses often underperform due to challenges in accessing and conforming to the target area.
On October 16, 2019, experts from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital announced their innovation in a press release. This new-generation hearing implant promises exceptional performance.
The team created a flexible electronic interface to address ABI shortcomings, specifically designed to conform to the curved surface of the auditory brainstem. The challenge was softening a rigid metal device—platinum electrodes on plastic sheets. Drawing from Japanese kirigami techniques, they etched Y-shaped patterns at the micron scale for unprecedented flexibility, as shown in the images.
This remains a prototype, with human trials anticipated soon. The technology also holds potential for stimulating or recording activity in the spine, brain, or peripheral nerves.
Sources: Medical Xpress – Century Digital
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