New Jersey Institute of Technology

Mesut Sahin

Selim M Unlu

Ali Ersen

Ammar R Abdo

David S Freedman

The present disclosure provides advantageous optical conduit assemblies (e.g., biocompatible and implantable optical conduit assemblies), and related methods of use. More particularly, the present disclosure provides advantageous optical conduit assemblies (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane ('PDMS')-based optical conduit assemblies) configured to power implantable devices (e.g., neural micro-stimulators or deep brain stimulators or the like) or to be used in optogenetic stimulation. In general, the exemplary optical conduit assemblies can be used for applications where energy needs to be transmitted to deep locations inside the body or brain without using electrical wires. Therefore, implantable devices that need to be powered (e.g., neural prosthetics) can be powered from an external light source using an optical conduit and an optical-to-electrical converter (e.g., a photodiode) attached to the end of the optical conduit on the inside.

Biocompatible and implantable optical conduits

Stimulation of the central nervous system can be useful for treating neurological disorders. Wireless neurostimulating devices have the benefit that they can float in tissue and do not experience the sheering caused by tethering tension that connecting wires impose on the stimulators. An optically powered, logic controlled, CMOS microdevice that can decode telemetry data from an optical packet is a way of implementing wireless, addressable, microstimulators. Through the use of an optical packet, different devices can be addressed for stimulation, allowing spatially selective activation of neural tissue. The present invention, involves such a neural stimulation device, specifically an optically powered CMOS circuit that decodes telemetry data and determines whether it has been addressed.

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Clifton, NJ, United States of America

Mesut Sahin