Innovative Brain-on-a-Chip Technologies in Assessing Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Brain-on-a-chip (BoC) devices nourish the dream of establishing a realistic model of the human brain in-vitro where electronic chips and the nerve cells establish a close physical interaction. In fact, over the last decade the realm of brain-on-a-chip (BoC) technologies has grown significantly because of the advantage to study human cell lines directly. Compared to other organ models, however, modelling the brain in-vitro is vastly more complex due to is multiscale nature of the brain, consisting of different functional units, different cell types and its complex microenvironment and we are far from having complex models in-vitro. Yet simplified models such as brain organoids provide an extremely valuable platform for research applications such as disease modelling and preclinical drug testing even though they may not render the entire function of the brain.

The technological task in engineering BoC-platforms is to provide a device that enables the precise and controlled manipulation of the biological system while simultaneously enabling the sensing of the relevant biological parameters. For example, electrospun nanofiber electrodes in the organoid scaffold can provide neurostimulation and neuromonitoring. Advanced signal processing and closed-loop control of the neurostimulation can provide controlled growth, recording, and stimulation of nerve cells. Thus, BoC-platforms require multi-compatibility to facilitate the seamless interfacing of the biological system with the technological platform. Development and fabrication of novel BoC-platforms is challenging; however, latest rapid prototyping technologies offer new possibilities. This includes the introduction of many new materials, and the time from design to assembly has reduced to a great extent. At the same time the toolset of biotechnology is increasing with rapid pace which opens new methodologies for research applications. Consequently, BoC-technology is currently a rapidly evolving research area with highly promising novel developments for research and industrial applications. 

The aim of this special issue is to provide a platform for the latest developments in the field of BoC-technology, viz. signal processing, electronics, microlithography, materials science, and to concentrate the output on recent advancements. This includes latest developments on the biological level as well as on the technological level

Dr. Anirban Dutta
Dr. Saravana Kumar Jaganathan
Dr. Erwin Fuhrer
Guest Editors

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• brain-on-a-chip
• in vitro human brain
• neurostimulation
• neuromonitoring
• microenvironment