| WARF: P04200US |  |
| Microfluidic Device for High Resolution, In Vitro Monitoring of Neuronal Tissue |
| INVENTORS | • | Justin Williams, David Beebe, Stephen Johnson |
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial partners interested in developing an in vitro device for examining and testing a slice of brain tissue.
OVERVIEW
Neuroscientists often study individual neurons in brain tissue in vitro. In order to reveal the cellular mechanisms underlying neural network reconfiguration, plasticity and behavior, many neurons must be stimulated simultaneously. However, current techniques of studying multiple neurons suffer from poor temporal resolution or provide little control over the stimulation of receptors.
THE INVENTION
UW-Madison researchers have developed an in vitro device for examining and testing a slice of brain tissue, which delivers precise amounts of chemical stimuli to neurons with a high degree of spatial and temporal resolution. The device combines the localized drug delivery capability of microfluidics with multi-channel neural recordings.The device includes a chamber and microfluidic channels that communicate with the chamber. A support structure within the chamber holds the slice of brain tissue and includes an array of electrodes that engages the slice, allowing for multi-channel electrical recording and stimulation of the slice at each of the electrode sites within the microfluidic channels. The microfluidic channels allow many parallel, but independent, laminar fluid streams to flow across the surface of the brain slice. Special valves enable a highly focused stream of chemicals to flow across the slice at any desired location while being pulsed with high temporal resolution.
APPLICATIONS
- Studying brain tissue in vitro
- May lead to new discoveries in fields such as learning, memory, motor control, pain and principles of neural function
KEY BENEFITS
- Inexpensive, versatile and easy to use
- Specific portions of neural networks in vitro can be rapidly and reversibly exposed to different drugs in various combinations, at different doses, and within a time-frame of milliseconds to minutes.
- Multiple chemical agents can be delivered simultaneously to different areas.
- Specific areas can be selectively deprived of nutrients for a precise period of time, while other areas are simultaneously pulsed with chemical agents.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Status
Tech Fields
Micro & Nanotech - Microfluidics
Analytical Instrumentation - Microfluidics
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact our team at
licensing@warf.org
or phone 608.262.4924. (Clicking this link will open a contact form in a popup window. If you have problems viewing the form, try disabling your popup blocker software.)
Since its founding in 1925 as the patenting and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF has been working with business and industry to transform university research into products that benefit society. WARF intellectual property managers and licensing staff members are leaders in the field of university-based technology transfer. They are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have worked with researchers in relevant disciplines, understand industries and markets, and have negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the individual needs of business clients.
