Abstract: Establishing a reliable bidirectional communication interface between the nervous system and electronic devices is crucial for exploiting the full potential of neurotechnology. Despite recent advancements, current technologies evidence important shortcomings, e.g. suboptimal focal stimulation, low signal-to-noise ratio, etc. Thus, efforts to explore novel materials are essential for the development of next-generation neural interfaces. Graphene and graphene-based materials possess a very attractive set of physicochemical properties holding great potential for biomedical applications, in particular for implantable neural interfaces. This presentation provides an overview on fundamentals and applications of several graphene-based technologies and devices aiming at developing an efficient bidirectional communication with the nervous system. The main goal of this talk is to discuss opportunities of graphene-based neurotechnology in neuroscience and implantable medical applications, and at the same time to identify the main challenges ahead.
Bio: Jose A. Garrido is an ICREA Research Professor and leader of the ICN2 Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices Group, which explores novel electronic materials, such as graphene and other 2D materials, and their potential in electronic and bioelectronic applications.
He received his Master’s and PhD degrees in Telecommunication Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 1996 and 2000, respectively. From 2001 to 2004 he worked as a postdoc at the Walter Schottky Institute, Technische Universität München (Germany). He obtained his habilitation in experimental physics at this university in 2010 and from 2011 to 2015 held a lecturer (privatdozent) position at its department of physics.
In 2015 Jose A. Garrido joined the ICN2 where, in addition to his role as Group Leader, he is Vice-Director. He was the coordinator of the European project BrainCom (finished in April 2022), in which 10 institutions from 6 countries participated in the development of a brain implant that allows verbal communication in patients with aphasia. He was also the leader of the GraphCAT project (finished in June 2022), which is part of a large initiative of the Catalan government aiming at supporting emerging communities with large innovation potential. The project involves over 20 institutions including industry and academia.