Researchers found wireless nanorod-nanotube film enables light to stimulate blind eye tissue, potentially leading to the development of artificial retinas for the visually impaired.
The newly-developed light-sensitive film could one day act as a prosthetic for individuals suffering from retinal damage or degeneration, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reported. The retina is a layer of tissue that works to covert electrical impulses using light-sensitive nerve cells, and sends the signal to the brain.
Medical researchers are currently working to design devices to counter the effects of retinal disorders by sending visual signals to the brain, but these devices are usually too large and rigid to be effectively used in the sensitive eye tissue.
This new innovation absorbs light and stimulates neurons without requiring an external power source. In order to achieve this the researchers combined semiconductor nanorods and carbon nanotubes to create a "wireless, light-sensitive, flexible implantable film" that transforms visual stimuli into electric signals, mimicking the function of the retina.
The device was tested on light-insensitive retinas from embryonic chicks and proved to elicit a neuronal response when exposed to light. The new device is conveniently compact and capable of higher resolution and a greater stimulation of neurons than earlier models.
"This is a pioneering work demonstrating the use of highly tailored semiconductor nanocrystals in activation of biomedical functionalities. We hope this can lead to future implementation of this approach in retinal implants," said Professor Uri Banin of the Hebrew University.
The device still requires a great deal of work, but the researchers nanotube-semiconductor nanocrystals film will one day be used to replaced damaged human retinas.
The researchers received funding from the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, the European Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The study was published in a recent edition of the journal Nano Letters.
