Stretchable and transparent biointerface using cell-sheet-graphene hybrid for electrophysiology and therapy of skeletal muscle

Abstract

Implantable electronic devices for recording electrophysiological signals and for stimulating muscles and nerves have been widely used throughout clinical medicine. Mechanical mismatch between conventional rigid biomedical devices and soft curvilinear tissues, however, has frequently resulted in a low signal to noise ratio and/or mechanical fatigue and scarring. Multi-functionality ranging from various sensing modalities to therapeutic functions is another important goal for implantable biomedical devices. Here, a stretchable and transparent medical device using a cell-sheet-graphene hybrid is reported, which can be implanted to form a high quality biotic/abiotic interface. The hybrid is composed of a sheet of C2C12 myoblasts on buckled, mesh-patterned graphene electrodes. The graphene electrodes monitor and actuate the C2C12 myoblasts in vitro, serving as a smart cell culture substrate that controls their aligned proliferation and differentiation. This stretchable and transparent cell-sheet-graphene hybrid can be transplanted onto the target muscle tissue, to record electromyographical signals, and stimulate implanted sites electrically and/or optically in vivo. Additional cellular therapeutic effect of the cell-sheet-graphene hybrid is obtained by integrated myobalst cell sheets. Any immune responses within implanted muscle tissues are not observed. This multifunctional device provides many new opportunities in the emerging field of soft bioelectronics.