Researchers affiliated with the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden (IPF) and the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health at TU Dresden have developed a 3D printed implant prototype that records brain activity and delivers targeted cooling in a single device. The approach could lead to alternative treatments for drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

The study, carried out with researchers from the University of Sheffield, set out a design framework for building multimodal implants with 3D printing.

Using that framework, the researchers produced a miniaturized focal brain cooling implant that combined soft silicone structures, fluidic channels and electronic components. An auxiliary driver unit allowed the implant’s recording and cooling functions to be monitored and controlled autonomously. 

Compared with previously proposed systems, the manufacturing route could reduce implant complexity, fabrication time and device size, said the research team.

The system was first validated through finite element simulations and agar-based tissue models, which showed rapid, stable and localized cooling. In later experiments on a rodent model of epilepsy, the implant’s 3D printed composite electrodes captured electrocorticography recordings of comparable quality to those from a commercial system. The researchers also showed that focal cooling suppressed experimentally induced seizure-like activity.

The team said the results pointed to 3D printing as a viable route to compact, multifunctional medical implants and a basis for further development toward clinical applications. The European Research Council funded the work through the ERC Starting Grant IntegraBrain.