Researchers from the Liu lab at Harvard have grown organoids with fully integrated sensors that grow with the developing cells, giving them the unique ability to study the early stages of organ development. Organoids are 3D clusters of cells that grow and organize to mimic a functional tissue; essentially small, simplified organs. These miniaturized tissues have found wide use in developmental studies, disease modeling, drug screening, and more.

This work is the first time that sensors have been embedded in organoids to study electrophysiology with single-cell and millisecond spatiotemporal resolution. This allows the researchers to continuously monitor cellular dynamics and understand how individual cells interact during the developmental process. This level of monitoring throughout the tissue has not previously been achieved because local implantation of stiff electrodes can destroy cellular networks. The present invention employs soft, stretchable mesh nanoelectronics across the entire organoid with minimal impact on tissue growth and differentiation. This significant advance opens numerous possibilities for organoids to be used in innovative ways, such as fundamental developmental studies, precision medicine, and organ transplantation.

This work has been published in ACS Nano Letters and highlighted in the Harvard Gazette.