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Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have developed ultrasensitive nanoscale optical probes to monitor the bioelectric activity of neurons and other excitable cells. This novel readout technology could enable scientists to study how neural circuits function at an unprecedented scale by monitoring large numbers of individual neurons simultaneously. It could also lead to high-bandwidth brain-machine interfaces with dramatically enhanced precision and functionality. Monitoring the electrical activity of neurons is conventionally done using microelectrode arrays, but these are difficult to implement at a large scale and offer limited spatial resolution. In addition, the electronic wiring required for readout is a major limitation...

CLEMSON, S.C., July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Clemson University a $1.6 million contract for implantable biochip research. The award given the university's Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips is for an implantable biochip that can relay vital health information if a soldier is wounded in battle or a civilian is hurt in an accident. The biochip, about the size of a grain of rice, is to be designed to measure and relay such information as blood lactate and glucose levels in the event of a major hemorrhage. Professor Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, the center's director, said the...