Research on new artificial retina

Research project of the Technical University of Munich for the development of an artificial retina

08/11/2014

The material graphene opens up new possibilities in medicine. Now researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have used the special properties of graphene to produce central components of an artificial retina. The „miracle material“ forms the interface to the optic nerve. With their research project, TUM scientists became part of the multi-billion euro EU flagship program „graphs“ recorded.

Graphene has quickly gained a reputation as a wonder material due to its special properties. Because the material is thin, transparent, flexible and a hundred times more tensile than steel and also more conductive than copper, reports the Technical University of Munich. Because graphene consists of only one layer of carbon atoms, it is considered two-dimensional, according to the University's announcement. Already in 2010, the scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for their pioneering work on this material. Now an artificial retina is to be produced from it.

„Especially for medical applications, the unusual properties of graphene offer many applications“, according to the TUM. The scientists of the Walter Schottky Institute of the TUM under the direction of Jose A. Garrido, in collaboration with partners from the Institut de la vision of the Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris and the French company Pixium Vision, has now begun to produce central components of an artificial graphene retina.

Artificial retina as visual prosthesis
An artificial retina provides blind people whose optic nerve is still intact, the opportunity to see again. The retina implants serve as a kind of visual prosthesis. „They convert the light impulses that hit the retina from outside into electrical impulses, which are then transmitted via the optic nerve to the brain“, reports the TUM. In the brain, the impulses or information would eventually be transformed into images. However, previous implants failed to meet expectations. „Although there are already some approaches for the implants, however, these are often rejected by the body, and they usually do not have the capacity to allow optimal signal transmission“, This is the message of the Technical University of Munich.

Graphene with good biocompatibility
In contrast to traditional materials, graphene offers good biocompatibility due to its high flexibility and chemical resistance, the researchers report. The good conductivity of the graphene at the interface ensures efficient communication between the retina implant and nerve tissue. The inclusion of the ambitious research project in the „graphs“-Flagship program of the FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) initiative of the EU, shows what potential is also seen by others in the new artificial retina. With a billion euros, the program bundled under the leadership of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden will be funded over a period of ten years. In June 2014, 66 new partners were added to the program. (Fp)