ICN2 and its spin-off company, INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, have recently announced the successful completion and results of MINIGRAPH (Minimally Invasive Neuromodulation Implant and implantation procedure based on ground-breaking GRAPHene technology for treating brain disorders), a European Innovation Council-funded project.

The MINIGRAPH consortium developed ultra-thin graphene neural interfaces, implantable electronics and autonomous software, together with a minimally invasive robotic implantation procedure designed to enable more precise and potentially more scalable deployment of next-generation brain-computer interfaces.

Using Parkinson’s disease as its initial application, MINIGRAPH took an integrated approach to developing autonomous therapeutics. Deep brain stimulation is already used to treat Parkinson’s disease, but next-generation autonomous therapies will require new chronic, implantable medical-grade systems capable of precisely recording neural activity, interpreting those signals and delivering targeted neuromodulation in response.

Coordinated by ICN2, the consortium included INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, imec, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Leiden University Medical Center, ETH Zurich, NanoFlex Robotics and Palacký University Olomouc. At ICN2, the project involved the Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices Group, which led the project coordination, as well as the Nanomedicine Lab.

“As BCI technologies move toward patients, making them available to more people will depend not only on our ability to manufacture advanced devices, but also on developing precise and reproducible ways to implant them,” said ICREA Prof. Jose A. Garrido, Vice-Director of ICN2 and Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of INBRAIN. “MINIGRAPH brought together the neural interface, intelligent electronics, autonomous software and robotics as a single integrated system. This work helps build the foundation for autonomous neurotherapeutics that can decode neural activity and deliver precise neuromodulation that can be accessible to more patients at scale.”

Advancing beyond conventional metal electrodes with graphene

A major focus of MINIGRAPH was the development and evaluation of graphene-based neural interfaces designed to address limitations of existing electrode materials.

At the core of the project was INBRAIN’s proprietary graphene-based thin-film neural electrode technology, which formed the foundation for both cortical and subcortical neural probes. The consortium generated data supporting more than 10 years of projected stability through accelerated ageing tests, alongside functional performance demonstrated in laboratory and preclinical studies. The project also conducted extensive toxicity and biocompatibility studies at cellular and molecular levels to support the safety evaluation of graphene-based neural technologies.

Developing new robotic approach to implant ultra-thin neural interfaces

NanoFlex Robotics and ETH Zurich developed the robotic implantation system for the MINIGRAPH graphene neural electrodes, based on remote magnetic navigation. They contributed the electromagnetic Robotic Interventional System and led development of the human-machine interface. MINIGRAPH developed a robotic surgical procedure for minimally invasive implantation of ultra-thin cortical and subcortical neural probes.

The consortium adapted a magnetic carrier to deploy the ultra-thin probes and developed a robotic system designed to guide cortical and subcortical implants along straight and curved trajectories under X-ray imaging. The robotic implantation procedure developed by ETH Zurich and NanoFlex Robotics was validated both in vitro and in vivo in a large-animal model.

By combining magnetic navigation with ultra-thin neural probes, the project established a potential pathway toward faster, more reproducible implantation while preserving electrode functionality. This technology could help make neural implantation more widely accessible.

Building an autonomous neuroelectronic therapy as one system

MINIGRAPH brought together the individual technologies required for an autonomous neuroelectronic therapeutic system. Through the project, the consortium developed epicortical and subcortical graphene neural probes; advanced and validated implantable electronics designed to interface with the probes; integrated the probes and electronics into a functional prototype; developed the robotic implantation procedure; and advanced autonomous software for brain neuromodulation. The integrated implantable prototype was subsequently functionally validated in a translational model.

The consortium also advanced compact implantable electronics capable of decoding signals from hundreds of neural sites while enabling precision neuromodulation, together with dedicated software and signal-processing capabilities designed to support autonomous therapeutic operation. The longer-term objective is to enable neuroelectronic systems that continuously record neural activity, interpret disease-relevant signals and deliver precise, targeted neuromodulation in response, creating autonomous therapies personalised to each patient’s neural activity.

For ICN2, participation in MINIGRAPH represents a significant step forward in our commitment to developing graphene-based technologies and other 2D materials for medical applications. The consortium’s work demonstrates how advances across materials science, microelectronics, robotics, software and neuroscience can be integrated into a single neuroelectronic platform designed for future clinical use.

Source: MINIGRAPH press release.