(395f) Neurocompatibility Assessment of Insulating Polymer Coatings Using a Two-Dimensional Glial Scar Assay

Neuroprosthetic devices are designed to stimulate and record from neurons in the nervous system as a means to overcome the effects of conditions such as stroke, paralysis, and Parkinson's Disease. A major challenge in the fabrication of these microelectronic devices is the protection of the electronic circuitry from the corrosive effects of chronic implantation. Vapor deposited polymer coatings are attractive candidates for this application because of their excellent insulating ability and conformal coating of small, three-dimensional substrates. Biocompatibility assessment of these coatings is an essential part of the materials design process for this application but current techniques are limited to rudimentary two-dimensional cell viability assays or animal muscle implantation tests. This presentation will describe preliminary work in utilizing an in vitro model of glial scar formation as a platform to assess the neurocompatibility of vapor-deposited silicone coatings on micron-scale metallic wires. Key aspects of this work include the definition of compatibility metrics and measurement protocols for these metrics.