As a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University, I worked in the research group of Charles M. Lieber and helped develop and characterize neuron-like brain probes. We found probes that are structurally and mechanically similar to neurons prevent signs of immune response and allow for stable electrophysiological recording of individual neurons over multiple months. I adapted the use of tissue clearing and immunohistochemistry to visualize the effect these implanted probes have throughout different brain regions.

The ability for this technology to persistently record from single neurons across brain regions subsequently inspired my desire to use it to understand memory dysfunction that occurs with aging and Alzheimer’s disease, which I am currently exploring as a K99-funded Instructor in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

1.    “Tissue-like neural probes for understanding and modulating the brain” Hong, G.; Viveros, R.D.; Zwang, T.J.; Yang, X.; Lieber, C.M. Biochemistry 2018, 57, 3995-4004

2.    “Bioinspired neuron-like electronics” Yang, X.*; Zhou, T*; Zwang, T.J.*; Hong, G; Zhao, Y.; Viveros, R.D.; Fu, T-M.; Gao, T.; Lieber, C.M. Nature Materials 2019, 18, 510-517. *Indicates authors contributed equally to this work