FIH clinical investigation of graphene electrodes for brain mapping
Research type
Research Study
Full title
First in Human (FIH) clinical investigation of safety and feasibility of a novel graphene micro-electrocorticography array for brain mapping in neuro-oncology
IRAS ID
327561
Contact name
David J. Coope
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
During surgical operations within the brain such as the removal of a tumour, electrodes are commonly used to map specific brain functions or monitor brain activity. These are most commonly flexible plastic devices with embedded metallic contacts that allow electrical activity in the brain to be detected and measured. They may also be used to stimulate precise areas of the brain to either trigger or block a response such as the contraction of a muscle. This allows the surgeon to define which regions of the brain are involved in controlling critical functions such as movement or speech so that these areas can be protected during the operation.
There remain limitations with the design and physical characteristics of commercially available electrodes for use during brain operations. These include the limited ability of conventional materials to fold over the complex shape of the brain and the need to use comparatively large metallic contacts to detect the tiny electrical signals. This study will be the first to introduce a new generation of electrodes which have been designed to overcome these limitations. They are extremely thin and flexible allowing them to follow the surface of the brain and to be used in locations within and around the brain for which the standard electrodes are unsuitable. The contact surfaces that detect electrical activity and enable and stimulate the brain have been replaced with graphene which is a novel carbon-based material. The use of graphene allows electrodes to be made that are more sensitive to the tiny electrical signals of the brain. This means that they can be much smaller and closer together providing increased detail in the recording and potentially enabling signals to be detected that would previously have required such long recordings that they could not be used to guide decision making during surgery.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0166
Date of REC Opinion
18 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion