OpenMEA: Open-Source Microelectrode Array Platform for Bioelectronic Interfacing

Bioelectronic interfaces have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of medical disorders and augment physiology. Implantable devices such as pacemakers and deep brain stimulators have already been deployed to control activity in diseases including Parkinsons disease and epilepsy. These devices typically operate by delivering electrical stimulation at pre-programmed intervals (known as open-loop stimulation). Recent advances in machine learning and low-power integrated circuits have led to the emergence of personalized medical devices that monitor the users state and stimulate in response to measured biological activity (known as closed-loop stimulation). There are two key questions that require fundamental research to achieve breakthroughs in personalized devices: 1) What biomarkers and algorithms are best suited to detecting biological states (e.g. seizures in epilepsy)? and 2) What types of electrical stimuli are optimal for controlling these states? The answer to these questions can be explored in vitro using multielectrode array (MEA) systems that interface with biological tissue with reduced experimental complexity, better reproducibility, and fewer confounding variables present in whole organisms. However, existing MEA systems have functional limitations and closed-source designs that prevent researchers from developing improvements. This paper introduces OpenMEA, an open-source platform for closed-loop bioelectronics research. OpenMEA includes designs for the components necessary to build a benchtop in vitro laboratory, including electrophysiological recording and stimulation electronics, a microfluidic perfusion system, and physical designs for multielectrode arrays. The system is demonstrated with the electrical recording and stimulation of epileptogenic human and rodent brain slices. The aim of OpenMEA is to democratize bioelectronic research tools to accelerate the deployment of devices for the treatment of disorders and beyond.