Electrochemical Evaluation of Layer-by-Layer Drug Delivery Coating for Neural Interfaces

Intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are a valuable tool for neuroscience research, and their potential clinical use has been demonstrated. However, their inability to function reliably over chronic timepoints has limited their clinical translation. MEA failure is highly correlated with the foreign body response (FBR) and therapeutics have been used to reduce the FBR and improve device function, with drugs such as minocycline showing promising results in vivo. To avoid issues associated with systemic drug delivery, device coatings can be used to for therapeutic delivery. One method to locally deliver minocycline is a layer-by-layer (LBL) coating that consists of multiple trilayers of gelatin type A, minocycline, and dextran sulfate; however, the coating’s impact on device function was previously unknown. This work characterized 10, 20, and 30 trilayer coatings then evaluated their effect on device function. Cumulative minocycline release and coating thickness increased with the number of trilayers, ...