An Epiretinal Photoacoustic Stimulation Approach for Retinal Stimulation

The feasibility of the proposed epiretinal PAS mechanism was successfully evaluated in an ex vivo porcine retinal explant model using a Pd-Si layer that provides greater PA pressure and faster heat dissipation than previous epiretinal absorptive layers. The epiretinal PAS approach could be a option for less-invasive retinal prosthetic implant technology. The benefits of finer spatial control and a compact system would be enormous.

Degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are the leading causes of vision loss in USA. In this project, we aim to develop photoacoustic stimulation system for vision restoration, where a photoacoustic sensitive material is implanted at the epiretinal region to generate the photoacoustic stimulus waves to stimulate retinal ganglion cells. A conceptual illustration of our technology is shown below.

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Publications

  1. Song, H., Patterson, A., Kang, J., Cheng, J., Keuthan, C. J., Berlinicke, C., … & Boctor, E. (2024). Towards visual function restoration through photoacoustic stimulation. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 65(7), 5415-5415.
  2. Spicer, J. B., Song, H., Patterson, A. L., Kang, J., & Boctor, E. M. (2023, October). Photoacoustic Emission Efficiency of Polymer Matrix Nanocomposites for Use in Epiretinal Prosthetics. In 2023 IEEE 

Patents

  1. Boctor, Emad M., Peter Gehlbach, James Spicer, Jeeun Kang, and Maged Harraz. “Providing sensory stimulations via photoacoustic, piezo-based, thermal, and/or electrical effects.” U.S. Patent Application 16/612,257, filed March 30, 2023.