Stretchable Microelectrode Arrays for Electro‐Mechanical Probing of Brain Spheroids
- 1Laboratory For Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces Neuro‐X Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Geneva Switzerland
- 2Tissue Engineering Laboratory HEPIA HES‐SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland Geneva Switzerland
Abstract
Mechanical forces shape brain development and contribute to pathological conditions such as traumatic brain injury. However, their direct effects on neural electrophysiology remain difficult to elucidate. Here, we introduce a multimodal system capable of delivering controlled mechanical actuation to brain spheroids while simultaneously recording their spontaneous electrophysiological activity. The platform enables culturing spheroids onto kirigami‐patterned stretchable thin‐film microelectrode arrays over multiple days. The array reliably records spontaneous spheroid activity and sustains uniaxial mechanical stimulation with controlled elongation and speed, ranging from manual precision stretching to high‐velocity impacts. We capture spheroid deformation during slow stretch (∼100 µm/s) and detect acute electrophysiological changes following high‐velocity stimulation (∼1–2 m/s). This multimodal platform establishes a foundational system for systematic in vitro investigations of how mechanical forces regulate functional activity in 3D tissues.
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BibTeX
@article{martinelli2026stretchable,
title = {{Stretchable Microelectrode Arrays for Electro‐Mechanical Probing of Brain Spheroids}},
author = {Eleonora Martinelli and Ivan Furfaro and Flavius Timis and João Marques and Tala El Kaissi and Desirée Maulà and Laurine Kolly and Julian Bär and Sina Röllin and Scott Erickson and Laetitia Nikles and Benoît Delaup and Camille Delgrange and Loris Gomez Baisac and Luc Stoppini and Adrien Roux and Giuseppe Schiavone and Stéphanie P. Lacour},
journal = {Advanced Healthcare Materials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/adhm.71788},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.71788},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Stretchable Microelectrode Arrays for Electro‐Mechanical Probing of Brain Spheroids
AU - Eleonora Martinelli
AU - Ivan Furfaro
AU - Flavius Timis
AU - João Marques
AU - Tala El Kaissi
AU - Desirée Maulà
AU - Laurine Kolly
AU - Julian Bär
AU - Sina Röllin
AU - Scott Erickson
AU - Laetitia Nikles
AU - Benoît Delaup
AU - Camille Delgrange
AU - Loris Gomez Baisac
AU - Luc Stoppini
AU - Adrien Roux
AU - Giuseppe Schiavone
AU - Stéphanie P. Lacour
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Advanced Healthcare Materials
DO - 10.1002/adhm.71788
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.71788
AB - Mechanical forces shape brain development and contribute to pathological conditions such as traumatic brain injury. However, their direct effects on neural electrophysiology remain difficult to elucidate. Here, we introduce a multimodal system capable of delivering controlled mechanical actuation to brain spheroids while simultaneously recording their spontaneous electrophysiological activity. The platform enables culturing spheroids onto kirigami‐patterned stretchable thin‐film microelectrode arrays over multiple days. The array reliably records spontaneous spheroid activity and sustains uniaxial mechanical stimulation with controlled elongation and speed, ranging from manual precision stretching to high‐velocity impacts. We capture spheroid deformation during slow stretch (∼100 µm/s) and detect acute electrophysiological changes following high‐velocity stimulation (∼1–2 m/s). This multimodal platform establishes a foundational system for systematic in vitro investigations of how mechanical forces regulate functional activity in 3D tissues.
SN - 2192-2640
SN - 2192-2659
ER -