A µRadio CMOS Device for Real-Time In-Tissue Monitoring of Human Organoids

Abstract

Human-derived brain organoids were proposed for the generation of functional in vitro models and human brain tissues for drug-discovery, precision medicine and cell-based clinical therapies. However, their generation is currently subjected to a high variability which limits their routine exploitation. To achieve a quality-controlled production of brain organoids and to provide readout capabilities for assays development, we propose to realize active micro-scale devices that can be embedded into living 3D cell assemblies to provide in-tissue wireless sensing and monitoring of biosignals. Here, we evaluate a low-power solution that integrates into a 100μm×100μm area all circuits required for sensing and amplification of bioelectrical signals while providing RF wireless power delivery and data transmission. Circuit simulations on a 130nm RF-CMOS node demonstrate the feasibility of such solution with a 6.18µW of power consumption. Preliminary in vitro experiments with dummy Si micro-devices demonstrate their integration into 3D cell aggregates during cell culture.