Synthetic, Wireless, and In-Situ Bioelectronics for Chronic Neuromodulation

Over the past decade, neural technology has progressed at an extraordinary pace. However, despite the advent of flexible polymers and miniaturized CMOS hardware, a fundamental mismatch persists between the static nature of artificial implants and the dynamic, multi-scale organization of biological tissue. Traditional interfaces remain foreign, pre-fabricated objects that struggle to conform to the living parenchyma. This Research Topic aims to catalyze a paradigm shift from Implanted Bioelectronics to Integrated Synthetic Neurobiology, where the chronic stability problem is addressed not merely through material compliance, but through deep biological integration.In this vision, a neural interface is no longer a discrete device, but a hybrid biological-synthetic tissue. This paradigm encompasses the in-situ synthesis of conductive networks, the use of molecular-scale transducers utilizing non-canonical coupling (e.g., magnetoelectric, flexoelectric, or acousto-electric), and the deployment of substrate-free, distributed "swarms" operating at cellular or sub-cellular scales. By leveraging the brain's endogenous biochemical machinery, such as the enzymatic polymerization of conductive monomers, or by utilizing untethered nanoparticles as localized actuators, we can potentially mitigate the Foreign Body Response and achieve chronic stability that "tethered" systems cannot match. We invite contributions providing a "first-principles" look at how these emerging modalities engage with neural circuits without traditional macroscopic leads.We particularly welcome submissions addressing:• In-Situ Bioelectronic Synthesis: Enzymatically polymerized conductive polymers (e.g., PEDOT variants) and substrate-free networks that interweave with the extracellular matrix (ECM) with minimal displaced volume.• Non-Canonical Energy Transduction: Empirical validation of molecular actuators—such as magnetoelectric nanoparticles or piezoelectric nanosheets—that convert external fields into localized transmembrane currents ($I_{mem}$).• Sub-Cellular & Nanoscale Actuation: The biophysics of thermal, mechanical, or magnetic transduction at the lipid bilayer, and the subsequent modulation of voltage-gated ion channel (VGIC) gating kinetics.• Distributed Wireless Swarms: Engineering and signal processing for untethered, micron-scale "dust," focusing on power-harvesting limits and data-uplink (ultrasonic, RF, or optical) through dissipative biological media.• Hybrid Bio-Synthetic Interfaces: Conductive, cell-instructive hydrogels and "living electrodes" where genetically modified cells bridge the gap between hardware and host circuits.• Theoretical Frameworks: Computational models (e.g., modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck or Maxwell-Schrödinger formalisms) tailored for point-source, distributed, or molecular-scale stimulation.Topic Editor Luca Berdondini is the co-founder and shareholder of Corticale srl. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject. Topic editors: Michele Giugliano, Nicola Toschi, Luca Berdondini Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80641/synthetic-wireless-and-in-situ-bioelectronics-for-chronic-neuromodulation