Multi-region neural probe for simultaneous deep brain
This technology is a miniaturized brain probe system that can be inserted as a single unit and then expanded inside the skull to reach multiple distant regions of the brain simultaneously. A central scaffold with helical internal channels holds multiple thin, flexible fiber probes that can be individually slid outward in different directions — like a bouquet fanning open — to contact specific brain areas. Each fiber probe can both record electrical signals and deliver stimulation or chemicals along its entire length, not just at the tip. The design minimizes tissue damage by inserting one small device rather than making multiple separate penetrations, and the expansion is reversible.
What you could build
A next-generation implantable neural interface device for researchers and eventually clinical neurology teams, enabling multi-region brain recording and stimulation through a single minimally invasive insertion — initially targeting neuroscience research labs and BCI companies, and longer-term neurology clinics managing conditions like Parkinson's or epilepsy.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and intelligence-adjacent neurotechnology programs (DARPA, In-Q-Tel portfolio companies), academic medical centers like UVA and VCU, and BCI-focused startups operating in the mid-Atlantic corridor.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Xiaoting JIA, Shan JIANG
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed April 4, 2022
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240057943A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.