Axoft’s Fleuron™ material is up to 10,000x softer than the polyimide used in existing brain implant devices and has been used in an in-human study at The Panama Clinic.
Axoft, a neurotechnology company, today announced the availability of its novel, ultra-soft materials for purchase by research and industrial organizations for research and development applications. Named Fleuron™, the material is designed to improve implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces (iBCIs) by providing superior biocompatibility, and significantly reducing tissue scarring and lead migration over time. The material was recently used in Axoft’s first-in-human clinical study, which marked the first time this type of bio-inspired material was authorized for human use and demonstrated that Fleuron passed the required ISO-10993 compatibility standards. In addition to Fleuron’s commercial launch, Axoft announced that it has secured an exclusive license agreement with Stanford University, which protects core aspects of the technology.
Many iBCIs struggle to maintain a stable, high-density interface with soft biological tissues over the long term due to their rigidity and limited biocompatibility. Fleuron addresses this challenge by mimicking the mechanical properties of brain tissue. Resembling a rubber-like version of Teflon, Fleuron offers both longitudinal stability as thin-film material and is compatible with high-density neural interface microfabrication, while minimizing disruption to brain tissues. The material enables new applications for biomedical micro-electromechanical systems (bioMEMS), organ-on-a-chip and implantable devices, and can be used in micro- and nano-fabrication to make high-density microelectrode arrays capable of capturing stable single-neuron electrical activity for more than a year and a half, based on preclinical models.
Dr. Jia Liu, co-founder and scientific advisor of Axoft, initiated the development of Fleuron while at Stanford during his postdoctoral training in Professor Zhenan Bao’s research group. Dr. Liu went on to join Harvard University as Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, where he worked with Axoft co-founder and CEO Dr. Paul Le Floch to improve the scalability of Fleuron for a wide range of bioelectronics applications. The related intellectual property developed at Stanford was recently licensed exclusively to Axoft for applications in iBCIs for the treatment of neurological disorders, bioMEMS, bioelectronics and other devices.
“Fleuron is up to 10,000x softer than the polyimide or Parylene C used by most iBCI companies and up to 1,000,000x softer than silicon. It’s specifically designed to improve the stability of the tissue-electronics interface, reduce scar tissue and prevent implant drift within the brain over time,” said Dr. Le Floch. “Fleuron can be used for a wide range of applications where hardware meets biology, including biohybrid devices, organ-on-a-chip, microfluidics and neural interfaces. It includes a platform of materials that are extremely biocompatible yet highly performant and capable of integrating with scalable manufacturing techniques. The broader research and industry landscape stands to benefit from Fleuron, as it has the potential to become a new standard in biomedical engineering.”
Several industrial and academic organizations are already using Fleuron for their own research and development. Axoft uses custom Fleuron formulations in its iBCI devices, which have resulted in unmatched biocompatibility, long-term signal stability and a high bandwidth interface that maximizes the information exchanged between the brain and electronics.
The first Fleuron products are available for purchase today for use as soft, negative photoresists for microfabrication. Axoft plans to launch more material formulations by the end of 2025 for additional biomedical engineering applications.
About Axoft
Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Axoft is building implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces (iBCIs) leveraging bio-inspired materials to enable a seamless interface between the brain and electronics, and allow for measurement and stimulation at high-resolution in any brain region. Axoft is on a mission to unlock new treatments for patients suffering from neurological disorders by producing iBCIs that answer critical unmet needs. For more information, visit www.axoft.us or follow us on LinkedIn.
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