Houston Methodist, Rice University Launch Study to Map Brain's Long-Term Response to Neural Implants

A new interdisciplinary project led by Rice University and the Houston Methodist Research Institute aims to clarify how the brain adapts to neural implants over time — work that could accelerate the development of a more stable brain-computer interface and effective neuroprosthetics for neurologic disease.

The collaboration, funded by a John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award through the Gulf Coast Consortia, brings together materials scientists, engineers and clinician-scientists to study the cellular and molecular response to ultraflexible nanoelectronic threads (NETs). The devices, pioneered in Rice's neuroengineering labs, are designed to record neural activity and deliver stimulation while minimizing tissue disruption.

The project is co-led by Rice materials scientist Yimo Han, Ph.D.; Rice engineer Chong Xie, Ph.D.; and Houston Methodist neurosurgeon Dr. Damiano Barone. Dr. Barone's laboratory investigates brain–device interactions and neuromodulation strategies.

Mapping brain–device integration at the cellular and genetic level

The team will examine how NET implants organize within brain tissue and how nearby cells react over time. Dr. Han's group will use advanced nanoscale imaging to visualize the device–tissue interface, while Dr. Barone's team will profile cellular gene-expression changes surrounding the implants.

"We want to see at nanometer resolution how cells organize around these devices," Dr. Han said. "The goal is to identify the conditions that lead to stable, long-term integration."

The researchers anticipate the study will generate foundational data for predicting — and ultimately modulating — the brain's immune and fibrotic response to implanted electronics.

"Understanding the response to these neural implants is critical, and our combined expertise allows for a systematic and comprehensive analysis that will hopefully enable better ways to predict and control these biological processes," Dr. Barone said.

Building the next generation of implantable neural technologies

Many conventional neural implants trigger inflammation or scarring that degrade signal quality over time. Dr. Xie said NETs were developed to address those limitations through extreme flexibility, allowing the electrodes to better accommodate brain micromovements.

"Our ultraflexible probes have shown stable performance in animal models," Dr. Xie said. "Now we are trying to understand the biological mechanisms that make that possible."

By pairing high-resolution structural analysis with single-cell genetic profiling, the team aims to build a quantitative framework that describes neuroinflammatory responses to flexible implants.

Investigators hope the findings will inform more durable devices for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and post-stroke disability.

A growing regional ecosystem for neurotechnology innovation

The Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program supports early-stage, interdisciplinary research across Gulf Coast Consortia member institutions, including Houston Methodist, Rice, Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston. Projects are evaluated for scientific rigor, novelty and potential impact on human health.

"The Dunn Foundation and the Gulf Coast Consortia provide a unique framework for high-impact collaboration," Dr. Barone said. "We are grateful for the opportunity to pursue this work and generate essential preliminary data in this emerging field."