Electronic dura mater (e-dura)

The electronic dura mater is a soft implant engineered to match the mechanical properties of the dura it sits beneath, so that it can be applied to the surface of the spinal cord or cortex for long periods without the friction, inflammation, and tissue damage that a stiffer implant causes under physiological movement. It integrates stretchable metal electrodes and a soft strain-tolerant substrate, and can embed a microfluidic channel for local chemical delivery alongside electrical stimulation and recording.

In rodent spinal-cord work, dura-matching soft implants remained functional and well tolerated over long timescales where mechanically stiff equivalents produced deformation and neuroinflammation, and they supported combined electrical and pharmacological stimulation to drive locomotor output. The concept is a leading example of designing the implant to the tissue's mechanics rather than the tissue to the implant.