# Regenerative Ultramicroelectrode arrays for sensory-motor specific interfacing

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $585,250

## Abstract

Project Summary
Approximately 4 million amputees globally, a number estimated to grow 200,000 annually. Upper limb
amputees traditionally use passive, body powered, or electrically powered prostheses that use surface
Electromyographic (EMG) signals from intact muscles in the residual limb for movement, despite the
motion artifacts, variability and need of visual and/or surrogate sensory control by the user. Advanced
peripheral nervous system (PNS) interfaces have been proposed as a viable mechanism to improve the
control by amputees, by reading naturalistic sensory feedback from the robotic prosthetics. Unfortunately,
current neural interfaces suffer from common challenges, and electrode failure, signal deterioration over
time, EMG contamination and electrical and unstable sensory percepts, including “stings or tingles” remain
a challenge. This study is uses two novel strategies designed to increase the selectivity of
recording/stimulation at the PNS interface: 1) The use of an innovative regenerative multi-electrode
interface with ultra-small recording sites using our recently developed ultra-thin multielectrode array , and
2) incorporation of molecular guidance cues to influence the type of sensory neurons at the neural
interface. This selectivity Regenerative Ultramicro Multielectrode Array (RUMEA) is designed to
discriminate between motor and cutaneous neural interfacing by combining it with molecular guidance to
biologically engineer the content of sensory-motor axons at the electrode interface. Three specific aims
are included: In SA1 36-electrode RUMAs, straight and Y-shape devices, will be fabricated and
electrochemical and mechanical tested. In SA2 we seek to demonstrate selective recording from motor
axons and evoke touch percepts using the RUMA. In SA3, we will demonstrate selective interfacing of
motor and tactile axons in an upper limb amputee rat model of bidirectional Nerve Machine Interface using
molecularly guided RUMAs. If successful, this strategy will demonstrate the benefit for using RUMA for
selective recording from motor axons, and stimulation of sensory modality axons that evoke naturalistic
sensory percepts. This advancement in peripheral neural interfaces for amputees, will reduce the cognitive
burden for users of robotic prosthetics, and decrease the abnormal sensations associated with electrical
stimulation in the PNS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10317852
- **Project number:** 1R01NS124222-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Mario Ignacio Romero-Ortega
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $585,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10317852

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10317852, Regenerative Ultramicroelectrode arrays for sensory-motor specific interfacing (1R01NS124222-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10317852. Licensed CC0.

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