# HORNET  Center for Autonomic Nerve Recording and Stimulation Systems (CARSS)

> **NIH NIH U41** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $487,700

## Abstract

Implanted leads are critical for direct interfaces to the peripheral nervous system and have been used clinically
since the 1960s. Even so, no open-architecture or open-source leads are available for autonomic nerve
stimulation and recording. This is especially a problem for interfacing with soft, small diameter nerves measuring
1 mm or less. Since these are of great interest as targets in bioelectronic medicine, NEST 4 will introduce a new
open-architecture nerve interface based on a helical cuff format. This cuff addresses the limitations of
downscaling traditional materials and fabrication methods for polydimethylsiloxane-based cuffs and instead
adopts a different scheme to achieve practical nerve cuffs using a composite Parylene C-PDMS structure.
 The CARSS helical microfabricated cuff uses soft polymers and thin film electrodes to achieve a miniaturized
cuff form factor. The contra-rotational helical cuff design is achieved by post-processing the Parylene electrode
array using a thermoforming process to achieve the final three-dimensional shape. The helical design is self-
sizing and self-closing which avoids the need for sutures. The cuff is accompanied by a minimally invasive,
custom endoscopic tool that will simplify surgery and allow access to deeper autonomic nerve branches.
 In NEST 4, the Parylene helical cuff will be developed, benchtop tested, and demonstrated with the surgical
placement tool, paving the way for a widely accessible cuff for smaller nerves in clinical bioelectronic medicine
research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10557005
- **Project number:** 1U41NS129514-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ellis Meng
- **Activity code:** U41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $487,700
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-23 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10557005

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10557005, HORNET  Center for Autonomic Nerve Recording and Stimulation Systems (CARSS) (1U41NS129514-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10557005. Licensed CC0.

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