Mini Brains Join Forces with Next-Gen Bioelectronics

New technology enables near-complete mapping of neural activity in lab-grown human brain-like tissues

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A team led by Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab scientists have developed a new technology that can eavesdrop on the hidden electrical dialogues unfolding inside miniature, lab-grown human brain-like tissues known as "mini brains" or neural organoids. The soft, 3D electronic framework wraps around an organoid like a breathable, high-tech mesh, delivering near-complete, shape-conforming coverage with hundreds of miniaturized electrodes to map and manipulate neural activity across almost the entire organoid.

Why it matters

Human neural organoids are powerful models of brain development and disease, but until now, scientists could only record and stimulate activity from a small fraction of their neurons, missing the network-wide dynamics that define brain function. This new technology overcomes that limitation, bringing organoid research closer to capturing how real human brains develop, function and even fail, with potential applications in disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative therapies.

The details

The soft, 3D electronic framework begins as a flat, rubbery lattice and then transforms into a precisely engineered 3D shape that gently envelopes the organoid, matching its curvature. The mesh-like perforations allow oxygen and nutrients to flow into the organoid and carbon dioxide and waste products to flow out. One version of the device covered 91% of an organoid's surface and incorporated 240 individually addressable microelectrodes, each just 10 microns in diameter. This enabled the researchers to record synchronized oscillatory waves spanning the entire organoid and observe clear signs of coordinated communication within the neurons.

  • The study was published on February 18, 2026.

The players

John A. Rogers

The Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University, where he has appointments in the McCormick School of Engineering and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He also directs the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics and the Querrey Simpson Institute for Translational Engineering for Advanced Medical Systems.

Dr. Colin Franz

A physician-scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and an associate professor of physical medicine & rehabilitation, medicine (pulmonary and critical care) and neurology at Feinberg and an attending physician.

Yihui Zhang

A researcher from Tsinghua University in China who co-led the study.

John Finan

A researcher from the University of Illinois Chicago who co-led the study.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The NIH has initiated funding streams to accelerate work in the development of human stem cell-derived organoids as major focus of biomedical research.

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What they’re saying

“Human stem cell-derived organoids have become a major focus of biomedical research because they enable patient-specific studies of how tissues respond to drugs and emerging therapies.”

— John A. Rogers, Bioelectronic pioneer

“This advance is really about building the right tools for a new class of biological models. Human neural organoids are living 3D tissues that contain active neural circuits communicating through electrical signals. However, the state-of-the-art instruments we use to study them were originally designed for flat layers of cells and do not interface well with organoids that are spherical and three dimensional.”

— Dr. Colin Franz, Physician-scientist

“With this ability, we can imagine assembling different types of organoids to create miniature versions of the human body. With cube-shaped organoids, we could stack them together like Lego blocks.”

— John A. Rogers

What’s next

With more work, organoids could play a powerful role in the future of medicine, as they offer a way to model disease and test treatments in living, 3D neural networks. Researchers also could use them to study how brain disorders develop, evaluate drug responses and assess whether experimental regenerative strategies can restore lost, coordinated brain activity.

The takeaway

This new bioelectronic technology that can map and manipulate neural activity across nearly the entire organoid represents a significant advancement in the field of organoid research, bringing it closer to capturing the complexity of real human brain function and paving the way for more effective disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative therapies.