BACHELOR / MASTER STUDENTS

REQUIREMENTS

Students applying for internships must either be awarded credits for their work (e.g. master thesis) or provide their own funding (e.g. non-credited summer internship).

Registered EPFL bachelor and master students

You should organise your agenda to be on site, in Geneva, for at least a full day per week. The travel costs between EPFL Lausanne and EPFL Geneva will be covered.

External students from a partner University

The list of partner universities can be found here. To join the LSBI, you should register first through EPFL academic services – please check the following website for additional information.

External students from a non-partner University

You are welcome to apply to join the LSBI, but you will need to find your own funding source e.g. a scholarship, a grant, etc.

Fellowship

Foreign students are welcome to apply to one of the following schemes to join the LSBI for a summer, a semester or a year-long internship.

EPFL Excellence in Engineering, E3 program for Summer internship

Zeno Karl Schindler Summer School grant

Swiss Government Excellence Fellowship

INTERNSHIP, SEMESTER AND MASTER PROJECTS

Direct electrical stimulation of the pancreas

Semester project

The project is about the development of an implantable neural interface to perform experiments in which directly stimulate the pancreas of mice/rodents to elicit insulin secretion. The goal is to further progress the experiments with direct electrical stimulation of the pancreas in acute experiments and to develop an entire wireless interface to be implanted in the host body chronically.

Project’s goals:

  • Take part in the current acute experiment to determine the best electrical stimulation parameters (amplitude, frequency, pulse width…)
  • Define the different modules that will be part of the monolithic system (wireless modules, power management modules, bioelectronic modules) and assess their communication
  • Take part in the design, fabrication and mechanical/electrical characterization of the realized interfaces.

Must have:

  • Motivation and interest in the application of neural interfaces in novel domains
  • Knowledge in neuro-electrophysiology (action potentials, ion channels…)
  • Knowledge on electrical circuits
  • Knowledge on microcontrollers, FPGAs and communication protocols

Nice to have:

  • Knowledge of sensors, actuators for IoT applications
  • Knowledge of data acquisition and data handling
  • Knowledge of CAD use and 3D printing

To apply: Pietro Palopoli

Development of an Endovascular Neural Implant for Blood Pressure Modulation

Semester Project / Master Thesis

The project focuses on developing an innovative endovascular neural implant designed to modulate blood pressure. This project combines elements of microfabrication, device characterization, and initial in vivo planning, creating an opportunity to make a significant impact on the treatment of conditions such as orthostatic hypotension and other cardiovascular diseases. The device’s design and fabrication will incorporate advanced techniques and a deep understanding of physiological interactions, leveraging a multidisciplinary approach.

Project Goals:

  • Fabrication:
    • Develop ultrafast laser cutting processes for device components tailored for endovascular applications.
    • Utilize microfabrication and photolithography techniques to create precision elements necessary for the implant’s functional performance.
  • Characterization:
    • Perform mechanical characterization to determine the expansion ratio of the implant from catheter delivery to final deployment in a blood vessel.
    • Assess mechanical forces applied to the vessel wall and evaluate structural stability and durability of the device.
    • Characterize the device’s electrophysiological performance, focusing on its ability to achieve precise and effective blood pressure modulation.
  • In Vivo Planning:
    • Support the planning and preparation of the first in vivo experiments to validate the safety and efficacy of the implant within a physiological setting.

Must-have Competencies:

  • Strong motivation and interest in the development of novel neural interfaces for biomedical applications.
  • Theoretical knowledge of standard microfabrication and photolithography processes.
  • Strong understanding of electrophysiology and the basics of bioelectronic interfaces.
  • Good problem-solving skills and an ability to work independently within an interdisciplinary team environment.

Nice-to-have Competencies:

  • Experience with ultrafast laser cutting.
  • Knowledge of endovascular systems and the biological responses to stent implantation.
  • Knowledge of stent design.
  • Experience working in a cleanroom environment.
  • 3D printing experience
  • Business/startup acumen to adapt research activities as need be.
  • Experience in bench testing of neural interfaces.

To apply: William Esposito

Integrated electronics on neural interface for neural disease treatment

Master thesis

The project is about the integration of active electronics onto our standard passive neural interfaces to realize a compact wireless and closed-loop system. If successful, it will be further developed for the treatment of epilepsy and spinal cord injury.

Project’s goal:

  • Improvement and testing of a flip chip bonding technique between soft substrate and electronic chips
  • Test a novel bonding technique using electroplating
  • Define, fabricate (the antenna) and test the wireless module for communication and data transfer (Bluetooth low energy and HDL coding)
  • Define, fabricate (the Tx and Rx coils) and test the functionality of the wireless power transfer modules (power electronics and battery)
  • Define, fabricate and test (electrically, mechanically, functionally) the entire system
  • Define and take part in animal experimentation

Must have:

  • Medium/advanced knowledge of electrical circuits.
  • Programming knowledge (C or C++ or Python & Verilog or VHDL)
  • Motivation and interest into neural interfaces

Nice to have:

  • Knowledge of antennas and RF communication
  • Knowledge of Power electronics and wireless power transfer
  • Knowledge in Mechanics and Material science

To apply: Pietro Palopoli

Development of multifunctional electronic skin based on electrofluidic microneedle arrays

Master thesis 

This project focuses on the development of an innovative epidermal patch featuring electrofluidic microneedle arrays designed to painlessly penetrate the human epidermis. Our objective is to engineer a multifunctional electronic skin device that delivers electrical signals and injects fluids with high resolution. The device is fabricated leveraging LSBI expertise in microfabrication techniques of soft substrates using advanced, biocompatible materials, incorporating integrated electrical and fluidic systems to enable both precise drug delivery and accurate biosignal monitoring.

This project will consist on the optimization of the fabrication process, taking especially care of the final device assembly and the integration of the cleanroom fabricated components with external flexible PCBs or microfluidic chips. The project will also involve rigorous testing of the device’s electromechanical properties, initially in laboratory settings, followed by animal studies to evaluate biocompatibility and functionality. With successful preliminary outcomes and necessary ethical approvals, we plan to conduct trials on human subjects to test its capabilities in enhancing sensory feedback and physiological monitoring.

Must-have competencies:

  • Problem-solving mentality
  • Independence and motivation
  • Basic concepts of biomedical engineering

Nice-to-have competencies:

  • General knowledge in materials science
  • Experience in microfluidics and microelectronics
  • Cleanroom experience

References:

  • Tehrani F., Teymourin H., Wuerstle B. et al.An integrated wearable microneedle array for the continuous monitoring of multiple biomarkers in interstitial fluid.  Biomed. Eng (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-022-00887-1
  • Wang H., Pastorin G., Chengkuo L. et al. Toward Self-Powered Wearable Adhesive Skin Patch with Bendable Microneedle Array for Transdermal Drug Delivery. Advanced Science (2016). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201500441

To apply: Emilio Fernandez Lavado

 

Electrical stimulation of cultured pancreatic beta-cells for insulin secretion

Semester project

The project is about the realization of microelectrode arrays on which we will culture pancreatic beta-cells. Once the beta-cells are ready we will electrically stimulate the cells to determine which electrical stimulation protocol is the best to determine a release of insulin. This will be a first step in the development of an implantable interface (cyborg pancreas) formed by cultured b-cells stimulated electrically using our microelectrode arrays to elicit insulin secretion for the host body.

Project’s goals:

  • Design/co-design the MEAs used for cell cultures
  • Design, fabricate, and test culture systems (via CAD, laser cutting, 3D printing) in which the MEA will be mounted (including the biosensors for insulin detection)
  • Seed pancreatic cell lines and assess their growth on the MEA
  • Electrically stimulate the cells and observe their responses (changes in growth, insulin secretion)
  • Collect and analyze data

Must have:

  • Motivation and interest in the application of neural interfaces in novel domains
  • Knowledge in neuro-electrophysiology (action potentials, ion channels…)
  • Knowledge on microcontrollers

Nice to have:

  • Knowledge of sensors, actuators for IoT applications
  • Knowledge of data acquisition and handling
  • Knowledge of CAD and 3D printing
  • Knowledge of cell culture
  • Knowledge of microfluidic

To apply: Pietro Palopoli Scott Erickson

Optimization of kirigami patterns for stretchable interconnects

Semester project / Master thesis

Long-term implantation of neural interfaces in dynamic environments, such as the cervical spinal cord is challenging.  Indeed, the implant must be able to accommodate for a wide range of motion to avoid displacement of the device or breakage. To address this issue, a technology was developed within the LSBI to fabricate soft neural interfaces based on the engineering of stretchable interconnects, encapsulated in between two layers of silicone. The stretchability of the interconnects is achieved by micro-patterning periodic cuts (also referred to as kirigami) into thin sheets of Polyimide/Platinum/Polyimide [1]. The main challenge of this technique is to achieve both high conductivity and high stretchability. The high conductivity is necessary to deliver currents at the electrode site in a range that is sufficient to recruit the targeted neurons. Reversible stretchability of the device is key in ensuring that the components can deform following the movement of the surrounding tissue, thereby reducing the mechanical mismatch that can lead to fibrotic encapsulation of the implant, typically seen with rigid implants.

The aim of this project is to optimize the patterning of the interconnects to satisfy application-specific conductivity and stretchability requirements. In particular, the student will conduct a study on networks of serpentines. Due to their sinuous geometry, serpentines unfold under tensile strain, resulting in spring-like mechanical behavior. Varying the shape of each serpentine unit and their connection pattern gives rise to a vast collection of electro-mechanical properties. The deformation and electrical resistance of the patterned networks will be computed through custom code. The student will participate in the development of a robust optimization scheme that will allow for a network geometry that minimizes both local strain and resistance depending on a given set of conditions. These conditions include material properties, interconnect dimensions, type of deformation, …

Once the optimization scheme is set in place, experimental validation will be conducted. Ultimately, we aim to obtain a user-friendly interface to accelerate and help guide the next design iterations of neural implants, such as cervical spinal cord implants.

 Project goals:

  • Implement a script to that identifies the optimal serpentine network.
  • Provide an analysis of performance of the optimization scheme.
  • Define the design specifications for a set of conditions.
  • Conduct experimental validation.

 Must have: 

  • Python coding experience
  • Knowledge of optimization principles and algorithms
  • Good understanding of mechanics and material properties

Nice to have: 

  • Experience with simulation software (COMSOL, ABAQUS)

To apply:

Uday Kusupati, Laurine Kolly

References
  • Nicolas Vachicouras. Soft microfabricated neural implants: a path towards translational implementation. 2019.