Developing Synthetic Models of the Cochlea to Investigate Cochlear Implant Stimulation Spread

(PhD- suitable for engineering, materials, chemical engineering and biomedical backgrounds)

(co-supervised by Professor George Malliaras, Dr Debi Vickers and Dr Bob Carlyon)

Cochlear implant results are severely impacted by current and stimulation spread inside the cochlea. This makes it very difficult to selectively stimulate different parts of the auditory nerve for to achieve frequency selectivity. This project will use biomaterials to 3D print cochlear implant models that are optimized to have similar electrical impedances to living cochlear bones, with embedded sensors to measure current and EMF spread profiles. This platform will be used to develop new methods of electrical stimulation from cochlear implants that allow for more sophisticated focusing of electrical activity to increase the frequency resolution of current cochlear implants. We aim to also seed these structures with auditory spiral ganglion cells (separate PhD) and inflammatory cells to look in-vitro at the complex interaction between electrical stimulation, neural activation and foreign body inflammatory reactions.