Naijia Liu, “Engineering Bioelectronics in Three Dimensions: Biointerfaces for Complex Biological Geometries”

Abstract:
Cutting-edge biological and medical research increasingly demands electronic systems that can seamlessly interface with living systems across scales, from cell cultures to tissues and whole organs. Yet a central challenge remains: how to design bioelectronic systems that can match the complex three-dimensional geometries of biology while integrating multiple functionalities with precise spatial and temporal control. In this talk, I will present our work on three-dimensional biointerfaces that address this challenge. These systems feature programmable 3D geometries and ultrasoft mechanics, enabling conformal integration with biological structures across length scales for high-fidelity sensing and modulation. The main part of the talk focuses on complex 3D mesostructured bioelectronics as neural interfaces for organoids. Using deterministic 3D assembly and inverse design, we create closed, conformal electronic systems that wrap around organoids and, for the first time, provide nearly complete surface accessibility to neuronal populations. These platforms support high-density recording and stimulation through hundreds of independently addressable channels, while enabling 3D spatial reconstruction of electrophysiological activity. This capability enables monitoring and control of network-level neural dynamics in three dimensions, supporting studies of localized stimulation, circuit-level interactions, and disease-relevant phenotypes, and providing a scalable foundation for multifunctional interfaces in complex assembloid systems. I will then introduce complementary strategies that extend these concepts across scales. At the organ level, we develop hydrogel-based ultrasoft biosensors that conform to 3D organ geometries and enable deep-tissue chemical sensing through integration with ultrasound bioimaging. At the micro- and nanoscale, we introduce novel nanofabrication approaches for large-area, aligned 3D nanostructured surfaces. Together, these advances establish a new paradigm for 3D, multi-material, and multiscale bioelectronic systems that can truly engage with the geometry of living systems, opening transformative opportunities in biosensing, neural engineering, brain interfaces, intelligence, and beyond.

Bio:
Naijia Liu is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University, under the supervision of Prof. John A. Rogers. He received his PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Jan Schroers at Yale University in 2022, and his BS degree at Peking University in 2016. His research focuses on innovative 3D multiscale structures and devices, leveraging a combination of multidisciplinary strategies of flexible electronics, mechanics, materials science, and micro/nano- technologies to address the key demands in human health. These research works have yielded first author/co-first author publications in high-profile journals including Science, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Matter, etc.

Details

• Date: Tuesday, March 31
• Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• Category: Special Seminar
• Location: 34-401A - Grier A

Host

• Jongyoon Han
• Email: chadcoll@mit.edu