Soft multimodal bioelectronic interfaces for brain–body communication and neural modulation
The Cea Group focuses on developing soft, multifunctional bioelectronic devices that interface seamlessly with the nervous system to enable precise, stable, and long-term interrogation and modulation of neural activity. Their research aims to create highly conformable, high-resolution neural interfaces that integrate electrical, optical, and chemical modalities, allowing minimally invasive access to both central and peripheral neural circuits. By leveraging advances in organic electronics, soft materials, and microfabrication, they design devices that match the mechanical and biological properties of neural tissue, improving signal fidelity and chronic performance. Through close integration of bioelectronics, materials science, and neuroscience, the research group seeks to uncover fundamental principles governing neural signaling and brain–body communication across organs and systems. Ultimately, their goal is to translate these technological and biological insights into next-generation tools and therapeutic strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological, psychiatric, and systemic disorders, with an emphasis on scalability, biocompatibility, and clinical relevance.
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Biography
Claudia Cea is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Yale University, where she develops soft bioelectronic devices to interface with brain–body circuits. She earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, focusing on conformable organic transistors for bioelectronics, after completing an MSc in Bioengineering at San Diego State University and a BSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa. Cea was previously a postdoctoral fellow in Polina Anikeeva’s Bioelectronics Group at MIT, and was named a 2024 MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35. Her research spans organic electronics, flexible neural interfaces, microfabrication, and translational neurotechnology.