A multidisciplinary team led by Insigneo Research Theme Director for smart devices and sensors, Dr Thomas Paterson, in the School of Clinical Dentistry has received a £3,948,070 Seed Boost from the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) to investigate whether engineered fungal networks can be developed as controllable bioelectronic materials for future neural-interface technologies.
The award builds on the team’s previous ARIA Opportunity Seed project, Adapting Non-Pathogenic Fungal Networks Toward Next-Generation Neural Interfaces. That work tested whether fungal networks could coexist with neural and immune cells in laboratory models and whether their electrical properties could be modified.
Current neural interfaces often rely on manufactured electrodes that require invasive placement and can be limited by tissue compatibility, spatial coverage and long-term function. Fungal networks offer a different route: soft, three-dimensional structures that could potentially be engineered to assemble bioelectronic interfaces within a defined target region.
The Seed Boost will move the research from early feasibility into a larger programme focused on engineering fungal systems for improved safety, control and function. The team will develop and test candidate fungal biointerfaces, examining whether their growth and electrical behaviour can be controlled while maintaining compatibility with neural systems.
The research team includes academics across the Faculties of Health and Science, with contributors linked to the Insigneo Institute for Healthcare Technology, Neuroscience Institute, Florey Institute and Bateson Centre.
ARIA Seed Boost funding enables promising Opportunity Seed projects to test their most important technical risks at greater scale, with clear milestones that allow projects to progress, adapt or stop according to the evidence.
