B. Jill Venton, Department Chair and Thomas Jefferson Professor of Chemistry, University of Virginia
B. Jill Venton | June 12, 2024 - 8:15 AM
3D Printing Carbon Electrodes for Neurotransmitter Sensing
Would you like to build a better carbon electrode from the ground up? Microelectrodes are the standard method for measuring neurotransmitters in vivo, but their design has been based on carbon fibers, which limits the geometries possible. Here, we introduce a novel, implantable and freestanding microsensor fabrication method using two-photon nanolithography followed by pyrolysis. This 3D printing method allows the fabrication of free-standing carbon microelectrodes with customizable geometry and electroactive carbon surface, which is suitable for neurotransmitter detection. We have also developed methods to make 3D printed carbon nanoelectrodes, as pyrolysis carbonizes and shrinks the photoresist, so the final sensor feature size can be smaller than the resolution of the printer. Electrodes can be made with nanosized features, such as spikes, or as nanoelectrode disks. Recently, we developed a pulling based method to create long nanoneedle electrodes using 3D printing. This technology is increasing the functional geometries that can be designed using 3D printing and expanding our capabilities for making long electrodes that are useful at synapses or in small animals. We have demonstrated the use of these electrodes in vivo and in Drosophila for measurements of neurotransmitters.
Biography
B. Jill Venton is a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Virginia. She has served as the department chair since 2019. In 2023, she was awarded the Thomas Jefferson endowed professorship in the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Venton's research focuses on developing analytical chemistry methods to enable detection of molecules in the brain. Her research group develops analytical tools such as carbon-fiber microelectrodes for sensing molecules in the brain to achieve real-time monitoring of neurotransmitters to help understand the brain functions both under normal physiological conditions and in neurological disorders. In 2020, Dr. Venton was named the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society. Her "Review: Carbon nanotube based electrochemical sensors for biomolecules" is a top cited review and she currently serves as president of the International Society for Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience.
Dr. Venton received her B.S. in Chemistry from University of Delaware in 1998 and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2003. She was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of Michigan from 2003 to 2005.
Research Interests
The Venton group is interested in the development and characterization of analytical techniques to measure neurochemical changes. The lab develops both electrochemical and separations methods to monitor rapid changes in neurotransmitters in model systems. Tiny quantities of neuroactive molecules must be detected in a chemically-complex sample while disturbing the tissue as little as possible. In addition, fast time resolution measurements are needed to track the fast dynamics of neurotransmitter release and uptake. The development of new analytical tools will enable a better understanding of the central nervous system and facilitate the development of new treatments for neurological disorders.
