Biotectix Introduces New Conductive Coating Designed for Medical Devices

Biotectix LLC has introduced a highly durable electro-conductive polymer coating to the medical device industry.

The new coating, called Amplicoat, incorporates Photolink, a proprietary surface modification technology developed by Eden Prairie, Minn.-based SurModics Inc. Designed to enhance communication at the interface between human tissue and a medical device’s electrode, Amplicoat overcomes the limitations of other conductive coatings, including poor durability, difficult processing requirements, and limited performance, Biotectix claims. The new coating can easily be applied to a variety of metal electrodes, providing a solution for numerous medical device applications, including neurostimulation, cardiac pacing, electrophysiology recordings, cochlear implants, and gastrointestinal recording and stimulation.

“Amplicoat is a breakthrough technology that provides a durable electrode coating that conducts both ionically and electronically, resulting in lower impedance and an expanded range for safe charge delivery,“ said Sarah Richardson-Burns, Ph.D., who co-founded Biotectix with Jeff Hendricks, Ph.D.

Amplicoat enables device electrode miniaturization, offering higher numbers of electrodes for a given-sized lead or device and providing greater tissue-sensing resolution as well as more localized stimulation control. The coating enables higher signal fidelity, lower power requirements, and reduced stimulation thresholds.

Biotectix currently is working with customers to incorporate Amplicoat into their medical devices. In addition, there are non-medical applications for conductive coatings, which currently are under development at Biotectix.