Elle Richardson

My doctoral research aims to engineer a new therapy for Parkinson’s disease: a biohybrid medical device that combines stem cell therapy with microelectrodes. The device is designed not only to regenerate neural circuits damaged by Parkinson’s but also to restore their function. This work is crucial because current treatments, such as deep brain stimulation, only alleviate symptoms, while pioneering stem cell therapies struggle to survive and integrate into the brain, limiting their regenerative potential. By developing this biohybrid device and optimising the survival and integration of therapeutic cells within existing networks, I aim to help engineer the next generation of Parkinson’s therapeutics.