Gallium Nitride, or GaN, a material usually used for LED lighting and optic sensors, can now be used in implants.

According to a group of researchers from North Carolina State University and Purdue University, the semiconductor material may have a variety of uses for implantable technologies.

“The first finding is that GaN, unlike other semiconductor materials that have been considered for biomedical implants, is not toxic. That minimizes risk to both the environment and to patients,” said Dr. Albena Ivanisevic, co-author of the paper describing the research.

Ivanisevic is an associate professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and an associate professor of the joint biomedical engineering program at NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Researchers said the substance can be used for electrodes in neurostimulation therapies for Alzheimer’s to transistors used to monitor blood chemistry.

To verify whether or not GaN is really suitable to be used as implants, the researchers ran different tests.

They exposed the material to various environments that mimic conditions in the human body to find out how much toxic gallium oxides are released. Results show that the material released only a tiny amount of gallium that is non-toxic and that it is very stable when used in the human body.

Researchers also ran tests on its biocompatibility by bonding peptides – building blocks that make up proteins – to the material. To see how the material would interact with cells, they placed peptide-coated GaN and uncoated GaN into cell cultures.

They observed that the peptide-coated GaN bonded more effectively with the cells.

“This matters because we want materials that give us some control over cell behavior,” Ivanisevic said.

“For example, being able to make cells adhere to a material or to avoid it.”

“One problem facing many biomedical implants, such as sensors, is that they can become coated with biological material in the body,” Ivanisevic explained.

“We’ve show that we can coat GaN with peptides that attract and body with cells. That suggests that we may also be able to coat GaN with peptides that would help prevent cell growth – and keep the implant ‘clean’.

Ivanisevic added that they plant to explore the use of such “anti-fouling” peptides with the material.

Currently, biomedical materials used are titanium, silicone, or apatite.