{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T06:05:09Z","timestamp":1780380309029,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780358400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100018703","name":"HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100018703","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    The CROSSBRAIN EU project aims to address the heterogeneous nature of brain pathologies by developing wireless implantable microbots (\u00b5Bots, planned dimensions 100 \u00d7 100 \u00d7 100\u00a0\u03bcm\n                    <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                    ) for highly localized neuromodulation. These devices are designed to precisely modulate brain activity with minimal invasiveness, enabling targeted resolution of specific spatiotemporal events, capabilities not currently achieved by existing neuromodulation technologies. A crucial step involves visualizing and ensuring the optimal placement of the \u00b5Bots in the brain tissue, to study their functionality after implantation. In this preliminary\n                    <jats:italic>ex vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    study, we used non-functional \u00b5Bot silicon (Si) dummies matching the lateral dimensions of the intended \u00b5Bots, with reduced thickness (100 \u00d7 100 \u00d7 50\u00a0\u03bcm\n                    <jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup>\n                    ) to simplify fabrication and handling. Due to the intrinsic MRI incompatibility of the \u00b5Bot platform, encompassing both the dummies used in this study and the future functional devices under development, and the limitations of standard histological approaches in reliably identifying and preserving the implant site during processing, we developed an integrated imaging workflow combining 2D and 3D techniques. While standard histological methods and tissue clearing presented substantial limitations in preserving the position of the dummies within the brain tissue, combining histological techniques with 3D X-ray tomography provided a robust strategy. In particular, synchrotron radiation-based X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography (XPCT), with its intrinsic high contrast and resolution, enabled detailed visualization of dummies within the surrounding vascular and cellular architecture. In contrast, conventional micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT), although more widely accessible, enabled non-destructive guidance for targeted sectioning. Importantly, and in line with the scope of a Brief Research Report, this study presents a preliminary but technically robust investigation conducted within the CROSSBRAIN project, aimed at identifying and establishing an optimized imaging strategy for the visualization of implanted \u00b5Bots in brain tissue. This methodological framework is intended as an initial step toward future\n                    <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    studies, in which the validated imaging pipeline will be applied to track both dummy and functional devices and to enable subsequent evaluation of foreign body response under physiologically relevant conditions. This\n                    <jats:italic>ex vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    workflow therefore provides the essential technical foundation for such future investigations and supports the clear positioning of this work as a feasibility and optimization study. This approach could be particularly valuable for new generations of implantable technologies incompatible with MRI and could support future development of personalized neuromodulation therapies by enabling precise device localization and structural tissue assessment.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2026.1830115","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T05:42:04Z","timestamp":1780378924000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ex vivo localization of wireless implantable microdevice using high-resolution 3D imaging techniques"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Teresa","family":"Giannattasio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University","place":["Rome, 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