A team of neuroscientists at the Washington University and the University of Illinois has used nanotechnology manufacturing methods to develop a remote-controlled wireless implant technology for a brain activity research effort.

The National Institutes of Health said Thursday the agency-backed research team tested the optofluidic implant’s potential to monitor neural circuits in mice and deliver drugs into the brains of mice during an animal study.

According to NIH, the device is made from soft materials and designed with four inorganic light-emitting diodes.

“It unplugs a world of possibilities for scientists to learn how brain circuits work in a more natural setting,” said Dr. Michael Bruchas, associate professor of anesthesiology and neurobiology at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. James Gnadt, program director at NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said the agency supported the implant development project as part of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.

The departments of Energy and Defense also backed the scientific work through the agencies’ grant programs.