NEBULA MEDICAL (APR – 3059)

Injectable Conductive Hydrogels for Minimally Invasive Nerve Stimulation Implants

Engineering, IT, Mathematics and Statistics

ABOUT THE INDUSTRY PARTNER

Nebula Medical is an early-stage medical device company developing a minimally invasive, battery-free implantable neuromodulation platform for the treatment of chronic pain. Nebula Medical’s approach aims to replace conventional leads and implanted batteries with small, wirelessly powered implants coupled to the nerve through an injectable conductive interface. The company is headquartered in the USA, with operations in Europe.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

1. Translational research on a real medical device problem. The intern will work on a question that sits on Nebula Medical’s critical development path, and will see first-hand how bench results become design requirements, feed a preclinical plan, and inform a regulatory strategy for an implantable device.
2. Direct mentorship from an experienced industry team. The intern will work closely with Nebula Medical’s founder and CEO, who holds a PhD and has more than 20 years of experience in the neuromodulation industry, including clinical development of implantable neurostimulation systems, alongside the company’s engineering team.
3. Broad, interdisciplinary hands-on experience. The project combines hydrogel formulation, electrochemistry, rheology and acoustic characterisation, and connects materials science to electrophysiology and device engineering. This is an uncommon mix and a strong foundation for a career in bioelectronics or medical devices.
4. Exposure to an early-stage, international medtech company. Nebula Medical operates across the US and Europe. The intern will gain insight into how a device start-up prioritises experiments, manages intellectual property, works with research partners and communicates technical results to investors and regulators. Where the company’s patent timeline allows, contributions may lead to co-authorship on future publications.

RESEARCH TO BE CONDUCTED

Nebula Medical’s implant concept relies on an injectable depot that stays at the nerve, conducts stimulation current efficiently to the target tissue, and does not interfere with how the implant receives power. The base gel is the comparatively easy part; the research challenge is modifying it for conductivity and tissue adhesion while keeping it injectable and stable over time.
The intern will:

1. Review the literature and, with Nebula Medical, define target properties for the depot, including a conductivity window relative to surrounding tissue, injectability through a fine-gauge needle, and stability at body temperature.
2. Prepare and compare a small set of candidate formulations built on established injectable hydrogels (for example alginate or gelatin/collagen derivatives), modified with conductive components such as conductive polymers or conductive fillers.
3. Characterise each candidate for:
   – electrical conductivity and electrochemical behaviour (impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, charge storage and injection capacity) in physiological saline;
   – rheology, gelation time and syringe injectability;
   – adhesion to tissue or tissue-mimicking substrates;
   – swelling, degradation and conductivity drift over several weeks at 37 °C;
   – ultrasound transmission and attenuation compared with a tissue-mimicking reference.
4. Where the host laboratory allows, run preliminary cytocompatibility screening on the leading candidates.
5. Rank the candidates against the target properties and recommend a lead formulation and next steps toward in vivo evaluation.

The work is bench-based and would be carried out in suitable laboratory facilities at the intern’s host university, with regular remote supervision and review meetings with Nebula Medical.

SKILLS WISH LIST

If you’re a postgraduate research student and meet some or all the below we want to hear from you. We strongly encourage women, indigenous and disadvantaged candidates to apply:

Essential:
– Minimum PhD candidate in materials science, polymer or physical chemistry, chemical or biomedical engineering, or a related field.
– Hands-on experience preparing and characterising hydrogels or other soft polymer materials.
– Electrochemical characterisation skills, ideally impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry.
– Rheology or mechanical testing of soft materials.
– Careful experimental design, data analysis and clear written and verbal reporting.
– Ability to work independently with remote supervision across time zones (Europe and US).

Desirable:
– Experience with conductive polymers (such as PEDOT:PSS or polypyrrole) or conductive composites.
– Experience with injectable hydrogels, bioinks or 3D bioprinting.
– Familiarity with ultrasound or acoustic measurements.
– Basic cell culture or cytocompatibility testing.
– Interest in neural interfaces, electrode materials or bioelectronics.
– Awareness of medical device development, biocompatibility standards or regulatory requirements.
– Access to hydrogel preparation and electrochemistry facilities at the intern’s home institution would be a strong advantage.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES

Nebula Medical expects the internship to deliver:
– A written target specification for the conductive depot, grounded in the literature and agreed with Nebula Medical, covering conductivity, injectability, adhesion, stability and acoustic behaviour.
– A set of candidate conductive hydrogel formulations, each prepared with a documented, reproducible protocol.
– A comparative dataset for every candidate: conductivity, impedance and charge capacity, rheology and injectability, adhesion, stability over several weeks at 37 °C, and ultrasound attenuation, plus preliminary cytocompatibility where feasible.
– A ranked down-selection with a recommended lead formulation, an honest account of its limitations, and a proposed plan for the next phase of testing, including in vivo evaluation.
– A final report and a presentation to the Nebula Medical team.

These outcomes will de-risk one of the key technical assumptions in Nebula Medical’s platform and directly inform its preclinical development plan.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

The intern will receive $3,300 per month of the internship, usually in the form of scholarship payments.

It is expected that the intern will primarily undertake this research project during regular business hours and maintain contact with their academic mentor throughout the internship either through face-to-face or phone meetings as appropriate.

The intern and their academic mentor will have the opportunity to negotiate the project’s scope, milestones and timeline during the project planning stage.

Please note, applications are reviewed regularly and this internship may be filled prior to the advertised closing date if a suitable applicant is identified. Early submissions are encouraged.

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