Implantable Biodegradable Wireless Unit Treat Damaged Nerves
Nov 30, 2018 3:22:35 GMT -6
swamprat and jcurio like this
Post by plutronus on Nov 30, 2018 3:22:35 GMT -6
By: Elizabeth Montalbano
November 28, 2018
Design News Magazine -Materials & Assembly, Sensors, Materials, Medical
Novel Implantable Wireless Device Treats Damaged Nerves, then Dissolves
Researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have invented a bioresorbable medical device to treat nerve damage.
One of the Holy Grail inventions of medical devices is one that is bio-compatible, serves a therapeutic function, and can be reabsorbed into the human system when its work is finished. Researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed what they said is the first example of this future for medicine with an implantable, biodegradable wireless device. This device speeds nerve regeneration to improve the healing of a damaged nerve.
Regrowth of Nerves With Electrical Stimulation
Materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern and neurosurgeons at Washington University put their heads together to develop the device, which can deliver regular pulses of electricity to damaged peripheral nerves in rats after a surgical repair process. The team showed in tests that this accelerates the regrowth of nerves in the rats' legs, enhancing the ultimate recovery of muscle strength and control, according to a Northwestern University news release.
“These engineered systems provide active, therapeutic function in a programmable, dosed format and then naturally disappear into the body, without a trace,” said John A. Rogers, professor of materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering, and neurological surgery at Northwestern, and a pioneer in bio-integrated technologies. “This approach to therapy allows one to think about options that go beyond drugs and chemistry.”
The bioresorbable electronic medical device developed by the team is tiny—just the size of a dime and the thickness of a sheet of paper—and can operate wirelessly for about two weeks before naturally absorbing into the body, researchers said.
Regrowth of Nerves With Electrical Stimulation
Materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern and neurosurgeons at Washington University put their heads together to develop the device, which can deliver regular pulses of electricity to damaged peripheral nerves in rats after a surgical repair process. The team showed in tests that this accelerates the regrowth of nerves in the rats' legs, enhancing the ultimate recovery of muscle strength and control, according to a Northwestern University news release.
“These engineered systems provide active, therapeutic function in a programmable, dosed format and then naturally disappear into the body, without a trace,” said John A. Rogers, professor of materials science and engineering, biomedical engineering, and neurological surgery at Northwestern, and a pioneer in bio-integrated technologies. “This approach to therapy allows one to think about options that go beyond drugs and chemistry.”
The bioresorbable electronic medical device developed by the team is tiny—just the size of a dime and the thickness of a sheet of paper—and can operate wirelessly for about two weeks before naturally absorbing into the body, researchers said.
Replacing Pharmaceuticals
Scientists envision that such devices can not just complement, but even replace pharmaceutical treatments or implants for various medical conditions. The key is that they provide treatment for an allotted period of time directly at a site where such treatment is needed. This type of treatment can reduce side effects or risks associated with medications or other types of medical implants, including surgeries to implant and replace devices, researchers said.
Specifically, the device wraps around an injured nerve and delivers electrical pulses at selected time points for days before dissolving. A transmitter outside the body powers and controls the device remotely.
The team so far has tested the device only in.... To read the remainder of this article see:
Scientists envision that such devices can not just complement, but even replace pharmaceutical treatments or implants for various medical conditions. The key is that they provide treatment for an allotted period of time directly at a site where such treatment is needed. This type of treatment can reduce side effects or risks associated with medications or other types of medical implants, including surgeries to implant and replace devices, researchers said.
Specifically, the device wraps around an injured nerve and delivers electrical pulses at selected time points for days before dissolving. A transmitter outside the body powers and controls the device remotely.
The team so far has tested the device only in.... To read the remainder of this article see: