Our brains are well-protected against intruders, and unfortunately, that includes many drugs. Implanting devices directly in the brain is typically the best way to get drugs there, and now, researchers have developed a drug-delivering brain implant that you can control with the push of a button on a remote.
The new device is only about as wide as a human hair, and is equipped with wireless technology that makes it possible to control with a remote control similar to those used for changing the channel on a TV. The researchers reported the results from tests of the device in mice in the journal Cell.
"Clinical applications of technology of this kind will greatly benefit from the minimally invasive nature of the devices," study co-author Jordan of the University of Illinois told Tech Times. "Deep brain clinical interventions are understandably rare as they carry many risks inherent in penetrating delicate brain tissue. Reducing the impact on this tissue may help reduce these risks."
Featuring microscale channels and pumps, the device contains four chambers that can be filled with drugs and deposited in the brain or other organs, Rogers pointed out. Tests so far show that the soft device can remain and function in the brain for extended periods of time without damaging or inflaming tissues.
"This approach potentially could deliver therapies that are much more targeted but have fewer side effects," study co-author Michael R. Bruchas of Washington University said in a statement.
The device still must go through more testing before it can be used in humans, but the researchers say that it could also prove to be a useful tool for mapping the human brain.
