A dissolvable brain sensor has been developed that has the ability to monitor the brain then dissolve away without the need for invasive surgery.
The device has been developed that has come through the combined efforts of both engineers and neurosurgeons. The "bioresorbable silicon electronic sensors" can monitor "intracranial pressure" and temperature before dissolving away, absorbed by the body.
The Washington School of Medicine and University of Illinois engineers (Urbana-Champaign) developed the product and it has been tested by researchers.
They were able to observe the monitor dissolve in a solution of saline after a couple of days, then they moved on to live testing. They placed the tiny sensor in the brain of a rat, with success in both its functionality and eventual dissolving. Now they are ready for human trials.
"Electronic devices and their biomedical applications are advancing rapidly," said Rory K. J. Murphy, first co-author for the study. "But a major hurdle has been that implants placed in the body often trigger an immune response, which can be problematic for patients."
"The benefit of these new devices is that they dissolve over time, so you don't have something in the body for a long time period, increasing the risk of infection, chronic inflammation and even erosion through the skin or the organ in which it's placed," he added.
