Dissolvable Brain Sensors Are Tiny And Wireless

Washington University School of Medicine researchers have developed a new type of brain sensor that is tiny, wireless, and dissolves after a certain amount of time, eliminating the need for removal surgery. These sensors are able to monitor brain temperature and pressure within the skull, and at the end of their lives the implants are simply absorbed into the body. While these sensors are designed for the brain, it is possible similar sensors could be developed that monitor other organs.

The sensors were developed by scientists with Washington University alongside University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign engineers. Unlike other sensors that need to be removed, these implants decrease the risk of complications like infection and an immune response, as well as eliminating the need for removal surgery.

In the event of a brain injury, doctors are forced to determine intracranial pressure using devices that are "based on technology from the 1980s," according to the study's co-author Rory K. J. Murphy. That's a problem because the devices are wired and large. These sensors deliver data wirelessly, and are less traumatic to the patient.

The implants are made of polylactic-go-glycolic acid and silicone, and so far they have been tested in saline baths and laboratory rats' brains; the researchers have plans to soon test the implants with human patients. Funding for the project has been provided by DARPA, NIH, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

SOURCE: EurekAlert