Brain sensors that can monitor intracranial pressure/temperature, and can then be absorbed by the body were recently developed by scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and engineers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These brain sensors can potentially be used to monitor patients with traumatic brain injuries or to monitor other organs in the body. “Electronic devices and their biomedical applications are advancing rapidly,” said the co-first author of 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. Plus, using resorbable devices negates the need for surgery to retrieve them, which further lessens the risk of infection and further complications.” During the study, the researchers tested the brain sensors in baths of saline solution that caused them to dissolve after a few days. Next, they tested the devices in the brains of laboratory rats. After having proven that the sensors are accurate and dissolved in the solution, as well as in the rats’ brains, the researchers are planning to test the technology in patients. To read more about this study, click here.
