Experts recently developed a biodegradable sensor that could assist doctors in monitoring neurological activities. The device was specialized with tracking functions that could make studies of the brain chemicals more accurate and easier.
The biodegradable sensor could also work on an operation without requiring a second one to remove the device from the patient's body.
Biodegradable Sensor Implant
The study of the new brain sensor technique was made possible through the help of mice subjects. The device experts developed was a wireless system programmed in biodegradable material.
The biodegradable sensor collected information on a neurotransmitter known as dopamine upon testing it with the subjects. Alongside dopamine, the sensor relayed other factors, including temperature, pH levels, and electrophysiology. After completing its functions, the sensor dissolved without any harm from the body of the specimens.
Dopamine is considered the most important signal that tells specialists about many neurological implications. To have a quick and uninterrupted analysis, the biodegradable sensor could be effectively used to read neurotransmitters over a range of brain-related operations and therapies.
The Pennsylvania State University's Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics expert Larry Cheng, who also authored the study, explained that direct dopamine measurements are essential in their role in the institute's press release. The neurotransmitter, according to Cheng, plays a lot of responsibilities in related neural diseases.
Previous studies have focused on temperatures, fevers, and even sweating as signals of brain problems. The parameters could help if specialists do not have any direct measurement of the cases, but the availability of a device capable of doing so would benefit operations and analysis of patients, Cheng added.
Direct measurements from dopamine in the exact location and in real-time are more helpful than the conventional approach doctors take, as collecting the information from older. Methods are undoubtedly challenging when based on the usual parameters, AzoSensors reports.
Implant Device for Better Chemical Monitoring in Brain
The new biodegradable sensor is a silicon-based implant constructed with a type of semiconductor known as two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). This semiconductor is among the latest innovations that slowly dominate the nanophotonics and nanoelectronics industry.
The TMDC system is programmed in a probe that measures 13 to 14 millimeters in diameter, similar to the common size of aspirins. Cheng explained that the scale of the sensor itself is even smaller than the tablet-sized entirety of the device.
The authors said that developing a biodegradable type of sensor piece aims to prevent patients from undergoing more than one surgical operation, as common procedures include a second to remove conventional measuring systems embedded in the person's organ.
Features of the biodegradable sensor include a program that could be configured in case datasets are required from a broad list of chemicals. In this case, the device was instructed to focus only on detecting and reading one target molecule, dopamine.
The authors believe that the application of this innovation could be used not just for human patients, but also by specialists who are engaged in animal-related research.
The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials, titled "Hetero-Integration of Silicon Nanomembranes with 2D Materials for Bioresorbable, Wireless Neurochemical System."
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