Implantable Blood Testing Laboratory on a Chip

Scientists from the EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne or, in English, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) have developed an implantable blood testing laboratory that provides an immediate analysis of compounds in the body. The device will allow for a greater level of personalized care than traditional blood tests currently provide. The miniaturized device is just a few cubic millimeters in volume but includes five sensors and a radio transmitter. Outside the body, a battery patch provides a 1/10 watt of power through the patient’s skin. A tiny electrical coil in the chip receives the power from the patch. The implant emits radio waves over a safe frequency. The patch collects the data and transmits it via Bluetooth to the patient’s cell phone, which then sends it to a physician over the cellular network. Implanted just beneath the skin, the chip can detect the concentration of up to five proteins and organic acids in the blood simultaneously. Each sensor is coated with an enzyme that reacts with a targeted substance, such as lactate, glucose, or adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The enzymes currently being tested are good for about a month and a half, which is already long enough for many applications. The device was developed by a team led by EPFL scientists Giovanni de Micheli and Sandro Carrara. According to de Micheli: Potentially, we could detect just about anything. But the enzymes have a limited lifespan, and we have to design them ...
Source: Highlight HEALTH - Category: Medical Scientists Authors: Source Type: blogs