Sunday Times 2
Implant that lets you know a heart attack is hours away
View(s):Scientists have developed a potentially life-saving electronic chip, which can detect heart attacks before they happen.
The device, being tested in Switzerland, can be implanted under the skin and constantly used to monitor a patient’s blood for diseases without the need for trips to the doctor.
Small but powerful: It's just 14 millimetres long, the gadget acts as an early warning system, combing through the blood for evidence of heart attacks about to happen, signs of diabetes or even cancer. File picture
Just 14 millimetres long, the gadget acts as an early warning system, combing through the blood for evidence of heart attacks about to happen, signs of diabetes or even cancer.
Each chip lives about a centimetre below the patient’s skin, and has five biosensors. They measure the acidity and the temperature of the blood, as well as search for specific molecules, such as glucose or cholesterol, depending on what doctors are looking for.
The information is then relayed by Bluetooth to smartphones or other devices, raising the potential for an automatic warning system which would raise the alarm in the event of an emergency.
Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne said that the chip could detect a molecule ties to heart attacks three or four hours before an attack.
It will also make blood testing much simpler for patients, especially those with chronic diseases who need regular monitoring.
‘The patient does not even have to remember about the test and it gets done,’ said Giovanni de Micheli, one of the researchers on the project.
‘The information is transmitted to the doctor or the medical provider.
He added that the chip would help medical experts to tailor their treatment to individual patients, calculating the exact dosage they would receive and improving the likelihood of a positive result.
‘In the case of chemotherapy or in the case of organ transplants it is very important to measure the exact dose of drug in the blood stream. This is extremely important in order to have efficient personalised medicine,’ he said.
In addition to detecting diseases, the system could be used to monitor patients recovering from surgery, in real time, or to monitor incremental changes in athletes.
The ability to relay information automatically to a doctor is not the only benefit of the Bluetooth system, of course.
It also means that the tiny chips can be powered by a small battery patch, worn like a plaster outside the body, cutting the need for wires and the risk of infection.
Doctors are able to change the battery very easily – by swapping the battery patch – allowing them to leave the chip inside the body for much longer periods than other, similar monitoring devices.
So far, the tiny gadgets have only been tested on mice, where they were used to monitor levels of glucose and paracetamol levels. However, the scientists expect to start a clinical trial on humans within three to five years.
‘We have tested it for functionality. The test was positive, and of course we look forward to an entire path of tests on larger animals and eventually on humans,’ Mr De Micheli said.
At the moment, the chips only last around two months, but the researchers said that they are working to extend their life-span.
© Daily Mail, London