Wireless tissue transplant technology

Previously, engineers from Rice University (USA) developed an implantable device to electrically stimulate patients with spinal cord injuries.

Recently, the team upgraded the technique to power and program the multipoint biostimulator from a single transmitter. Thanks to new research, electrical and computer engineer Kaiyuan Yang and colleagues at the George R. Brown School of Engineering (Rice University) won an award at the Society of Electrical and Electrical Engineers’ Custom Integrated Circuits Conference death (IEEE). The researchers performed experiments showing that an alternating magnetic field can be controlled by a battery-powered generator outside the body. The transmitter can be mounted on a belt or harness, powering and programming two or more implants at least 60 millimeters away. The implant can be programmed with a delay measured in microseconds. That could allow them to coordinate the activation of multiple wireless pacemakers in individual heart chambers, says engineer Yang. “Our study shows that it is possible to program the implants to stimulate in a coordinated pattern. We sync every device, like a symphony. That gives us a lot of scope in stimulant treatments, whether it’s for the heart rhythm or the spinal cord.” The scientists also experimented using small implants. Each tissue is about the size and weight of a vitamin. Experiments performed on hydra vulgaris rodents have demonstrated that, for at least a short distance, such devices can stimulate two separate hydras to contract. Then, activate a fluorescent tag to respond to electrical signals and respond at controlled amplitudes along the rodent’s sciatic nerve. “A study on spinal cord regeneration showed that multipoint stimulation in a certain pattern helps restore the nervous system. Several clinical studies are underway, but all are using desktop devices. There is no implantable tool that can do this,” said engineer Yang. Lab devices, called MagNI (for electromagnetic nerve implantation). MagNI was introduced early last year as a cordless spinal cord stimulator for power and programming. That means the wire does not need to be passed through the patient’s skin. Because, putting the wire through the skin is a method that can cause infection.