Using biodegradable materials, an international team of scientists has designed a flexible gas sensor that is highly sensitive and can be implanted in the human body. The sensor, which monitors a patient’s condition during and after medical procedures, biodegrades safely after its use has been exhausted and is absorbed by the body. This is a much better sensor than the sensors currently in use. The current sensors are not only expensive, but they can also be dangerous and uncomfortable.
Researchers designed this implantable sensor that can monitor different forms of nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide gas in the body. These gases play a beneficial although sometimes harmful role in a person’s health, hence the need to monitor them. For instance, nitric oxide, which is a highly reactive gas produced in the human body naturally, widens or relaxes blood vessels, thus allowing nutrients and oxygen to circulate in the body, enhancing blood flow.
An assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, Dr. Huanyu Cheng, states that nitric oxide transforms into nitrogen dioxide when it’s exposed to oxygen and notes that environmental exposure to nitrogen dioxide is connected with the progression of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The study findings were reported in the “NPG Asia Materials.” The sensor was made from materials that weren’t just biodegradable but also stretchable. Cheng elaborated on how the team decided on its sensor design, explaining that devices currently being used are not as accurate as a device that was implanted; today’s devices are also bulky and are used outside the body. What few implantable devices available need to be removed, which may result in another operation.
According to the researchers, all the components used to make the sensors are biodegradable in bodily fluids and water but are still functional enough to record information on bodily gas levels. The sensor’s functional materials are made from silicon because it’s extremely sensitive to nitric oxide while its conductors are made out of magnesium. The materials are said to dissolve at a slow pace that allows the sensors to continue functioning in the patient’s body during their recovery period.
The sensor was tested in aqueous solutions and humid conditions to demonstrate that it could perform steadily in the body’s harsh conditions. The team of researchers note that in the future, they will work toward designing integrated systems that can monitor other body functions for various disease applications and for healthy aging.
An entity you need to pay attention to within the biomedical industry is Processa Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: PCSA). This firm specializes in identifying medical needs for which clinical efficacy proof exists regarding possible remedies. Processa then develops those remedies and brings them to market.
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