These researchers from Northwestern University (Illinois) provide the first example of bioelectronic medicine, a biodegradable implant that provides electrical stimulation to accelerate regeneration and improve healing of a damaged nerve. The “drug” naturally “biodegrades” in the body after a week or two. An innovative development that provides proof of its therapeutic efficacy in the journal Nature Medicine.
Northwestern researchers with fellow neurosurgeons at the University of Washington have developed this wireless, biodegradable, implantable bioelectronic device that accelerates nerve regeneration (Visual). The device delivers regular electrical impulses to damaged peripheral nerves - here in rats - after a surgical repair process and is shown to be effective in accelerating nerve regrowth in the legs and improving strength recovery and muscle control. The size of a dime and the thickness of a sheet of paper, the wireless device works for about 2 weeks before disintegrating naturally in the body.
The interest of temporary and transitional technologies is underlined here: these technologies could one day complement or replace standard pharmaceutical treatments in the treatment of certain diseases. Here, the technology the researchers call "bioelectronic medicine" delivers therapy and treatment over a clinically relevant period of time and directly to the site of injury, helping to reduce side effects or risks associated with conventional permanent implants. .
" These engineered systems perform an active therapeutic function in a dosed and programmable pattern, then disappear naturally in the body, without a trace ," concludes lead author John A. Rogers of Northwestern, a technology pioneer bio-integrated.
“A therapeutic approach that allows us to think about options that go beyond drugs and chemistry”.
