American researchers have created a microchip that will control the birth rate. The new system assumes that the drug delivery device can be remotely turned on or off, and each implant can last for 16 years.
The dimensions of an innovative device designed for implantation under the skin of the buttocks, shoulder or abdomen are 20x20x7 millimeters. Every day, the device injects the carrier with 30 micrograms of levonorgestrel, a hormone that is already used in several types of contraceptives.
According to a review prepared by experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, preclinical testing of the device made by MicroCHIPS of Lexington will begin in the United States as early as next year. The goal is to bring the device to market by 2018, the report says.
“Accurate and long-term delivery of drugs can be achieved using sealed microreservoirs, from which they are released by a signal from the microchip,” - said in a press release published by the manufacturer.
This creates the opportunity for more accurate dosing, lower costs and eliminates the human factor, since the patient no longer has to worry about not forgetting to take the drug. Due to the combination of these factors, as the manufacturer notes, the development will improve treatment results.
A sixteen-year supply of the hormone is housed in tiny reservoirs on a microchip, 1.5 centimeters wide. Titanium and platinum are used in the production of the printed circuit board of the chip. The discharge of electrical current from the internal battery causes a small dose of the hormone to be released every day.
“The idea of using a thin membrane as an electrical fuse was the biggest challenge we had to solve,” said President Robert Farrah.
The device can be implanted and removed using local anesthesia. The firm has already tested an innovative drug delivery system on patients with osteoporosis. Surveys of the volunteers who took part in the study indicate that the device did not cause them any inconvenience, and all patients, without exception, declared that they were ready to repeat the implantation procedure.
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“Each procedure lasted no more than 30 minutes, - quotes the words of surgeon Georg Jensen Mail Online. The patients were able to leave the operating room on their own and get home unaccompanied."