Implanted microchip is tested for the first time
Researchers at MIT have tested an implanted microchip for medical purposes for the first time. This chip delivers precise doses of medication at preset time.
MicroCHIPS, Inc.
The microchip devices were implanted near the waistline of seven 60-something postmenopausal women with osteoporosis in Denmark.
The drug-releasing microchip released up to 19 daily doses of an osteoporosis drug that usually requires injections. The chip was programmed via wireless to deliver the medicine.
Experts estimate that it will take about four years until the microchip is released. When it will become available, it will allow patients who take injectable drugs to replace the needle for the microchip.
One of the co-authors of the research, Dr. Robert Langer, Jr., an institute professor at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said: “It’s almost like ‘Star Trek,’ but now it’s coming to life.”
Patients who took part in the test were satisfied with the device, saying that they didn’t feel anything after the chip was implanted and stating that they would be willing to repeat the procedure.
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