The implant, which contains a harmless coolant and nitrogen gas, is gently wrapped around the nerves, which cool from 37 to 10 degrees Celsius, blocking pain signals to the brain.
Researchers in the US have developed an innovative small, soft, flexible and biodegradable implant that cools the nerves and thus relieves chronic pain. The new innovative analgesic device aims to be an alternative to opioids and other highly addictive pain medications.
The implant, which contains a harmless coolant (perfluoropentane) and nitrogen gas, gently wrapped around the nerves, which cool from 37 to 10 degrees Celsius, which blocks pain signals to the brain. When the nerve cools, the signal that travels through the nerve becomes slower and slower, until it finally stops completely. An electronic sensor monitors the temperature so that it does not fall too much, thus damaging the nerve.
The device in the form of a strip which is only five millimeters wide, is particularly concerned with the peripheral nerves that connect the brain and spine to the rest of the body. These nerves carry sensory stimuli and pain. An external pump allows the user to remotely activate the device and adjust its volume. When the implant is no longer needed, it is completely absorbed by the body naturally after a few months.
His researchers Northwestern University of Illinois, headed by a specialist in bioelectronics, John Rogers School of Engineering Professor, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Science”, hope that the device may be more useful for patients undergoing surgery or amputation and then have to take medication for pain. The surgeons will insert the implant during the operation and the patient will thus have better management of the postoperative pain.
«Although opioids are highly effective, they are also highly addictive. As engineers, we aim to treat pain-free pain in ways that can be activated and deactivated immediately. Our technology utilizes the same mechanism that makes our fingers numb when it is cold. We have shown through animal experiments that the same effect can be produced programmatically, directly and locally on targeted nerves, even deep within surrounding soft tissues.“, Said Rogers.
However, it will take about seven years, according to the researchers’ estimates, until the bioelectronic device becomes available to patients, as it has so far only been successfully tested in rats and must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA. On the other hand, its possible side effects are to be investigated, as – in addition to pain – the implant can block other signals that penetrate the nerves, such as touch and muscles.
Rogers said a non-biodegradable permanent implantable analgesic device can also be made to cool the nerves if needed. The same research team had presented in 2018 the world’s first biodegradable implant that accelerates the regeneration of damaged nerves and in 2021 the first biodegradable pacemaker.
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