Prescription microchips are the medicine of the future
MIT researchers Robert Langer and Michael Cima have worked with MicroCHIPS, Inc. to develop a microchip that could deliver prescription drugs to patients. It was tested on 7 women between the ages of 65 and 70 who suffered from osteoporosis and in all cases, the chip delivered the correct amount of medication to them without negative side effects.
According to Forbes.com, the chip was implanted underneath the patients’ skin. It contained reservoirs to hold the drugs, which were sealed with a layer of platinum and titanium. As a current was applied to the seal, it melted and released the drugs into the patients’ bloodstreams. Microchips will even be programmable so medicines can be delivered automatically.
This comes as great news to people who do not want to inject a needle into themselves everyday, or for older patients who are forgetful about taking their pills. It is a fail-proof, right-on-schedule method for receiving necessary medication. “The convergence of drug delivery and electronic technologies gives physicians a real-time connection to their patient’s health, and patients are freed from the daily reminder, or burden, of disease by eliminating the need for regular injections,” said Langer.
As reported by MIT News, this device will begin an age of telemedicine- where health care can be sent over longer distances. “You could literally have a pharmacy on a chip,” said Langer. “You can do remote control delivery, you can do pulsatile drug delivery, and you can deliver multiple drugs.”
Another benefit of using the microchip is that it can be equipped with sensors which monitor how well a treatment is working. This would allow doctors to observe and adjust medicine types and amounts to better serve their patients.
MicroCHIPS, Inc. is currently working on chips that will treat other diseases as well. They hope to gain approval for widespread use of microchip devices by 2014.
