on March 24, 2013
Prof. Fabio Grassi’s group at the IRB has participated to a study coordinated by the EPFL that led to the development of a diagnostic microlaboratory to be implanted into the body. The tiny device, only 14 millimeters long, contains sensors capable of detecting molecules, as well as a radio transmitter and a power supply system. The prototype is able to measure up to five substances simultaneously and showed no side effect once subcutaneously implanted, similarly to commercial microchip commonly implanted in domestic animals. The development of this technology will enable the on-line monitoring of disease biomarkers and drugs and transmitting concentration values outside the body to computers and smart phones, for example, of doctors. This technology will help to personalize therapies based on individual responses to drugs and allow early identification of the pathophysiological modifications in the course of diseases, thus leading to more effective and timely treatments.
This project is supported by the Swiss fund Nano-Tera initiative (http://www.nano-tera.ch).
A video explaining the device is available at the EPFL website: http://actu.epfl.ch/news/under-the-skin-a-tiny-laboratory/
