News coming in from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that our brain cells may soon have their own gadgets to flaunt. Just like we don wearables on our wrists to track our fitness and measure our progress towards a healthier lifestyle, individual cells of our body will soon have their own wearables that will perform similar functions for them. Soon, it may be possible to track the health of your cells and monitor their performance for predictive healthcare and pre-emptive medical care before a medical emergency knocks on our door.
What is the wearable all about?
Researchers at MIT have developed subcellular-sized, battery-less polymer devices that softly wrap around different segments of neurons when actuated with light, without causing any damage to cells whatsoever. These wearables not only can measure a neuron’s electrical and metabolic activities, but also modulate them at subcellular level. Once injected into a human body, these tiny wireless devices freely float inside the body and guided by light signals supplied from outside the body. Doses of light shined from outside penetrates into the tissues and actuates these devices to gently wrap around the target cells. Such non-invasive procedure helps integrate the tiny devices with other materials to create miniscule circuits that can measure and modulate cellular activity.
What’s more interesting is the fact that these bioelectronic implants can tightly conform to the complex structure and curvature of slender axons. The additional fact that the fragile cells and neurons are not damaged by these devices adds to their advantages.
How are these devices made?
The researchers at MIT used a soft polymer “azobenzene” to develop thin-film devices because this polymer does not damage cells as it enfolds them. A drop of azobenzene was deposited on a sacrificial layer of water-soluble material and then the drop of polymer was pressed with a stamp to create moulds. Thousands of tiny devices of complex shapes could be moulded on top of these sacrificial layers. Next, they were baked to ensure evaporation of all solvents and were etched to scrape away any residue material. Finally, the sacrificial layer was dissolved in water to release thousands of microscopic devices freely floating in the liquid.
Can they be controlled?
Yes, the researchers could precisely control the diameter and direction of rolling of these devices by varying the polarization and intensity of light shined on them, which also helped in controlling the shape of the devices. The thin films of azobenzene could form tiny microtubes with diameters under a micrometre. What’s delightful about this procedure is that it does not necessarily require a clean room like those for semiconductor fabrication, making this process easily scalable.
Why do these wearables matter?
They matter because hardly any technology exists that can help us to measure and modulate subcellular activity of a human body. Since azobenzene is an insulator, these tiny devices can be used as synthetic myelin for damaged axons, helping in efficient electrical impulses between neurons. This can be particularly helpful in case of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, that affect the myelin sheath of the neurons. Furthermore, certain brain-related diseases can be treated with these tiny devices as they stimulate subcellular regions in the brain.
Where’s it headed next?
The experiments have ben conducted on mice so far, and human trials are yet to take place. Nonetheless, the wearables do hold a massive hope in the area of brain health and medical care and can revolutionize the way we tap into the information that brain cells give out at all times.
