Revolutionary wireless charger can power medical implants inside human body
What's the story
A team of scientists at Lanzhou University, China, has created a wireless charger capable of powering bioelectronic implants, such as fully biodegradable drug delivery systems.
This device overcomes the drawbacks of current power supply units for biomedical applications, which often lack sufficient power generation and require to be surgically replaced.
The cutting-edge wireless implantable power system is biodegradable and provides "high energy storage performance and favorable tissue interfacing properties" due to its soft and flexible design.
Details
Device design and functionality
The wireless power supply device is composed of a magnesium coil that charges when an external transmitting coil is positioned on the skin above the implant.
Energy received by the magnesium coil travels through a circuit before entering an energy storage module consisting of zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors. Unlike batteries—which store power as chemical energy—supercapacitors store power as electrical energy.
The prototype combines energy harvesting and storage into a single flexible, biodegradable chip-like implant, ensuring a consistent, dependable power output.
Factors
Biocompatibility and device lifespan
Zinc and magnesium are both vital to the human body, and the quantities present in the device are below daily intake levels, making the dissolvable implants biocompatible, notes the study.
The entire device is encased in polymer and wax, allowing it to bend and twist to align with the tissue it is placed in.
The device's operational time can be modified by altering the thickness and chemistry of the encapsulation layer.
Insights
Testing in rats
When experimented with rats, the device was found to function effectively for up to 10 days and dissolved within two months.
Researchers connected stacked supercapacitors with a receiving coil and a biodegradable drug delivery device carrying anti-inflammatory medicine. The configuration was implanted into rats with fever.
After twelve hours of monitoring, the temperature in the non-implant group was found to be higher than that in the implant group.
Conclusion
Potential applications and future development
Based on the testing, the team noted there was an issue with turning off/on the device and stated that controlled triggering of charging is required.
Integrated drug delivery systems within various tissues and organs could "play a vital role in localized, on-demand drug delivery and therapy," states the study.
The research further mentions the prototype "represents an important step forward in advancing a wide range of transient implantable bioelectronic devices with its potential to provide effective and reliable energy solutions."