EDITORIAL & OPINION — NEW HORIZONS — A computer chip for what ails you

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a microchip that can store and release drugs inside the body. The device relies on a gold cap that dissolves when a small current passes through it.

Gold’s properties allow it to be absorbed then flushed from the body without harm. The system could be used for releasing medicine at designated intervals or on command.

Current prototypes are being made for about US$20 each. With larger batches, the cost could drop. The manufacturing process is similar to making silicon wafer semi-conductors that can be filled with any chemical. The top of each reservoir, or well, is sealed with a 0.3-mm layer of gold containing electrical circuitry. If more than 1 volt is applied, the gold layer dissolves and the chemical inside is released. The prototype is about the size of a dime and contains more than 30 wells, with the potential to hold up to 1,000. The wells can be made larger or smaller, depending on the application, and each can be opened individually on command.

Future developments could bring a self-contained device with its own power supply and a microprocessor to control the opening of reservoirs. Medicine or chemicals could be released according to a pre-programmed schedule or by remote control. Other refinements could include a sensor in the chip, which releases substances as a reaction to changes in body temperature or other internal factors.

Scientists are also considering the device for use in medical testing. The chip would be pre-programmed to administer certain chemicals in precise amounts at exact moments during a diagnostic test. This could lead to more accurate testing of new drugs and therapies.

However, the most important current application is drug delivery. Most implants and patches currently on the market deliver drugs continuously over time. For example, some infertility treatments require wearing a small pump that delivers doses of certain hormones, via a catheter inserted into the skin, every 90 minutes for weeks at a time. Those hormones could potentially be incorporated into a chip that is implanted under the skin and programmed to release the contents of its reservoirs at certain times.

— The preceding appeared in Gold News, published by the Washington, D.C.-based Gold Institute.