Tuesday 22 August 2017

Dust-Sized Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Innovation

Bioelectronics is a branch of science dealing with the role of electron transfer in biological processes. It works with electronic control of physiological functions that is applied in medicine to restore the lost functions of the nervous system.

Dust-sized Electroceuticals

UC Berkeley (University of California, Berkeley) engineers have built dust-sized battery-less, wireless sensors to monitor and stimulate muscles, organs, and nerves. These implantable sensors or so-called neural dust could improve brain control of prosthetics.

Currently, implantable electrodes degrade within a year or two. They are also connected with wires that pass through holes in the skull. These wireless sensors could be sealed in, preventing infection and movement of the electrodes. Moreover, it could prevent the use of wires running through the skull.

This technology could open the doors for “electroceuticals” in treating of disorders like epilepsy and stimulate immune system and reduce inflammation. When tested on rats, the dust was implanted in the muscles and peripheral nerves. The ultrasound is used to power and read out the data and measurements.

This sensor is as large as a grain of sand, contains a piezoelectric crystal that converts the external ultrasound vibrations into electricity to fuel a minute on-board transistor, which is connected to the muscle fiber or nerve. A voltage spike in the fiber could alter the circuit and vibrate the crystals changing the echo detected by the receiver. Backscatter or slight changes allows the researchers to alter the voltage. In the experiment, the passive sensors were powered every 100 microseconds with six 540-nanosecond ultrasound pulses. This gave the researchers a real-time readout. The researchers believe that these sensors could perform well in the brain and central nervous system to control prosthetics.

Market Insight

According to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., the global electroceuticals bioelectric medicine market is expected to reach USD 35.5 billion by 2025. Growing geriatric population prone to ailments and diseases namely Alzheimer’s disease, cardiac arrhythmias, depression, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease is anticipated to drive the market over the coming years. Additionally, prevalence of chronic disorders will also contribute to the market growth.

Competitive Insight

LivaNova PLC; Medtronic; Nevro Corp.; and SECOND SIGHT are some of the major competitors of the electroceuticals/bioelectric medicine market. Players get involved in collaborations, mergers & acquisitions, product development, and regional expansions to improve their position in the market.

In-Depth research report on electroceuticals - bioelectric medicine market:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Ophthalmic Ultrasound Devices Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 by Grand View Research, Inc.

19-Mar-2020: The global ophthalmic ultrasound devices market size is expected to reach USD 728.7 million by 2026, according to a new repo...