Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Northeastern University, both in the United States, have developed tiny “microworms” that could be implanted under the skin to monitor biomedical indicators, such as levels of sodium or glucose in the blood. This new system would allow people with diabetes to check their blood sugar just by glancing at an area of skin. While other researchers have developed microparticle-based systems that use hollow, microscopic particles filled with specific chemicals, those particles have been spherical and are small enough to be swept away from the initial site over time. The new system uses particles shaped like long tubes. The greater length keeps the tubes well anchored in place for long-term monitoring, perhaps even months on end. The “microworms”, which are nanoparticles created through a technique called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and filled with a drug, or a material that responds to the environment, can be injected under the skin to form a fluorescent “tattoo”. The degree of fluorescence would allow the patient to continuously monitor specific chemicals in their body, without the need for bulky monitors. According to Karen Gleason, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT, the tubes are so tiny that “the body doesn’t even think they’re there,” which allows them to operate in “stealth mode” without triggering a physical response. The article can be viewed online at the link below.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/update-microworms-0217.html