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Unlike treatments using single implants, such as cardiac pacemakers, the Intakt project in Germany aims to use networks of interconnected devices. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and involving 18 partners from industry, science and medicine, Intakt is developing systems of highly miniaturised implants that co-ordinate with each other.
The partners – including the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT) – hope that, by recording nerve signals and providing electrostimulation to affected regions, it will be possible to completely or partially restore lost physiological or motor functions. The networks could eventually be used in applications as diverse as tinnitus suppressors, gripping neuroprostheses, or gastrointestinal ‘pacemakers’.
Linking up
The networks, including up to 12 micro-implants, would be placed in the direct vicinity of the affected areas of patients’ bodies, without the need for electrode leads penetrating the skin. Unlike earlier systems, in which implants only communicated with control units outside the body, implants in the Intakt systems would communicate with one another. External interfaces would still share information with doctors and patients.
Along with greater data transparency, the networked systems could offer improved physical and chemical stability within the body. “The sensors and actuators can be directly integrated into the casing, which removes the need for sensitive cable connections,” said Roman Ruff from the IBMT. If one of the micro-implants fails, it could be much easier to replace than centralised systems.
Reduced footprint
Using realtime medical data from the sensors, and controls from the patient, the systems will stimulate nerve and muscle structures according to their specific needs.
So far, Fraunhofer researchers are aiming for three initial applications: a pacemaker for the gastrointestinal tract that uses distributed implants to enable or inhibit the intestine’s ability to move actively; a tinnitus suppressor that uses electrical stimulation to mask the ringing sound and make it less intrusive; and a gripping neuroprosthetic for paraplegics who have residual muscle activity.
“To ensure the long-term, reliable operation of a large network of micro-implants, the size of each implant must be kept as small as possible to minimise the burden on the patient,” said the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS), which is also involved in the project.
“The only way to reduce the footprint of the implanted devices, while maintaining a high function density, is to integrate the components in Asics (application-specific integrated circuits).”
The IIS is developing a ‘mixed-signal’ Asic, capable of simultaneously recording signals such as EMG, EEG and electrical neurostimulation. The group also aims to reduce power consumption and improve patient comfort by cutting the size of energy storage, with new low-power circuit architectures.
Personalised therapy
In the future, the institute said the systems will provide physicians with secure access to relevant information, helping them adapt further treatment to the needs of each patient. Built-in analysis and a wide scope for potential applications could provide personalised therapy for many different types of treatment.
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