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========================================= Internal Micro-Machines May Soon Deliver Medicine By Remote Control (July 14, 1999) Robert S. Langer, professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his colleagues have constructed a device that generates electric pulses to dispense drugs inside the human body. "It's a little chip that can release thousands of little molecules in any pattern you like," Langer said. The chip is more precise than traditional methods of taking medication because from within the body it can release varying concentrations of the same drug or of different drugs. Features such as programmed time-delay and a remote control option make the design even more appealing. Currently, however, Dr. Langer's microchip -- made of gold -- is only in the developmental stage and remains untested in humans. Its potential applications are exciting: * Cancer sufferers could forget about being tied to intravenous tubes, * Diabetics can skip insulin injections for months, and * Children may avoid the bad taste of antibiotics used to combat ear infections. The rationale for using gold metal is its high stability in the presence of moisture, making the chip practically resistant to corrosion once implanted under the skin or, possibly, swallowed. The gold safely dissolves when voltage is applied to the device; this allows the chip's "doors" to open up, releasing specific medicinal contents for the patient via a handheld remote. "Just like you open a garage door," Langer added. Source: U.S. News & World Report, July 5, 1999 Copyright (C) 1999 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. ========================================= I don't think anyone else posted this to the list yet. Would this work for PD meds too? Victoria Nordli cg