A flexible nerve-cooling electronic implant may be the future way of relieving pain in patients. Researchers say the implant encircles nerves with an evaporative cooler and is able to cool nerves by blocking pain signals. They say that it could be an alternative to drugs like opioids.
Bioengineer Prof. John Rodgers Northwestern University in Evanston-Illinois, US and his colleagues said the cooler was implanted on rats and was able to block pain signals from zipping up to the brain. This could be another big innovation for managing acute pain experienced during surgeries, amputations or nerve grafts.
Photo: Northwestern University/ PA (Original)
“We are optimistic about this promising starting point for an engineering approach to treating pain,” Prof. John Rogers said
The nerve-cooling implant is made of water-soluble materials and can dissolve in the body. The device has a soft cuff that wraps the nerve like toilet paper on a roll. When a liquid coolant is pumped through the channels, it evaporates and the process takes heat from the underlying nerve. A temperature sensor helps scientists reach the underlying nerves, cold enough to block pain but not too cold to damage the nerve.
Prof. John Rogers said they are now exploring how long they can apply the cooling effect without damaging tissues. So far, they could only could the rats’ nerves for about 15 minutes.
Scientists and researchers say the nerve-cooling implant is far from being used but offers a reliable alternative to pain management and the use of pain killers.
