Could there be a microchip implanted inside humans soon? This is the latest phenomena a University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) professor and his team of students are working on. SciTech Now takes you inside the UTSA lab using 3D printers to print out prototypes of a controlled microchip designed to release drug dosages to patients over a period of time. The microchip will be used for cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, birth control, and other long-term medicinal needs.
For patients on perennial medicinal needs, the task of taking daily dosages can be difficult at times, which is why UTSA professor Dr. Lyle Hood and his team of researchers are working on a microchip to aid with prescription drugs. Unlike other medicinal microchips currently on the market, this will be a biodegradable one.
This version of the microchip will provide the same control and accuracy as a physician administering dosages every day. The controlled microchip will send information to the designated physician with a notification of the dosage administered.
A biodegradable microchip will subsequently never have to be removed from a patient. Refills will be administered through a new microchip and continue to provide the recommended dosages required.
For now, designs are being worked on by research teams of undergrad and grad students with the guidance of Hood. Using 3D printers to print out prototypes of the microchip, the team strives to successfully test out microchips in the near future.
Learn more on this episode of SciTech Now airing Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRN.
