Random news from the Archive Microchip controls muscles
10.06.2012
An organic electronics research team at Linköping University has created a microchip that can control the delivery of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, allowing for chemical control of muscles.
The new device is based on previously developed transistors that can transport positive and negative ions, as well as biomolecules. Scientists managed to combine both ion channels and conventional microcircuits based on traditional silicon electronics into one transistor.
Thanks to the new technology, scientists can, for example, send chemical signals to muscle synapses where the natural nervous system does not work for some reason. The advantage of chemical control schemes, in particular, with the help of acetylcholine, is the ability to "bypass" the defects of the nerve centers and directly control muscle cells. This does not require attaching a microchip to the nerve endings, which is always associated with great difficulties and rejection problems.
Currently, transistors developed by Swedish scientists are able to control the supply of the signaling substance acetylcholine to individual cells and control muscle contraction. In the future, it is planned to develop chemical chips that can perform complex logical functions. In the future, this may lead to the creation of completely new technologies for the treatment of injuries and chronic diseases by regulating various physiological processes in the body.
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