The field of optogenetics – which uses genetically encoded switches that turn neurons on or off with light – has taken a step forward; scientists have created flexible, implantable, wireless devices that can activate and potentially block pain signals in the body before they make it to the brain.
In a new study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, researchers from Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo,
and the University of Illinois have built on wireless technology to create the flexible devices that can be implanted under the skin – without the need for batteries.
They hope that their implants will one day be used in different areas of the body to block pain pain that is not treatable with other therapies.
“Our eventual goal is to use this technology to treat pain in very specific locations by providing a kind of ‘switch’ to turn off the pain signals long before they reach the brain,’ says study author Prof. Robert W. Gereau IV, from Washington University Pain Center.
He said that previously, such devices had to be “anchored” to bone, whereas the new devices are held in place with sutures.
The benefit of these new flexible devices – which contain microLED lights that activate specific nerve cells – is that they enable scientists to work with neurons in the spinal cord or other locations outside of the central nervous system.
Commenting on their findings, the researchers write:
“We demonstrate the power of this technology by modulating peripheral and spinal pain circuitry, providing evidence for the potential widespread use of these devices in research and future clinical applications of optogenetics outside the brain.”
November, 2015