There is a person by the name ofClare Wilson.
The implant has a strip with small channels for chemicals to pass through.
There is a university in the area.
It's possible to get the same effect with an implant that cools down nerve fibres inside the body.
A prototype of the device was tested in rats and it was found that it could chill nerves to 10C. It is designed to be absorbed by the body after it is implanted, so that the pain from the operation doesn't last long.
Opioid drugs can be addictive and there is a need for better ways to treat pain. If used for too long, ice packs or cooling patches can hurt the skin. John Rogers was trying to target pain nerves.
A thin, flexible strip of material has been developed by his team. A nerve fibre can be wrapped around one of the ends. A small pump is connected to the other end.
Nitrogen gas and PFC are pumped into the strip through different channels. A cooling effect is provided by the chemicals mix at the far end of the strip.
The PFP gas and nitrogen go through a third channel to the pump, where they are separated and the PFP goes back to a liquid. The device has a temperature sensor that can be used to adjust the effect.
Three rats with injured paws were implanted with the device to see if it worked. When each paw was pressed using a sensitive measuring device, it took seven times more force to make the animals stop. It was a good sign that we had numbed the paw.
The device had been in the body for six months. Rogers says that the team needs to continue testing the implant in animals to understand how long it takes to chill nerves.
Many previous pain-relieving approaches that worked in rats haven't succeeded in people, but it's well established that cooling nerves blocks their function This is the basics of bio physics. The principle is safe.
McGlone says that this implant may be useful for people with long-term pain as it is harder to treat with opioids without causing tolerance.
If necessary, a permanent form of the device could be made using materials that don't degrade. The surgery that needs to happen anyway is the most natural use.
The journal's title is Science.
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