Implantable Biochip Becoming a Reality

Filed in archive Diagnostics Studies by Gloria Gamat
August 03, 2007
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com/50..._a_reality.php

And you thought such kinds of stuff are only happening in the movies?

Not anymore.

Actually, an implantable biochip that could relay vital health information if a soldier is wounded in battle or a civilian is hurt in an accident is already under development in the Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips (C3B) at Clemson University.

The undertaking was made possible by a $1.6 million grant for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

[The biochip, about the size of a grain of rice, could measure and relay such information as lactate and glucose levels in the event of a major hemorrhage, whether on the battlefield, at home or on the highway.]

According to Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, C3B director and Dow Chemical Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and professor of bioengineering:

"...first responders to the trauma scene could inject the biochip into the wounded victim and gather data almost immediately.

The device has other long-term potential applications, such as monitoring astronauts' vital signs during long-duration space flights and reading blood-sugar levels for diabetics."

Yes, it is starting to become a reality. Well, if put to really good use, why not? But admittedly, this is kind of scary, don't you think?

Find more details from the full report.

[In photo: Implantable biochip, about the size of a grain of rice. (Credit: Image courtesy of Clemson University)]

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