24 April 2013 | News | By BioSpectrum Bureau
Novel remote controlled chip to serve as contraceptive for 16 years
Singapore: A new remote-controlled contraceptive chip designed by Massachusetts Company Micro CHIPS could serve as a contraceptive for 16 years. The chip works by being implanted into the skin. A daily dose of 30 milligrams of levonorgestrel must be administered.
A remote control can be used to shut the chip off if she wants a child. The hormone is contained in small reservoirs in the microchip.
The reservoirs are covered with a hermetic titanium and platinum seal created by MicroCHIPS. An electric current from an internal battery travels through the seal and temporarily melts it, which allows for a small dose of the hormone to be released in the body each day.
According to a news report, the chip can be potentially used for many other applications as it can store and release any drug slowly over a period of time. This chip can be activated and inactivated by remote control to cater specific needs.
The company said that a local anesthetic would be needed in a procedure lasting 30 minutes, to insert the chip into the body. The device was shown to be a success, with no adverse immune reaction taking place in human trial. The company forsees that the chip would be available worldwide by 2018.