A research team led by Professor Jang Dong-pyo of the Department of Biomedical Engineering has developed an electronic medical system that is inserted deep into the brain to measure neurochemical information and then melts away on its own. This is expected to play an important role in the future treatment of neurotransmitter-related brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. This paper was recognized for its excellence in research and was featured on the cover of the April issue of ‘Advanced Materials (IF: 30.849)’, which boasts the world’s highest authority.
Among the neurotransmitters secreted by nerve cells in the brain, dopamine is also called the happiness hormone because it is involved in emotions that increase motivation, such as motivation, pleasure, and achievement. However, if it is excessively ejected or insufficient, it can cause various brain diseases and symptoms. In particular, Parkinson’s disease is one of the degenerative brain diseases accompanied by hand tremor and gait disturbance, and occurs when the concentration of dopamine is insufficient. Professor Dongpyo Jang, who has been researching techniques for measuring neurotransmitters such as dopamine, has developed an electronic medical system that biodegrades itself following 30 days following inserting it into the brain and measuring the concentration of dopamine in real time with the KU-KIST joint research team at Korea University. developed
In the meantime, there have been many technologies to measure electrical signals in brain disease research, but there has been no electronic circuit made of flexible material that can accurately measure chemical neurotransmitters and comprehensively analyze various physiological indicators in the brain. On the other hand, the measurement technology developed by the joint research team has the advantage that it is not only easy to attach to organs by inserting it into the body in a soft form, but also because it is a biodegradable component, it is automatically dissolved and absorbed by the body’s metabolic process.
The joint research team developed a new material called ‘transition metal chalcogenide’, a metallic two-dimensional catalyst to measure real-time changes in the concentration of dopamine in the brain. It uses molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) to have high surface negative potential and excellent chemical reactivity, effectively converting dopamine molecules in the body into electrical signals. In addition, since it has the property of being degraded by metabolic processes, it is convenient because it does not require additional surgery to remove it following measurement.
The research team manufactured a sensor system by combining a two-dimensional catalyst and nano-thin film silicon, inserted it into the brain of mice, and then wirelessly monitored changes in the dopamine concentration in real time for more than 4 weeks, and monitored changes in pH/temperature and electrical signals related to brain activity. At the same time succeeded in collecting.
Professor Jang said, “I thought it would be good to have a system that naturally decomposes in the living body following measuring it for a certain period of time by conducting animal experiments. Then, four years ago, at the Society for Biomaterials, I met Professor Hwang Seok-won of Korea University’s KU-KIST Graduate School of Convergence, which is developing biodegradable bio-insertable electronic devices. She suggested a joint study, so we started research together.”
This study can be usefully used in various fields, such as monitoring the body’s response following drug injection or the recovery process following stroke surgery and enhancing the therapeutic effect. In the future, it is expected that other neurotransmitters such as serotonin will also be measured and expanded to research and treatment of various brain diseases, and applied to other organs such as the heart and kidneys.
