A new implantable sensor could reverse opioid overdoses. The device rapidly releases naloxone when an overdose is detected.
In 2023, more than 100,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses. The most effective way to save someone who has overdosed is to administer a drug called naloxone, but a first responder or bystander can't always reach the person who has overdosed in time.
The paper's lead authors are Hen-Wei Huang, a former MIT visiting scientist and currently an assistant professor of electrical and electronic engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Peter Chai, an associate professor of emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital; SeungHo Lee, a research scientist at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research; Tom Kerssemakers and Ali Imani, former master's students at Brigham and Women's...
This study showed that fentanyl first leads to a drop in heart rate, followed quickly by a slowdown of breathing. By measuring how these signals changed, the researchers were able to calculate the point at which naloxone administration should be triggered. In their animal studies, the researchers found that this drug administration could reverse the effects of an overdose 96 percent of the time.
The researchers hope to be able to test the device in humans within the next three to five years. They are now working on miniaturizing the device further and optimizing the on-board battery, which currently can provide power for about two weeks.
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