Let's take care of the addicts

An implant with an antidote will save you from a drug overdose

Sergey Vasiliev, Naked Science

Drug overdose often ends in death, and in recent years in the United States, this problem has acquired a special scale due to the proliferation of opiates available by prescription. John Rogers of Northwestern University in Chicago calls it a "crisis of epic proportions": according to official data alone, about two million Americans suffer from opioid addictions.

To combat this threat, the American National Institutes of Health (NIH) are implementing an equally large-scale HEAL initiative (Helping to End Addiction Long–term - "Help in long-term getting rid of addictions"). In 2019 alone, the US government will distribute about a billion dollars to solve the problem of the "opioid crisis". Ten million of this amount was allocated to the John Rogers team for five years. This is stated in a message distributed by the press service of Northwestern University (Bioelectronic implant could prevent opioid deaths).

Scientists and engineers are developing a miniature device that can track severe overdose and loss of consciousness by registering the oxygen content in the blood. According to the creators, the sensor "the size of a USB stick" can be implanted under the skin, and most of its volume will be occupied by tanks with an antidote

In addition, the projected device will include a wireless communication system for remote monitoring, microscopic pumps and a chemical oxygen level sensor. A sudden drop in its content in the blood should lead to an instant injection of a dose of naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, which is widely used in overdoses of the corresponding drugs.

So far, the device is only in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, the authors are confident that within the five-year period allocated to them, its creation will be completed and it will be able to save many lives.

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