Chinese researchers develop injectable, biodegradable gel-based sensors

(ECNS) -- A team of Chinese researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province has developed a gel-based tiny sensor that is implantable, biodegradable and wireless for data transfer.

Clinical monitoring of physiological indicators that include intracranial pressure, temperature and other data is adopted through surgical implantation of a conventional wired sensor to the skull with a detection depth ranging from a few centimeters up to 10 centimeters, Zang Jianfeng, a researcher explained.

The gel-based miniaturized sensor, a set of 2-millimetre cube-shaped sensors, is implanted within the intracranial space using a puncture needle and capable of independently measuring intracranial pressure, temperature, pH, and flow rate. The sensor made of hydrogel will dissolve in the body within weeks without surgery.

It exhibits excellent sensing capabilities, comparable to those of conventional non-resorbable wired clinical benchmarks. In the future, this sensor can also be applied to other parts of the human body, which is expected to bring a new technology paradigm for clinical intelligent diagnosis and treatment.