This implantable chip cures staff infections and then dissolves

As bacteria get more resistant to antibiotics, researchers need to get more creative to clear them out. Researchers from the Tufts University and UIUC have definitely done that with a chip implant that can kill a localized staph infection with heat, then dissolve away. It consists of a silk substrate with a magnesium heating element that’s activated by a wireless transmitter, raising the temperature enough to kill surrounding bacteria. The treatment time can be controlled for different applications, and the whole thing is reabsorbed into your body in a couple of weeks.

Staph infections are often localized in the body, yet can be very difficult to treat both invasively and using antibiotics. Now researchers from Tufts University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed an implantable electronic device that is able to kill a staph infection and then dissolve into the body once its job is done. The chip is made out of a silk protein substrate with a magnesium heating element in between. The element is energized externally using a wireless transmitter, heating up and raising the temperature of the tissue around enough to kill bacteria. The treatment time can be controlled by deciding for how long to deliver the RF energy and the silk substrate can be manufactured to dissolve at different rates to allow the implant to be tailored for different applications. In a study on mice, the device worked extremely well in treating staph infections and dissolved completely within about two weeks.