Remote-controlled Microchips for Daily Medicine Injections on the Horizon

New Implantable Microchips to Medicate Patients

February 17, 2012

NaturalSociety - Microtechnology is on the horizon and offers a new frontier of possibilities in many aspects of human life. While there are twofold implications for this application of technology, its potential use for medical application has been the subject of recent attention.

Individuals who receive daily injections for medicine could instead rely on an implantable microchip device, which is currently being developed for practical use.

Many people don’t like to receive medicine in pill form and the complications that go with it, even more so with needle injected medication. The use of this remote controlled microchip technology can offer a more efficient and directed application of medicine for such people. That said, the pharmaceutical-based ‘medications’ oftentimes do little to cure the underlying diseases.

In a study conducted by MicroChips Inc, the manufacturer of this technology, researchers tested the device by using it on seven postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The device is controlled remotely to deliver doses of a bone-forming hormone, in a similar manner to that of an injection or other application.

While the subjects were only tested for 20 days, the findings will enable the developers of this technology to create similar micro implantable devices that work for a whole year. Many patients rarely follow full prescription plans for their given medication. The peer-reviewed study was published online by the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Microtechnology on the Horizon

Though the technology is not fully developed, its application could increase the rate of compliance with medications for many, due to foregoing injections or other forms of application. This can be bad, as many pharmaceuticals are dangerous and are to be avoided. Cancer drugs, for example, have been found to make tumors worse and kill the patient more quickly.

The other worry is the safety of the technology. While the application of medicine would be easier, like any other technologies, it could easily be subject to mismanagement. A good example would be if the device was used to apply a hardening agent to bones or teeth, and somehow began to harden arteries and organs not intentionally targeted.

Similarly, if an individual came to rely solely on these technologies, then when they malfunction, there is going to be an issue that may not be easily resolved — possibly resulting in danger to the user.

Its application is also limited due to the micro technology itself. Diabetics for example would not be able to fully rely on a device like this due to the amount of insulin they need to take, although it may function in mitigating or otherwise changing the application of medicine altogether.

Ultimately the technology must be perfected and tested extensively before any practical applications are made, which requires long-term trials. Implantable medication chips signify a complete transition away for natural and effective cures and into a further drug-frenzied society where legitimate cures are unfairly dismissed.