Scientists Make Breakthrough in Chronic Pain Treatment

Artist’s impression of a motor neuron cell. These cells are very fragile, but the new technology promises to wrap itself around these cells without causing any damage to the nerve itself.

Scientists have developed tiny robotic nerve “cuffs” to diagnose and treat neurological disorders. The flexible devices offer a safer, minimally invasive alternative to today’s diagnostics and could also be used by amputees to control prosthetic limbs.

Today, many neurological disorders are diagnosed and treated using outdated, bulky electrode arrays that carry a high risk of nerve injury.

“Nerves are small and highly delicate, so anytime you put something large, like an electrode, in contact with them, it represents a danger to the nerves,” said George Malliaras, a professor at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering and leader of this research, in a statement.

To overcome these difficulties, Malliaras and his colleagues at the British university used modern soft robotics technology to create small, flexible “cuffs” that can wrap around the nerves without the need for surgical sutures and glue. In fact, all they need is a tiny amount of voltage to change shape and form a self-closing loop around the target nerve cells.

“What’s even more significant is that these cuffs can change shape in both directions and be reprogrammed,” Chaoqun Dong, the paper’s first author, said in a statement. “This means surgeons can adjust how tightly the device fits around a nerve until they get the best results for recording and stimulating the nerve.”

The devices have so far been demonstrated in rats, with the results being published in the journal Nature Materials, but the team plans to perform further testing of the devices in animal models.

If all goes according to plan, the team says that these devices could be tested in humans within the next few years.

But how could they be used to actually treat patients? Well, let’s say you had a patient with chronic pain. Electrical nerve implants like this could be used to block pain signals in the responsible nerves. These implants could also be used to stimulate specific nerves. For example, they could be used to restore movement in paralyzed limbs.

The ability of the device to open and close by itself also offers a range of potential avenues for developing highly targeted treatments, according to Malliaras.

“We might be able to have implants that can move through the body or even into the brain,” he said. “It makes you dream how we could use technology to benefit patients in the future.”

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