A groundbreaking device which intends to transform how brain tumours get treated in surgery is set to have its first clinical trial. Scientists have stated that it could be a major medical breakthrough for various reasons. Made from graphene and the size of a postage stamp, the device is able to pinpoint cancer cells due to differences in their electrical signals compared to healthy neurons.
Graphene is a revolutionary material, boasting several advantages, primarily due to the fact that it is 200 times stronger than steel and is only an atom thick. Due to graphene’s mechanical flexibility, it can perform close contact with soft brain tissues, allowing a stable electrode-nerve connection. Additionally, graphene is a good electrical conductor and has good carrier mobility, enabling highly sensitive detection of the electrical signals released by neurons.
Graphene’s single-atom thickness provides it with transparency and high surface area, enabling the recording of electrophysiological changes at the same time as observing changes in cells and blood vessels. This new technology has transformed the monitoring of electrical impulses of cells in the brain since it can detect very low and very high frequencies, rather than only middle-range frequencies which are currently picked up by other techniques.
In order to use the device, the patient’s skull is removed, the chip inserted, and transmitters send out electrical signals to stimulate brain cells. Tiny receivers then pick up the responses. Cancer cells do not respond to the electrical stimulation emitted by the chip compared to healthy neurons which do. This allows for surgeons to identify healthy neurons very close to the tumour which thus, ensures better efficacy and accuracy of removal.
The device will be initially utilised to differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of brain tumour surgery. This breakthrough is of huge significance; more than 12,700 people are diagnosed with brain tumours in the UK every year and more than 5,000 annual deaths are attributed to the condition. This graphene device represents a major advancement in the medical field, not only augmenting brain tumour surgery but also helping scientists to better understand other conditions such as strokes and epilepsy.
“Model of graphene structure” by CORE-Materials is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.