Hyowon “Hugh” LeeAssociate Professor of the Purdue University of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineeringdeveloped, in a recent study, a magnetic control microdevice which removes the brain hemorrhages that have accumulated in the brain during a stroke. The microdevice was tested in bleeding pigs in collaboration with neurosurgeons Dr. Timothy Bentley of Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Albert Lee of Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine in Carmel, Indiana.
The microdevice is a treatment for strokes caused by bleeding in the brain that uses a self-cleaning, magnetic-controlled, microrobot-enabled catheter and has been shown to be 86% effective in animal models.
The results of the Research were published in the scientific journal Nature Comunications.
Microdevice for cerebral hemorrhages: here are the results of the research
The microdevice successfully removed brain hemorrhages in six of the seven laboratory animals used for this experiment: “This innovation is a real advance in the treatment of strokes, which are notoriously difficult to treat“Said Hugh Lee. The current gold standard for stroke treatment is an anticoagulant called tissue plasminogen activator, which cannot be used for some hemorrhagic strokes.
“THE patients with brain hemorrhages have a mortality rate of up to 50%“, Explained Albert Lee:”There is currently no great therapeutic solution for intraventricular hemorrhage. The only other option are drugs that resolve blood clots which present unwanted risks “.
A magnetic control microdevice invented by Purdue University associate professor Hyowon “Hugh” Lee removes a clot from the brain.
The microdevice developed by Hugh Lee, which was created in collaboration with researcher Qi Yang, can be activated remotely using externally applied magnetic fields: “There is no need for an implanted power source or a complicated integrated circuit“Added Hugh Lee. “When you change the direction of the magnetic field, the micro device moves like a compass needle with a magnet nearby. They can be part of an implantable shunt system or an extraventricular drainage system ”.
Hugh Lee revealed the microdevice to the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization, which has filed a patent on intellectual property. The next step to further develop the microdevice to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval for a first-in-human study.
As for Italy, stroke is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Stroke counts in Italy about 200,000 cases every year, of which 80% are new episodes and 20% relapses, which concern subjects previously affected.
In an interview with Republic, Andrea VianelloPresident of ALICe. Italy (Association for the fight against stroke)who suffered a stroke in 2019, said: “The word stroke is scary, we try to remove it but it is the most important cause of disability in our country, the third of death, and we have to deal with it. Only by looking them in the face can problems be solved. Afterwards, you can get your life back on its feet “.
the teacher Simona Marcheselliresponsible forEmergency Neurology Unit and Humanitas Stroke Unitnoted: “We speak of ischemic stroke when a thrombus – or a blood clot – occludes an artery in the brain, preventing regular circulatory flow; hemorrhagic stroke, on the other hand, is caused by the rupture of a cerebral artery. In this case, the blood escapes and causing a hematoma, damages or kills the surrounding neurons ”.
“The first perceived symptom is fatigue in the movement of the limbs. Often those who have an ongoing stroke complain of visual difficulties because “part of the visual field disappears“,”they don’t remember the words and it is hard to speak“. In the case of cerebral hemorrhage there is often headache, but also lack of strength, tingling and lack of sensitivity in the arms and legs. When these symptoms occur, it is essential to seek immediate medical attention: “Ischemic stroke – explained the Professor – it must be treated within 4 – 5 hours, otherwise the drugs used to reopen the occluded vessels risk being not only useless but harmful “.
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