Ecobreves – MEXICO: Testing Tiny Device to Fight Epilepsy

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MEXICO CITY, May 25 2009 (IPS) - Mexican researchers say they are ready to involve patients with epilepsy in tests of a millimeter-sized device placed in the brain and which releases substances to control the illness. Created using nanotechnology and compatible with brain tissue, the mechanism has already been tested in mice and had excellent results, scientist María López, of the health department at the Autonomous Metropolitan University, told Tierramérica.

On a date to be determined, the invention will be surgically implanted, in a minimally invasive procedure, in volunteer patients at the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara.

Measuring 20 by 10 millimeters, the device releases 20 milligrams per year of valproic acid, a substance that blocks epileptic seizures.