Rice engineers work on an implant to control the circadian body clock

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Engineers at the University of Rice are working on something that is funded by DARPA that may one day lead to an implant that can counter the time offset. Research at the University of Rice is part of a $ 33 million national effort to develop a wireless and implantable device that can control the circadian rhythms of the body. The control of circadian rhythms could cut the time needed to recover time offset and other disturbances of sleeping / wake-up cycles in two.

The project aims to mix the bioelectronics, synthetic biology and traditional electronics to create what the team calls a “living pharmacy” to produce the same peptide molecules that the body naturally produces in the regulated sleep cycle. DARPA finances the project because the device could be a major tool for military personnel who often travels several time zones and first stakeholders and workers who oscillate between night and day changes.

The device is called NTRAIN (normalization of the calendar of rhythms in internal circadian clock networks) and is part of the advanced DARPA accuracy and protection tool for the environmental preparation program (adapter). to meet the challenges posed by travel, including time offset, fatigue and gastrointestinal problems. Ntrain engineering cells will produce peptides to regulate sleep cycles. These engineering cells react to light that can be delivered by electronic controls that adjust the timing and dose.

The project researchers say they are able to bring all the right of manufacture into the patient and produce high quality compounds on a necessary basis, the possibilities are endless. The power and communications for the implant will be delivered using a low magnetic field generated by a portable device.

Technology can provide all the power required for the system while maintaining device security. The design only allows the device to communicate in the near-centimeter field, so that any computer hacker should be in physical contact with the device.