The implant is being developed by a team led from Northwestern University
It will contain engineered cells that produce peptides when stimulated by light
These same peptides are used within the body to regulate sleep/wake cycles
Triggered wirelessly, the device could release precise doses to combat jet lag
US military agency DARPA is funding the project to the tune of $33 million
Beyond travellers, other potential users could include workers on varying shifts
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Home > Press > Implantable living pharmacy could control body s sleep/wake cycles: Project receives DARPA contract worth up to $33 million over 4 1/2 years
In this artistic illustration, a user with an NTRAIN implant and its accompanying external hub works in the field. The user inputs a desired time shift (due to shift work or travel across time zones). Based on cues from the bodys physiology, the external hub detects the users circadian rhythm, and triggers the implant to produce precisely-dosed peptide therapies.
Abstract:
Device will harness the same peptides the body makes to regulate sleep cycles
Scientists are designing an implant to control the body s circadian clock
It would contain engineered cells that produce the same peptides the body makes to regulate sleep cycles
Users can adjust the device to a specific shift, in which a beam of light would zap the cells to release peptides when it is time for the user to fall asleep
The device is aimed to be used by military personnel and first responders
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Blackrock Microsystems, a privately held company that provides enabling tools for neuroscience, neural engineering and neuroprosthetics research worldwide partnered with a team of interdisciplinary researchers at Northwestern University, who signed a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a wireless, fully implantable device that can shift the body s circadian clock, halving the time it takes to recover from disrupted sleep/wake cycles. The device powers what will be considered a living pharmacy, a personalized implant that gives the body exactly what it needs at a precise time.
Called NTRAIN (Normalizing Timing of Rhythms Across Internal Networks of Circadian Clocks), the project is a part the