Breakthrough Brain Implant Enables Safer and More Precise Drug Delivery

Delivering medication directly to specific regions of the brain has long been a major challenge in treating neurological disorders. Current implants and infusion systems typically reach only one or two areas, limiting treatment effectiveness and increasing surgical risk. Now, a new implant technology offers a safer, more flexible method for distributing drugs across multiple brain regions, while minimizing invasiveness and tissue damage.

Developed by researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD, Abu Dhabi, UAE), the device—named SPIRAL (Strategic Precision Infusion for Regional Administration of Liquid)—is a thin, flexible tube capable of releasing medication at several precise locations inside the brain. Its helical design features multiple evenly spaced openings, optimized through computational fluid dynamics to ensure equal drug flow. This allows a single implant to reach larger and more complex brain regions, overcoming the limitations of traditional single-point delivery systems.

In a study, published in the Journal of Neural Engineering, the researchers combined advanced computer modeling with laboratory testing to validate SPIRAL’s performance and safety. The implant effectively distributed medication without causing increased inflammation compared to standard devices, indicating its suitability for long-term use. Experimental results demonstrated uniform drug delivery across multiple target areas, confirming both the design’s precision and its minimal invasiveness.

SPIRAL’s adaptable design could make it valuable for conditions such as glioblastoma, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy, where treatment requires reaching deep or diffuse brain structures. The team notes that the platform could also be modified for use in other organs or to deliver electrical stimulation for neural modulation. Future versions may integrate sensing or feedback capabilities to enable personalized, closed-loop therapies that optimize dosage and minimize side effects.

“Neurological disorders often come from very specific regions of the brain, but our current tools for targeting these areas are limited,” said Assistant Professor Khalil Ramadi, who led the research team. “SPIRAL allows us to reach several regions at once without adding extra risk, which could change how we deliver therapy for these conditions.”

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