Launched a project to create neyrostimuliruyuschih implants
British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will sign an agreement with Google holding company, Alphabet, on cooperation in the field of medicine bioelectronic. Within its framework it is planned to join forces and develop a miniaturized devices to be used for the treatment of chronic diseases: asthma, diabetes and others. These small devices are implanted into neural tissue.
Shares and competence in the newly established company Galvani Bioelectronics distributed as follows: 55% of the share capital and receive GSK will take on expertise in the biology of disease and clinical development. Her partner Verily, "daughter" Alphabet, with a 45% share of the total business, "attend to" technological development, data analytics, and software development. The joint company was named one of the pioneers in the field of bioelectricity research, who lived in the XIX century. Italian scientist Luigi Galvani Aloisio, the opening of which was that the prepared frog's muscles contract under the influence of electricity.
For seven years, the partners plan to invest in the company 540 million pounds, and in ten years to get the first device.
At first glance it looks fantastic news: instruments come to replace pills and potions. Also, there is an idea - really will be able to press the electronics familiar to us pharmacology? Let's investigate.
The fact is that in higher vertebrates have two biological systems that protect the body, it is well known to us nervous and immune systems. They are connected to each other and maintain balance. That is the conclusion reached by scientists in the research aimed at the study of the immune reflex (response of an organism in response to a foreign influence). If affect the nervous system in a certain way, it is possible to reduce inflammation in various diseases.
Thus, the method has proved widely stimulation of the vagus nerve, which sends signals from the brain to most organs of the body (as opposed to the facial, oculomotor, auditory and other nerves that are responsible only for certain organs). If implanted stimulating device on the vagus nerve, it can help the body to suppress inflammation and block pain. The device will help to cope with diseases such as asthma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, epilepsy, and others.
In addition to the vagus nerve, there are other "targets", which can be directed neurostimulation: brain, spleen, liver, and so on. For example, deep brain stimulation can help reduce the symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, hypertension. A electric effect on nerve tissue of the liver (or pancreas) is directed to the treatment of hepatitis, cancers.
Currently, implants are already widely used by patients, but the devices are cumbersome. Therefore, further development of researchers will be directed at improving the device in the direction of miniaturization and expansion of diseases.
These mini devices may be useful for the military. The American agency on the orders of the Department of Defense began implementing a project called "Live Memory Recovery" (valued at $ 70 million). The purpose of the project - the creation of implants for soldiers. The chip will be a kind of black box, recording memories soldier. If, due to head injuries fighter loses memory, the black box can be used to restore memory. After all, memories - it's just kind of a set of relationships between electrical signals and neural networks of the brain. If in the future to analyze the data provided by the black box, it will be possible to reprogram the human brain and the ability to recover lost memories.
The company, which cooperates with the agency, has developed an implant deep brain stimulation. This device is able to control the effects of Parkinson's disease, to suppress the symptoms of depression and other brain disorders.
In Russia, there is also the development of implants. Thus, the joint efforts of Russian and Swiss scientists has developed a thin tape with electrodes implanted in the spine that put fabric on the legs paralyzed man. The device is called e-Dura. The implant helps restore not only the spinal cord, but also weaken the symptoms of mental disorders.
More recently in the American journal "Neuroscience" we published the results of research on the brain after the electrostimulation. Scientists have proved that with a soft neurostimulation may increase the mental capacity of the brain. Similar studies on the recovery of people after stroke was performed, scientists at Oxford. Other US researchers used electrical pulses to remove patients from a coma.
Experiments interested in the US military leadership: it considers the use of such developments to improve concentration and reaction speed of the military. This becomes especially important for the military, working with large flows of information. So, on one of the American airbases scientists "stimulated" test pulses. Do men not only increased the reaction rate, but also the visual acuity - an impressive result. However, doctors have recorded side effect - a headache.
And the next thought, hovering in the minds of scientists, looks sverhfantasticheskoy - human connection to the Internet through a neuro-cybernetic implant. In the opinion of competent scientists, after ten years, such devices will be widely used. If the technology becomes a reality, the result of its use will be that we have seen in the movie "The Matrix": to learn something new, you have to connect to the database and just put in the brain new information.
Of course, in the field of bioelectronics opening will significantly improve human performance, will help to cope with disabilities. Scientists say with certainty that soon implants can treat any disease. Disappears need medication. You will need to download a phone app "Cold" and the program will instruct the chip to the stimulation of the immune system to fight infection.
Scientists are ready to move forward and try to decipher the neural brain connection. Finally, if it still be able to do, then any ethical or philosophical issues. Who are we, if our consciousness can be downloaded to your hard drive? Why do we have to learn all the skills if you can upload from your computer? And if my memory is now spinning in my head? Nature created our brain complex and almost unattainable for its full knowledge. Or maybe it's for the best.
