Personalized biomedical devices have enormous potential to solve clinical challenges in urgent medical situations. Despite this potential, a device for in situ treatment of fatal seizures using pharmaceutical methods has not been developed yet. Here, we present a novel treatment system for neurological medical emergencies, such as status epilepticus, a fatal epileptic condition that requires immediate treatment, using a soft implantable drug delivery device (SID). The SID is integrated wirelessly with wearable devices for monitoring electroencephalography signals and triggering subcutaneous drug release through wireless voltage induction. Because of the wireless integration, bulky rigid components such as sensors, batteries, and electronic circuits can be moved from the SID to wearables, and thus, the mechanical softness and miniaturization of the SID are achieved. The efficacy of the prompt treatment could be demonstrated with animal experiments in vivo, in which brain damages were reduced and survival rates were increased.
The Korea Invisible Mass Search (KIMS) collaboration has developed low-background NaI(Tl) crystals that are suitable for the direct detection of WIMP dark matter. Building on experience accumulated during the KIMS-CsI programs, the KIMS-NaI experiment will consist of a 200 kg NaI(Tl) crystal array surrounded by layers of shielding structures and will be operated at the Yangyang underground laboratory. The goal is to provide an unambiguous test of the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation signature. Measurements of six prototype crystals show progress in the reduction of internal contamination from radioisotopes. Based on our understanding of these measurements, we expect to achieve a background level in the final detector configuration that is less than 1 count/day/keV/kg for recoil energies around 2 keV. The annual modulation sensitivity for the KIMS-NaI experiment shows that an unambiguous 7σ test of the DAMA/LIBRA signature would be possible with a 600 kg year exposure with this system.
Emerging classes of wearable sensing systems that measure motion, physiological, electrophysiological, and electrochemical signals emanating from the human body have driven significant advances in clinical and academic research. These wearable systems rely on important breakthroughs in micro/nano‐electronics, information technology, and materials science. Compared to conventional bulk materials, nanomaterials with zero, one, and two dimensional (0D, 1D, and 2D) architectures exhibit unusual physical properties that could dramatically improve the performance of sensors. By integrating high performance sensors with soft and stretchable electronics, research groups are enabling fully‐integrated multifunctional sensing systems in skin‐worn formats, optimized for managing specific disease models. In this progress report, recent advances in soft wearable sensing systems based on assemblies of 0D, 1D, and 2D nanomaterials, unpackaged integrated circuits, and highly elastic (moisture resistant) encapsulating layers are reviewed. These advanced bioelectronic constructs combine multimodal sensor arrays, data storage elements, wireless data transmission modules, and actuators for continuous monitoring. The soft wearable systems that embody these unusual electronic materials and soft packaging strategies are beginning to impact big data analysis, remote health monitoring, and transdermal drug delivery applications, by transitioning from primary research discoveries to commercial adoption.
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