Implant Detects Transplant Rejection Earlier

A tiny implant can detect the temperature changes characteristic of a transplanted organ’s rejection some 3 weeks earlier than conventional signs. Northwestern University nephrologists and bioengineers report that their ultra-thin temperature sensor, smaller than your pinky fingernail and the depth of a hair, placed under a kidney’s capsule layer and attached to an adjacent tiny electronic pack powered by a miniature battery, capably transmits changes in the organ’s internal temperatures to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Animal studies demonstrate that this implant effectively signals organ rejection far faster and more reliably than the traditional blood testing routines. The device is easily implanted during the transplant surgery, and will be tested in humans…….someday soon.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh7726

#transplant #kidney #rejection #monitoring #implant #telemetry #northwestern