A Lexington Massachusetts based company MircoCHIPS has designed a revolutionary electronic chip which when planted under the skin of a woman can provide long-term birth control.
Designed to last for about 16 years, which is roughly half a woman's reproductive lifespan, the chip has a volume of 20 X20 X 7 mm3. The chip is created in such way that it will release 30mg of levonorgestrel into the biological system of the woman, on a daily basis. The same hormone is commonly used in hormonal contraceptives and hormonal contraceptives. The woman can use the chip easily, and when she wants to conceive she can turn the chip off with the help of a remote control- just like that!
"These arrays are designed for compatibility with pre-programmed microprocessors, wireless telemetry, or sensor feedback loops to provide active control," the content on the MicroCHIPS web page reads. "Individual device reservoirs can be opened on demand or on a predetermined schedule to precisely control drug release or sensor activation."
For now, the chip is under clinical trial. It is being made sure that the chip is durable and that it does not create any adverse immune reaction. The chip was planted in body of the woman under the trial using a common anesthetic. The entire process took less than half-an-hour.
Now, as part of the Bill & Miranda Gates Foundation Family Planning program, the team, led by MIT's Robert Langer, is adapting it for contraceptives, and hopes to have FDA approval for pre-clinical trials next year, with a view to have it available on the market by 2018.