Revolutionary device for the treatment of brain tumors

The medical world has a major new discovery, a revolutionary device designed to transform the treatment of brain tumors. The chip, made of graphene and the size of a postage stamp, represents a medical first and could redefine neurosurgical interventions, allowing the precise location of cancer cells and monitoring brain activity with an accuracy never seen before, informs The Guardian.

• Graphene - the wonder material that is changing medicine

The chip is made of graphene, a remarkable material, 200 times stronger than steel, but only one atom thick. This substance with special electrical and conductive properties was discovered two decades ago by researchers Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester, who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Graphene quickly captured the interest of researchers around the world, becoming the subject of numerous projects for the development of advanced sensors and innovative devices, but only recently has it been used in a revolutionary medical context - for the development of a brain cell monitoring chip.

• Revolutionary technology and mechanism

The device, called a BCI (brain-computer interface), is designed to capture electrical impulses generated by cells in the brain, even at frequencies that are difficult to detect by other methods. "The chip will initially be used to distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones, thus ensuring maximum precision in surgical interventions to remove brain tumors," said Professor Kostas Kostarelos, the leader of the team from the University of Manchester and one of the pioneers of nanomedicine.

To apply the device, surgeons remove a section of the patient's skull and the thin chip, equipped with thousands of electrical contacts, is placed over the affected area of the brain. The chip's transmitters emit electrical signals to stimulate nerve cells, and the receivers collect their responses. Cancer cells do not respond to electrical stimuli, unlike healthy cells, so they can be accurately identified during surgery, reducing the risk of damaging healthy neural tissue.

• Impact on tumor treatment

More than 12,700 people are diagnosed with brain tumors each year in the UK, and these conditions cause more than 5,000 deaths each year. In this context, graphene-based BCI technology could offer an extra chance of life for thousands of patients by reducing risks during surgery and ensuring greater precision in removing tumor tissue. In addition to diagnosing and treating tumors, this chip also offers new opportunities for research and treatment for other neurological conditions, such as stroke and epilepsy. "The ability to capture very low or high frequency signals may open up new avenues for exploring neural activity immediately after a stroke or an epileptic seizure," explains Professor Kostarelos. This could help researchers better understand the brain's reactions to such incidents and develop more effective treatments. The device is currently undergoing its first clinical trials at Salford Royal Hospital in the UK. "This is the world's first clinical trial of a graphene-based medical device," emphasizes Professor Kostarelos, acknowledging that clinical trials are a crucial step in validating the chip's effectiveness in real-world conditions. The researchers hope that the technology will gain rapid approval so that it can be integrated into neurosurgical practice as soon as possible.