Elena Feltri, along with her research team, has presented a revolutionary innovation in the field of medical technology: a completely edible transistor made from a pigment used in toothpaste. This development has the potential to transform medical monitoring and treatment, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract (GI), through devices that can be ingested without external supervision.
As the workload of healthcare providers has increased in recent years, the ability to perform tests directly at the point of care in the GI tract is becoming a crucial solution for early diagnosis and effective treatments. In this context, the creation of safe and edible medical devices opens up new opportunities, especially for low-impact monitoring tools without the need for constant supervision.
The challenge of edible electronic components has been addressed by some edible electronics such as conductive pastes, sensors, and batteries have been proposed, but the creation of edible semiconductors, which are essential for active microelectronic components, has been a challenge. Though certain food industry dyes, such as beta-carotene, have shown semiconductor properties, their limited performance and low stability have hindered their use in edible electronic applications.
Feltri’s team, however, has proposed the use of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), a pigment present in cosmetics like toothpaste, as a viable semiconductor material for the fabrication of edible transistors. CuPc, which has been on the market in commercial products for over 15 years without any reported side effects, stands out for its stability and low toxicity.
Through laboratory simulations and clinical reviews, researchers have demonstrated that the amount of CuPc ingested daily through the use of toothpaste is significantly higher than that required to manufacture a transistor. They have also succeeded in developing a fully edible organic field-effect transistor (OFET) using CuPc as the semiconductor. This device, with low power consumption and an operational stability of over a year, represents a major step towards the creation of edible electronic systems for medical applications, such as smart pills or food labels.
The use of edible materials such as gold, silver, and ethyl cellulose in the manufacture of these transistors ensures their safety for ingestion, aligning with European regulations on food additives.
The integration of edible electronics in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize medical monitoring. Edible devices that can safely operate in the GI tract will allow for continuous and non-invasive monitoring, improving accuracy in diagnoses and treatments. This advancement could mark the beginning of a new era in precision medicine, where electronic devices are not only safe for the human body but also an integral part of the treatment process.
Source: Advanced Science