A Dissolvable Pacemaker

JOHN A. ROGERS — DIRECTOR, QUERREY SIMPSON INSTITUTE FOR BIOELECTRONICS, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

For patients who need temporary help regulating their heartbeat, such as those who’ve had openheart surgery, a heart attack or a drug overdose, Rogers and his team created a new kind of implantable pacemaker—wireless, battery-free and, best of all, dissolvable. After five to seven weeks, the pacemaker, made of natural materials like silicone and magnesium, is absorbed by the body. Since patients don’t require surgery to remove the device, they avoid the attendant risks of infection, tissue damage and blood clots. Rogers’ device gets its energy wirelessly from a small device placed on the chest.

The pacemaker is the second biodegradable implant for Rogers—the first, developed in 2018, speeds the regeneration of damaged nerve tissue. Although both devices need further development and testing before they can become commercial products, Rogers is confident that biodegradable electronics have a future in medical devices to monitor and treat a range of conditions. —K.R.