Invention: Implantable biofuel cell that runs on glucose
What if implants such as pacemakers could receive their energy not from batteries but from the human body itself, preventing the risk and cost of replacement surgery? A team of French scientists successfully implanted a micro-device that generates electricity from the glucose in the blood of a mammal - a major step forward in the quest for a power source that can operate on its own and doesn't need to be recharged.
The invention by Philippe Cinquin, Serge Cosnier and
their team at Joseph Fourier University in France is effectively a "living
battery" - a fuel cell and conductive wires modified with reactive enzymes that
have the power to tap into the body's endless supply of glucose and convert the
simple sugar, which constitutes the energy source of living cells, into
electricity.
Visions of implantable biofuel cells that use the body's natural energy sources to power pacemakers or artificial hearts have been around since the 1960s, but it is the French team's innovations that represents the closest anyone has ever come to harnessing the energy. In the process, they managed to merge their findings in completely different fields to develop their highly promising invention.
Societal benefit:
Philippe Cinquin and Serge Cosnier's biofuel cell promises relief for millions of people who rely on implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers, for their health and wellbeing. Pacemakers do save lives, but their shelf life is limited because their batteries are exhausted after eight years. Invasive surgery is then required, which can be both risky and costly. The French scientists' fuel cell would offer an inexhaustible source of energy and revolutionise the power supply to medical devices in the human body.
Economic benefit:
While no biofuel cell technology has been introduced to the market yet, the inventors' research offers lucrative prospects for a number of fields, particularly in the medical industry. In 2010, the global market for microelectronic medical implants, accessories and supplies was worth an estimated US $11.1 billion and is expected to grow to $17.9 billion in 2016, with an 8.9% compound annual growth rate over the forecast period.
The fastest-growing segments of this market are ear implants, neurostimulators and implantable drug pumps. Powering such implants is a major issue, particularly for devices that have a stimulative function or devices that perform a continuous sensing function. Technologies that aim to harvest energy produced by the body are considered the future for powering electronic implants; Philippe Cinquin and Serge Cosnier's biofuel cell is among these technologies.
