New Brain Sensor Technology

[Wishful]

https://newatlas.com/medical/unprecedented-chemical-sensor-injury-brain-fluid/

It's a tiny chemical sensor that can be inserted "on the brain", which I assume means inside the skull but not poked into the brain.

"While the device is designed to monitor health in the event of a traumatic brain injury, the scientists say it could be adapted to monitor peptides, proteins and other chemicals, potentially finding use in researching chronic diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."

Sounds like it could have potential for ME research. It works in serum too, so I suppose it could monitor specific chemicals in serum real-time for days or weeks.

 

[Pyrrhus]

I noted this sentence in the article:

While the silicon dioxide encapsulation could withstand years in the human body, the scientists say the sensing elements would likely only last a few weeks.

I worked on biosensors back in my PhD program and I can't tell you how many papers I had to read that were clearly written by engineers who did not even understand how their implant would interact with the chemical milieu of the tissues in the human body...

And I am still haunted by the photos I saw in my biomaterials class that showed what happened to those poor souls who were the first to receive breast implants, before we understood how the immune system can attack silicone microparticles... Those photos were not pretty...

 

[Wishful]

how the immune system can attack silicone microparticles...

Well, there's a difference between microparticles and bulk material. As with any technology, problems will be discovered, and likely overcome. If having the sensor poking through skin for long periods is a problem, it can be made implantable and easily removable. Other in-body devices have biocompatible coatings. Technology is a work in progress. The ability to measure localized chemical concentrations could be worth it.