Scientists at New York University Abu Dhabi have introduced a groundbreaking brain implant capable of administering medications to multiple brain areas with exceptional precision, marking a major step forward in the treatment of neurological conditions, Xpats.ae reports.
The new device, known as SPIRAL (Strategic Precision Infusion for Regional Administration of Liquid), is a slender and flexible tube engineered to release drugs through several points within the brain. This advanced design enables clinicians and researchers to target broader and more intricate brain regions compared to traditional methods, while maintaining a compact and minimally invasive structure.
The project was directed by Khalil Ramadi, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Tandon, along with his research team.
“Many neurological disorders originate in specific brain areas, yet current medical tools restrict our ability to accurately reach them,” explained Ramadi. “With SPIRAL, we can access multiple sites simultaneously without increasing the level of risk, offering a potential transformation in how these conditions are treated.”
Batoul Khlaifat, a Research Assistant at NYU Abu Dhabi and Co-Lead author, noted, “Conventional brain implants often deliver medication from only one or two points. SPIRAL’s structure enables drugs to be distributed more uniformly across broader tissue regions while still maintaining safety and minimal invasiveness.”
NYU Abu Dhabi alumnus Mahmoud Elbeh, now pursuing a PhD in Ramadi’s lab, added, “For conditions such as glioblastoma, treatment frequently involves direct drug infusion into a significant brain volume to overcome the blood-brain barrier. Our helical design with optimized, evenly spaced release outlets ensures that medication reaches more tissue from a single insertion. By fine-tuning port diameters through computational fluid dynamics, we have created a system that could also be applied to targeted drug delivery in other solid organs.”
In future developments, SPIRAL is expected to be adaptable for delivering electrical stimulation or other advanced therapies, potentially aiding patients suffering from epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and a variety of other neurological disorders.
