Georgia Tech researchers have developed a tiny, flexible brain pressure sensor—smaller than a dime—that can be implanted without surgery, offering a safer way to monitor traumatic brain injuries.
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A car accident, football game, or even a bad fall can result in a serious—or even fatal—head injury. Each year, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) lead to roughly half a million permanent disabilities and 50,000 deaths. One of the most critical aspects of treating TBI and minimizing long-term damage is monitoring intracranial pressure.
Traditionally, this kind of monitoring requires large, invasive devices that must be surgically implanted. But researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a sensor smaller than a dime, offering a promising alternative with significant advantages.
Surgery means extensive recovery time and can significantly impact patient health. Our system doesn't require surgery because we use a conventional stent, the catheter, as a delivery vehicle.
W. Hong Yeo, the Harris Saunders Jr. Endowed Professor and Associate Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
The team’s nanosensors are made from ultra-thin, flexible silicone and can be embedded in a wide range of devices—from pacifiers to catheters. While the small size is a major innovation, Yeo emphasized that accuracy was just as critical in their design process.
Yeo added, “The key challenge was to make tiny sensors but at the same time maintain the sensitivity and functionality at a high level.”
Once inserted into the skull via catheter, the sensor can continuously collect data with heightened sensitivity, detecting even slight changes in pressure. This level of responsiveness could give clinicians valuable lead time to intervene before conditions worsen.
Yeo and his team published their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials in February, where their work was featured on the journal’s inside front cover.
The idea for the catheter-based sensor originated from co-author Deok Hee Lee, a South Korean physician Yeo met at a conference. After Yeo presented on miniaturized sensors, the two began collaborating to apply nanotechnology to some of the most frequent medical challenges Lee encounters—such as monitoring pressure following TBIs and managing high blood pressure. With support from the National Science Foundation, their partnership led to this breakthrough after three years of development.
Yeo sees this as just the beginning.
Yeo added, “We believe that this first development will bring new opportunities to measure signals with minimal complications caused by conventional surgery.”
While TBIs can’t always be prevented, devices like this could improve how we respond to them—and less invasive solutions may help shape the future of neurological care.
National Science Foundation funded the study.
Small Sensor, Big Impact on Brain Injury Treatment
Video Credit: Georgia Tech
Journal Reference:
Lee, J., et al. (2025) Non-Surgical, In-Stent Membrane Bioelectronics for Long-Term Intracranial Pressure Monitoring. Advanced Healthcare Materials. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202404680