Bill Gates backs innovative contraceptive chip

Scientists in the US claim to have developed a new contraceptive device that a woman can switch on and off via remote control.

While the number of available contraceptive options have increased significantly over the past few decades - with females able to take the pill, have a coil fitted or an implant inserted into their arm - doctors have been on the lookout for a new long-term solution to help women to have greater control over their bodies and their fertility.


In answer to this, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a chip-like device that has the ability to release hormones into a woman's system every day for 16 years.

One of the biggest names in technology Bill Gates has given his support to the development of the chip, which it is thought could be on sale by 2018 following pre-clinical testing in the US next year.

The computer-controlled device would sit under a woman's skin, regularly releasing small 30 microgram doses of the hormone levonorgestrel. 


However, this can be stopped at any time, simply by using a wireless remote control.

Co-creator of the chip Dr Robert Farra explained: 'Communication with the implant has to occur at skin contact level distance - someone across the room cannot reprogram your implant.

'The ability to turn the device on and off provides a certain convenience factor for those who are planning their family.'

Looking at the mechanics of the implant, tiny amounts of levonorgestrel will be stored on a microchip measuring 1.5 centimetres, while a small electric charge will melt an ultra-thin seal surrounding the hormone, releasing it into a woman's body.

It is thought the innovative device could be used in developing countries where contraceptive options are limited, allowing women to have greater control over their bodies, preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Speaking to BBC News, biomedical engineer Gavin Corley commented: 'That's a humanitarian application as opposed to satisfying a first-world need.'

It is hoped that in the future, other drugs could be administered in a similar way. ADNFCR-554-ID-801733856-ADNFCR

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