Jae Woong Jeong, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), developed a venous catheter that softens at body temperature and was selected as the recipient of the September 'Scientist of the Month' award.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) announced on the 3rd that Professor Jeong has been selected as the recipient of the September Scientist of the Month award. Each month, one scientist who has generated outstanding research and development results in the past three years is selected, receiving the Minister's award and a cash prize of 10 million won.
Intravenous (IV) therapy involves directly injecting drugs into the bloodstream, allowing for rapid effects and continuous drug administration, making it widely used in medical settings. However, existing needles are made of hard metal or plastic, which increases the risk of complications such as damage to blood vessel walls and phlebitis, and healthcare workers are also exposed to needle-stick accidents.
Professor Jeong utilized a liquid metal 'gallium,' which changes from solid to liquid according to body temperature, to develop a variable stiffness needle that is hard at room temperature but softens when inserted into the body. This needle remains safe even when the patient moves, maintains a soft state after use, reducing the risk of needle-stick accidents for healthcare workers, and helps prevent infection issues from reuse.
Additionally, Professor Jeong incorporated a nano-thin temperature sensor into the needle, capitalizing on the fact that the surrounding tissue temperature drops when injectable drugs leak. This allows for real-time detection of drug leakage, enhancing patient safety.
This research was also selected as a cover paper for the international journal 'Nature Biomedical Engineering' in August of last year.
Professor Jeong stated, "This technology presents a solution to the problems caused by hard needles and the risk of infection at the same time, and I will develop it into a key technology that enhances safety for both patients and healthcare workers in medical settings."
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to expand the bio-medical technology development project in 2026 and prepare a record budget proposal of 11.8 trillion won for research and development (R&D), strengthening investments in future industries such as advanced bio. Additionally, it will further enhance rewards and recognition for researchers who achieve outstanding research results.
References
Nature Biomedical Engineering (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-023-01116-z