20 new biotechnical breakthroughs that will change medicine
20 New Biotech Breakthroughs that Will Change MedicineMelinda Wenner, Popular Mechanics, № 3-2009
Translation: Gerovital.RuFrom the saliva test for cancer to the injection that restores the nerves of the spinal cord, all these advances in medicine blur the line between biology and technology in order to restore human health, improve and prolong his life.
1. Microbes fighting tooth decayBacteria living on the teeth convert sugar into lactic acid, which destroys the enamel and causes caries.
The Florida company ONI BioPharma has created a new strain of SMaRT bacteria that do not produce lactic acid and, in addition, produce an antibiotic that kills natural bacteria that contribute to the development of caries. Dentists will only need to apply the strain, which is currently undergoing clinical trials, to their teeth once to keep them healthy throughout their lives.
2. Artificial lymph nodesScientists from the Japanese RIKEN Institute have developed artificial lymph nodes, organs that produce immune cells to fight infections.
Although in the future they will be able to replace diseased nodes, at the first stage they are planned to be used as special activators of the immune system. Doctors could fill the nodes with cells specifically designed to treat certain diseases, such as cancer or HIV.
3. Asthma sensorAsthma patients make up about a quarter of all emergency department visitors in the United States, and a sensor developed at the University of Pittsburgh may finally reduce their number.
The portable device, a carbon nanotube with a polymer shell 100,000 times thinner than a human hair, analyzes the exhaled air for the content of nitric oxide, the gas produced by the lungs before an asthma attack.
4. Saliva test for cancerForget about a biopsy: a device developed by scientists from the University of California, California (University of California–Los Angeles) can detect cancer in a single drop of saliva.
The proteins characteristic of cancer cells react with the sensor dyes, emitting fluorescent light, which can be detected using a microscope. Engineer Chih-Ming Ho notes that the same principle can be used to analyze saliva for the presence of many other diseases.
5. BiocardiostimulatorElectronic pacemakers save lives, but the equipment necessary for them sooner or later wears out.
Currently, researchers at several universities are working on creating an alternative without batteries: on pacemaker genes expressed in stem cells injected into damaged areas of the heart. More suitable for physical exertion, biological pacemakers restore the normal rhythm of the heartbeat in dogs without any complications.
6. Prosthesis feedbackOne of the problems with prosthetic limbs is that they are difficult to control.
"We feel where our limbs are without looking at them, but it's different for amputees," says Karlin Bark, a graduate student at Stanford University. Our skin is sensitive to stretching - even to small changes in direction and intensity - and Bark is developing a device that stretches the skin near the prosthesis in such a way that a person feels in which direction and with what force he is moving.
7. Smart contact lensesGlaucoma, the second most important cause of blindness, occurs when retinal cells are damaged due to pressure inside the eye.
Contact lenses developed at the University of Davis, California (University of California–Davis), contain conductors that constantly monitor the pressure and fluid flow inside the eye of people at risk. The lenses send information to a small device that wirelessly transmits data to a computer. This constant flow of information will help doctors better understand the causes of the disease. In the future, the lenses will also be able to automatically dispense medication in response to pressure changes.
8. Speech RegeneratorFor those who have lost the ability to speak, the new "phonetic engine" from the employees of the Ambient Corporation from Illinois (Illinois-based Ambient Corporation) provides an audible voice.
Developed in collaboration with Texas Instruments, Audeo uses electrodes to detect nerve signals coming from the brain to the vocal cords. Patients imagine how they slowly pronounce words, and a coin-sized device (located on a chain around their neck) transmits these impulses wirelessly to a computer or cell phone, which reproduces speech.
9. Absorbable cardiac stentStents dilate narrowed or blocked arteries due to coronary heart disease.
Stents that adsorb drugs secrete them, preventing repeated narrowing of the arteries. The bio-absorbable variant, created by Abbott Laboratories from Illinois, is capable of more: unlike metal stents, it does its job and disappears. After 6 months, the stent begins to dissolve, and after two years it disappears completely, leaving behind only a healthy artery.
10. Muscle stimulatorDuring the time it takes for a broken bone to recover, the muscles located nearby have time to atrophy.
The Israeli company StimuHeal offers to solve this problem with the help of MyoSpare, a battery–powered device that uses electrical stimulants. The device placed under the plaster trains the muscles and prevents their atrophy.
11. Nerve regeneratorNerve fibers cannot grow along the damaged spinal cord - scar tissue prevents this.
Nanogel, developed by scientists from Northwestern University, eliminates such an obstacle. After injection, the nanogel independently forms a framework structure for the development of nanofibers. Peptides expressed in fibers "order" stem cells, which usually form scar tissue, to produce cells that stimulate nerve formation. The skeleton structure, meanwhile, supports the growth of new axons up and down along the spinal cord.
12. Stabilizing insolesWhen grandmother Erez Lieberman (Erez Lieberman) fell unsuccessfully, he thought about how to prevent such a fall again.
"But only a few years later, while working at NASA, I found a way to materialize my ideas," says a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Using technology developed to control the balance of astronauts who have just returned from space, Lieberman's iShoe insoles analyze the pressure distribution in the legs. Such insoles can be used to diagnose balance problems in older people before they fall.
13. Smart TabletLocated in California, Proteus Biomedical has developed sensors that allow you to track medication intake by recording the exact time of medication use.
Microchips the size of a grain of sand emit high-frequency electric currents, which are fixed by a receiver resembling a bandage. Such receivers also monitor a person's pulse, breathing, and wirelessly transmit data to a computer. "In order to actually improve medicines, we need to do what is being done in any other industry - to introduce digital technologies into existing products and networks," explains David O'Reilly, senior vice president of Corporate Development.
14. Autonomous wheelchairScientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an autonomous wheelchair that takes people to their destination.
The chair recognizes its position in the room by listening to location information from the patient. For example, a person says: "This is my room" or "We're in the kitchen." So, using Wi-Fi, maps of the system are created, which work perfectly indoors (unlike GPS). The model being tested now can be equipped with cameras, laser rangefinders and a collision avoidance system in the future.
15. Gastrointestinal gasketObesity is associated with type II diabetes, which gradually leads to the deterioration of the pancreas.
The gastrointestinal pad, developed by GI Dynamics, Massachusetts, helps to normalize weight by preventing food from coming into contact with the intestinal walls. The Endobarrier is inserted endoscopically through the mouth – no surgery, unlike gastric bypass, is necessary. It is located on the first 60 cm of the small intestine - where most calories are absorbed (nutrients are absorbed a little further).
16. Liver scannerIs your liver healthy?
Until recently, a painful biopsy was often required to answer this question. The French company EchoSens has developed a device that scans an organ in 5 minutes. Studies have shown that the damaged liver becomes stiffer and less elastic, and a scanner called Fibroscan, using ultrasound, checks the elasticity of the liver.
17. Nano-VelcroThe paws of the gecko are covered with nano-hairs, which, by attracting intermolecular forces, allow the lizard to stay firmly on the surface.
Replicating this kind of topography, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an adhesive that heals wounds or "seals" holes that occur with stomach ulcers. The adhesive is elastic, water-resistant and made of a material that decomposes over time.
18. Portable dialysis
More than 15 million Americans suffer from kidney disease – organs lose the ability to remove toxins from the blood. Standard dialysis is carried out in 3 stages, for each it is necessary to stay in the hospital for a week. But an artificial kidney developed by the staff of Xcorporeal (Los Angeles) cleanses the blood around the clock. The device is fully automated, battery-operated, water-resistant and weighs less than 2 kg.
19. Walking stimulatorStroke victims are taking part in a virtual reality program for rapid recovery, developed by scientists from the University of Portsmouth in the UK (University of Portsmouth in Britain).
While patients walk on a treadmill, they see moving pictures, according to which it seems that they are moving slower than they actually are. As a result, patients not only accelerate their pace, but also experience less pain at the same time.
20. The hand is like a rocket
Bulky batteries are usually required to add strength to prosthetic limbs. Michael Goldfarb from Vanderbilt University has come up with a proposal for an alternative energy source: rocket fuel. Goldfarb's prosthetic arm can lift about 9 kg – 3-4 times more than conventional prostheses. And all thanks to a pencil-like version of a rocket engine powered by the fuel used to deliver the space shuttle into orbit. Hydrogen peroxide provides 18-hour full-fledged hand work.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru21.04.2009