Top Scientific Advancements of 2015

The hypothetical theory of using microscopic machines to deliver drugs in the human body may have just become a reality. For the first time, researchers have successfully used microscopic machines inside mice to deliver nano-particles to their stomach lining. The “machines” are made of polymer tubes and coated in a layer of zinc, which upon ingestion reacts with the stomach acid to produce hydrogen bubbles. These bubbles act as a motor and drive the machines to their end destination, which in this case was the stomach lining. When the machines finally reach their end destination, they attach and dissolve, releasing the drugs into that specific area.

The original means of drug delivery that we still use today usually involves orally taking a pill. What is inefficient about this is that the pill dissolves into the bloodstream, and as a result the drugs work on the entire body rather than a specific area. This is the reason why drugs oftentimes have many side effects. However, the method of using microscopic machines will be able to target exactly where the drug is needed. This will decrease the amount of time it takes for the drug to take action in addition to limiting side effects. Although this is the first time these machines have ever been used on living animals, it is a major step forwards in terms of the eventual goal of human application.

This is my last passion blog for the semester, so I wanted to briefly take a look back on all of the scientific advancements of the past year that I have blogged on. The subject of each and every post involved a technology that will contribute to living healthier and more fulfilling lifestyles. I have a passion for science and medicine because it is a continuously evolving field with endless possibilities. If society could do all this in just one year, imagine what the future holds as technology continues to improve.

This image shows how the microscopic machine reacts with the acid of the stomach to produce hydrogen bubbles, which direct the machine to its final destination where it attaches and releases the drug.

Source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2918010/Microscopic-machines-travel-inside-living-ANIMAL-time-one-day-used-deliver-drugs-inside-humans.html

Medicine is trending in the direction of becoming increasingly personalized and affordable. A new technology that has contributed to this is the use of 3-D printing in surgery and prosthetics. Surgeons are already finding that the use of 3-D printing has changed the approach of surgery. In the past, a standard “one size fits all” device was used for any given surgery to treat a wide range of patients. Oftentimes, this led to complications as a result of individual differences from patient to patient. However, 3-D printing allows them to make custom devices for each individual patient, decreasing the risk of any future complications. It is now possible to alter the texture, level of transparency, and flexibility of the custom devices to tailor them depending on the needs of the patient. Not only is using 3-D printing in the operating room more effective than traditional measures, it also decreases the time of the operation and has a wide range of applications, including dental procedures, heart procedures, bone replacements, and prosthetics. In fact, the versatility of this printing technology has even recently been used in efforts to perform face transplants, a true testament to its utility.

3-D printing is changing surgery as we know it, including the way surgeons prepare. They are able to create a 3-D printed version of their specific patient’s bodily structures, which include bones, blood vessels, and organs, to study before performing the procedure. This makes it so they are extremely comfortable and familiar with each of their patients before they operate. This aspect is especially important for complex surgeries involving vital parts of the body such as the brain, heart, and spinal chord.

Arguably the most important feature of this new technology is how affordable it is. The average trans-radial (below the elbow) prosthetic using traditional methods used to cost anywhere between 10,000-20,000 dollars, not to mention repairs and the need for additional as the individual grows. As one could imagine, for many this was not a viable option, as they simply could not afford it. 3-D printing has made treatment widely accessible. The total cost for a 3-D printed prosthetic today is just a few hundred dollars; a fraction of what was previously the only treatment option. This number is expected to decrease even further in the coming years. In essence, the use of 3-D printing in medicine has brought us a step closer to entirely personalized and affordable healthcare, and the number of applications for 3-D printing in medicine will only continue to increase.

This picture is of the 3-D printed nose and ears that would be used in a face transplant.

Source:

http://www.livescience.com/49913-3d-printing-revolutionizing-health-care.html

Photo Source:

http://thefutureofthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/3d-printed-nose-and-ears.jpg

The search for the fountain of youth and quest for immortality have long since been abandoned, yet advancements in healthcare and medicine over time have lead to a significantly improved human life expectancy. However, this increase hasn’t shown any correlation with the improvement of quality of life, as age related diseases have drastic effects on the heart, brain, and muscles. Although people are living longer, they are faced with Alzheimer’s, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer at a much greater rate as a result of age. This makes elderly individuals not as capable as they used to be at performing everyday tasks. Treatment of these seemingly age induced diseases has always been centered around each individual disease and its root cause, for example DNA for cancers, blood vessels for heart disease and so on. However, a new scientific breakthrough has been discovered that takes a new approach of slowing the aging process to prevent all of these diseases in the first place.

Researchers believe that the answer to slowing the aging process lies in the blood. The hypothesis is that blood from young individuals can serve to rejuvenate the bodies of the elderly, namely the brain, heart, and muscles. This procedure is something that had been hypothesized hundreds of years ago, however lack of knowledge of the different blood types produced fatal results and caused it to be banned for quite some time. Just recently, this topic was revisited and conducted using the mouse as a model organism. When blood from the young mice was transferred to older mice, they found very promising results. The blood of young individuals has higher protein levels than that of older individuals, one of which is called GDF11. This protein is beneficial to the heart, and also plays a crucial role in muscle structure and neuron signaling in the brain. Test trials have already begun in humans, however it could be years before the effectiveness of the procedure can be determined. If it is eventually put into mainstream use, it not only will increase how long we live, but more importantly how well we live as we get older. The sky is the limit for this field of research.

This visual shows how the blood theory was first tested on mice, which served as a model organism.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/04/can-we-reverse-ageing-process-young-blood-older-people

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/346/6216/1444.full

Type one diabetes is triggered by the attack of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas by the immune system. As a result of this, the body is unable to synthesize insulin, and glucose levels in the blood become irregular and cannot be regulated. Those who are infected are required to take insulin on a daily basis to regulate blood glucose levels. Although there is no known cure for humans in use today, new scientific research has provided a major breakthrough that could make the cure to type one diabetes a reality.

Researchers at the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute have found it possible to create insulin producing beta cells from human stem cells. What’s promising is that they were able to cure diabetes in mice using this method. The team at Harvard has also been able to harvest these cells at an astronomical rate, which could prove to be useful if put into mainstream use considering the millions of people in the United States alone who suffer from diabetes.

The major concern is that the synthesized beta cells would be subject to attack by the immune system when inserted into the human body, just as the natural beta cells are in the first place. The solution to this is what is known as an encapsulation device, which is able to surround the inserted beta cells and act as a shield, preventing any form of immune attack. Encouraging results have already been found when beta cells and their encapsulation device counterparts were inserted into primates (non-human).

I have a cousin who has endured the challenges that come with living with type one diabetes. Before every meal, she has to prick her finger and test her blood sugar using a pump. In addition, she always is concerned that her blood glucose level will get too low during any kind of exercise, causing her to pass out. There are also consequences that come when her blood sugar is too high, so she needs to be mindful of her diet at all times. Although new advancements have made living with diabetes more manageable, a cure would vastly improve her quality of life.

Although this research is certainly promising and exciting, it still could be as long as a couple of years before we see this in regular practice on humans. There is still uncertainty with the interaction between the introduced beta cells and the immune system, so clearly additional research needs to be conducted. Just as any test procedure or drug, it also needs to be proven safe for human use before release.

This is how individuals who have diabetes check their blood sugar level. It is common for them to do this procedure prior to every meal.

Source:

http://diatribe.org/updates-harvard-diabetes-stem-cell-research-ada-2015

Photo Source:

http://www.drleigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/shutterstock_74294383.jpg

Two researchers from Duke University who specialize in the formation of what are known as “bioartificial muscles” have recently made a major breakthrough, as they were able to grow the first functioning human muscle cells in the lab. The research devoted to this discovery took over a year of altering certain variables until human muscle cells could be produced. This goal was achieved by using a sample of human cells derived from skin or blood, expanding them exponentially, and placing them into a three-dimensional dish. The dish was filled with a nurturing gel, which allowed the cells to come together and form fully functioning muscle cells. Once these cells were cultivated, it was then necessary to perform tests to see if these laboratory developed cells in fact behaved the same way that muscle cells do in the human body. These tests included presenting them with certain drugs and observing how they reacted. It was determined that the lab grown cells behaved in exactly the same manner as actual human muscle cells in response to the presented drugs and stimuli. This finding was perhaps the most significant of all the research because it determined that medical tests for potential new drugs and treatments performed on these cells would react the same way in the dish in the lab setting as they would in the body. As a result of this discovery, the medical community has made a major stride to safe and efficient testing of new drugs without putting the health of human test subjects at risk any longer.

In addition to these muscle cells being capable of safely testing new drugs and treatments, they also allow for determining which treatment method is best for individuals suffering from diseases. The goal of modern medicine has always been to to provide care that is as personalized as possible for each individual patient. With just one patient biopsy, their muscle cells would be able to be reproduced in the lab and it could be observed how their cells react to different drugs. For many diseases, receiving successful treatment as early as possible is crucial towards recovery. With this new method in use, the efficiency of modern medicine will reach new heights.

This is an image of the muscle tissue in the dish. When exposed to an electrical stimuli, the muscle tissue contracts just as it does in the human body.

This video shows the contraction of the muscle cells.

Source:

http://pratt.duke.edu/news/first-contracting-human-muscle-grown-laboratory

Could you imagine undergoing an eight minute procedure and afterwards having three times better than 20/20 vision? After a whopping 3 million dollars and 8 years dedicated to research, a new technology known as the bionic lens may be able to do just that. Inserting the lens using a saline solution starts the quick and painless procedure. Almost immediately, the lens opens up and automatically positions itself over the actual lens of the eye. Just like that, vision is permanently corrected and improved. Not only is this procedure more effective than laser surgery, for example, it is also claimed to be much safer as it just involves saline solution and a lens. Almost all people have vision issues at some point in their lives, especially as they get older and their natural lens begins to decay. The bionic lens, unlike the lens we are born with, is proven to not deteriorate with time and truly is a one-time permanent vision fix. This procedure has the potential to change the way we go about treating vision forever, as it would make glasses and contacts obsolete. We could see this procedure in mainstream use before 2017.

As someone who has had some issues with vision over the years, I never ended up doing much about it because I was opposed to wearing glasses and was so frustrated when trying to learn how to put contacts in that I gave up. Who knows, maybe I will give this procedure a look when it comes out. I’m very curious as to what three times 20/20 vision looks like. However, I would definitely wait some time until this procedure is used widespread because I would be hesitant to put my eyesight at risk to an experimental procedure. Also, the cost of the procedure has not been determined yet, and despite the millions of dollars put into research, the simplicity of the procedure makes me believe that it will be affordable for the common people.

Whenever new technologies come out, it is important to look at it from the ethics point of view. Would having three times perfect vision give people an unfair advantage in sports for example? It will be interesting to see how the coming years unfold for the bionic lens technology.

Source:

http://inhabitat.com/this-bionic-lens-implant-could-make-your-vision-three-times-better-than-2020/

Have you ever been sick with a virus and went to the doctor to get treatment? You probably went through multiple different tests to try and determine what kind of virus you had. The truth is, there are over 1,000 strains of 206 different species of virus, and each test can only check for one virus at a time (Smith-Strickland). As one could imagine, this process is extremely inefficient.

A recent scientific breakthrough in the medical field could change the way and effectiveness of how we diagnose certain viruses and diseases. One drop of blood is all that would be necessary to determine every virus that has ever been in an individual’s system. When a person gets a virus, B cells are created by the immune system to fight it off. Even though the virus may go away in a few days or weeks, the antibodies never leave. The function of this is the immune system’s protection for if the same strain of virus were to ever come back. The new technology is called VirScan, and works by recognizing all of these antibodies present in the blood. In terms of the purpose of the antibodies in this technology, they are specific for each individual virus, which makes it easy to determine which viruses have previously or are currently attacking.

The biology behind how VirScan is not as complex as one would think considering it is engineered to detect thousands of different viruses. A bacteriophage is used to mimic the strains of viruses and DNA is added to make it recognizable by the immune system. When it is placed into a drop of blood, the antibodies in the blood bind to it. Based off of which antibodies bind to the bacteriophage, it can be determined which antibodies are at work in the body, and as a result which viruses are responsible for the sickness.

A practical application of VirScan is not only to diagnose viruses when people are sick, but also for preventative maintenance of the immune system. For example, if people get their blood tested on say an annual basis, they will be able to see if there are any antibodies to certain viruses present and treat the viruses before symptoms even show up! This technology is exciting and hopefully will be put into general practice soon.

A simple drop of blood from a finger prick using VirScan is all that would be necessary to diagnose viruses.

Smith-Strickland, Kiona. “Blood Test Can Detect Every Virus You’ve Ever Had.” Discover. 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.