Medical Breakthrough – Page 19

Brain, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News, Stem cells

Cambridge scientists reverse ageing process in rat brain stem cells

September 9, 2019

Aged rat brain stem cells grown on a soft surface (right) show more healthy, vigorous growth than similar aged brain stem cells grown on a stiff surface (left)

New research reveals how increasing brain stiffness as we age causes brain stem cell dysfunction, and demonstrates new ways to reverse older stem cells to a younger, healthier state.

…when the old brain cells were grown on the soft material, they began to function like young cells – in other words, they were rejuvenated

The results, published today in Nature, have far-reaching implications for how we understand the ageing process, and how we might develop much-needed treatments for age-related brain diseases.

Continue reading… “Cambridge scientists reverse ageing process in rat brain stem cells”

3D Printer, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

3D bioprinting breakthrough leads to full-scale, functioning heart parts

August 20, 2019

A 3D-printed heart valve produced by Carnegie Mellon University researchers

While in its early stages, bioprinting of human tissue is an emerging technology that is opening up some exciting possibilities, including the potential to one day 3D print entire human organs. This scientific objective has now grown a little bit closer, with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University reporting a breakthrough that enabled the printing of full-scale heart components that in some cases functioned similarly to the real thing.

The specialized cells that make up the various organs in the human body are glued together by what is known as an extracellular matrix (ECM). This is a web of proteins that not only holds everything together, but also provides the biochemical signaling needed for an organ’s regular, healthy function. Collagen is a protein that plays a key role in this structural integrity, but when it comes to bioprinting, also brings some unique and notable challenges.

Continue reading… “3D bioprinting breakthrough leads to full-scale, functioning heart parts”

DNA, Genes, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

In a 1st, doctors in U.S. use CRISPR tool to treat patient with genetic disorder

August 16, 2019

Victoria Gray, 34, of Forest, Miss., volunteered for one of the most anticipated medical experiments in decades: the first attempt to use the gene-editing technique CRISPR to treat a genetic disorder in the U.S.

For the first time, doctors in the U.S. have used the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR to try to treat a patient with a genetic disorder.

“It is just amazing how far things have come,” says Victoria Gray, 34, of Forest, Miss. “It is wonderful,” she told NPR in an exclusive interview after undergoing the landmark treatment for sickle cell disease.

Gray is the first patient ever to be publicly identified as being involved in a study testing the use of CRISPR for a genetic disease.

Continue reading… “In a 1st, doctors in U.S. use CRISPR tool to treat patient with genetic disorder”

Brain, brain hacking, communication, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

Neuroscientists decode brain speech signals into written text

August 15, 2019

Study funded by Facebook aims to improve communication with paralysed patients

The study recording brain signals sent to trigger organ movement is considered a breakthrough.

When Stephen Hawking wanted to speak, he chose letters and words from a synthesiser screen controlled by twitches of a muscle in his cheek.

But the painstaking process the cosmologist used might soon be bound for the dustbin. With a radical new approach, doctors have found a way to extract a person’s speech directly from their brain.

The breakthrough is the first to demonstrate how a person’s intention to say specific words can be gleaned from brain signals and turned into text fast enough to keep pace with natural conversation.

Continue reading… “Neuroscientists decode brain speech signals into written text”

Biotech, Cancer, DNA, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

How scientists built a ‘living drug’ to beat cancer

August 7, 2019

IN 2010, EMILY Whitehead was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of certain cells in the immune system.

THIS IS THE most common form of childhood cancer, her parents were told, and Emily had a good chance to beat it with chemotherapy. Remission rates for the most common variety were around 85 percent.

It would be 20 months before they’d understand the shadow behind that sunny statistic, and the chilling prospect of volunteering their daughter as patient zero for the world’s first living drug.

Continue reading… “How scientists built a ‘living drug’ to beat cancer”

Analysis, Biotech, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine, Science & Technology News

Proteins trapped in glass could yield new medicinal advances

August 7, 2019

The protein, captured in an extremely thin piece of glass — around 50 nanometres in diameter, is sliced up, atom by atom, with the help of an electrical field. It is then analysed through Atom Probe Tomography, and the 3D structure is recreated on a computer. Credit: Small: Volume 15, Issue 24, Atom Probe Tomography for 3D Structural and Chemical Analysis of Individual Proteins Gustav Sundell, Mats Hulander, Astrid Pihl, Martin Andersson Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a unique method for studying proteins which could open new doors for medicinal research. Through capturing proteins in a nano-capsule made of glass, the researchers have been able to create a unique model of proteins in natural environments. The results are published in the scientific journal, Small.

Continue reading… “Proteins trapped in glass could yield new medicinal advances”

Breakthrough Thinking, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

An ‘EpiPen’ for spinal cord injuries

August 4, 2019

ANN ARBOR—An injection of nanoparticles can prevent the body’s immune system from overreacting to trauma, potentially preventing some spinal cord injuries from resulting in paralysis.

The approach was demonstrated in mice at the University of Michigan, with the nanoparticles enhancing healing by reprogramming the aggressive immune cells—call it an “EpiPen” for trauma to the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord.

“In this work, we demonstrate that instead of overcoming an immune response, we can co-opt the immune response to work for us to promote the therapeutic response,” said Lonnie Shea, the Steven A. Goldstein Collegiate Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Continue reading… “An ‘EpiPen’ for spinal cord injuries”

Great New Product, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

The Band-Aid of the future knows when you’re healed

July 22, 2019

The Band-Aid of the future knows when you’re healed

It’s easy to imagine these wearable circuits on the shelves of CVS.

The Apple Watch is an enticing product, but it hasn’t revolutionized personal health the way its cheerleaders have promised. It can track steps, but it can’t see how your body is moving. It can measure your heart rate, but it can’t see how you are healing. The Apple Watch really only scratches the surface of what we imagine for intimate, wearable electronics.

But a new research project out of Carnegie Mellon is nearly as easy to put on as an Apple Watch and a whole lot more capable and customizable. Dubbed ElectroDermis, it’s a spandex bandage topped with stretchable, electric wiring and the sorts of circuits and sensors you find in any mobile electronic. “We were inspired by traditional medical bandages, as they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, soft and conformal, and can be placed anywhere on the body” for more accurate readings, says the paper’s co-lead Eric Markvicka.

Continue reading… “The Band-Aid of the future knows when you’re healed”

Great New Product, Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

This spray-on nanofiber ‘skin’ may revolutionize burn and wound care

July 19, 2019

Hey Shaped like a gun, Nanomedic’s SpinCare device emits a web of electrospun polymer nanofabric that stays put for weeks—no dressing changes required.

Imagine if bandaging looked a little more like, well, a water gun?

Israeli startup Nanomedic Technologies Ltd., a subsidiary of medical device company Nicast, has invented a new mechanical contraption to treat burns, wounds, and surgical injuries by mimicking human tissue. Shaped like a children’s toy, the lightweight SpinCare emits a proprietary nanofiber “second skin” that completely covers the area that needs to heal.

Continue reading… “This spray-on nanofiber ‘skin’ may revolutionize burn and wound care”

3D Printer, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News, Space, Space Flight

A BFF in Space! Bioprinter Will 3D-Print Human Tissue on the Space Station

July 18, 2019

A new 3D printer will launch to the space station in July with the goal of manufacturing human tissue in space.A new 3D printer will launch to the space station in July with the goal of manufacturing human tissue in space.(Image: © Techshot Inc.)

The futuristic gizmo will launch this month.

Continue reading… “A BFF in Space! Bioprinter Will 3D-Print Human Tissue on the Space Station”

Biotech, brain hacking, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

New mind-controlled robot arm first to work without brain implant

July 15, 2019

Just strap on the EEG cap and start thinking.

If you want to control a robot with your mind — and really, who doesn’t? — you currently have two options.

You can get a brain implant, in which case your control over the robot will be smooth and continuous. Or you can skip the risky, expensive surgery in favor of a device that senses your brainwaves from outside your skull — but your control over the bot will be jerky and not nearly as precise.

Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is narrowing the gap between those two options, creating the first noninvasive mind-controlled robot arm that exhibits the kind of smooth, continuous motion previously reserved only for systems involving brain implants — putting us one step closer to a future in which we can all use our minds to control the tech around us.

Continue reading… “New mind-controlled robot arm first to work without brain implant”

Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News, Stem cells

This Lab-grown patch could repair your heart after a heart attack

June 28, 2019

Patches could help repair damaged hearts.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US for both men and women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 735,00 Americans have a heart attack each year, and 610,000 die of heart disease.

Those who survive heart attacks remain at serious risk for heart failure. During a heart attack, the network of blood vessels that delivers blood to the heart, called the coronary arteries, experiences a blockage due to buildup of cholesterol and fatty deposits. Blood can’t flow through to the heart, which means it doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, causing tissue to die.

Heart attack survivors are thus left with a heart that’s weaker, making everyday tasks like lifting objects or climbing stairs exhausting or even dangerous. Restoring damaged heart tissue has proved difficult if not impossible, but a research team from Imperial College London has a new tool they hope will be able to heal wounded hearts.

Continue reading… “This Lab-grown patch could repair your heart after a heart attack”