12.23.2010
12.22.2010
Stem cell therapy to heal a broken heart
Over the last decade, scientists have experimented with using stem cells to heal or replace the scarred tissue that mars the heart after a heart attack. While the cells do spur some level of repair in animals, human tests have resulted in modest or transient benefits at best. Now researchers have developed a new kind of biological sutures, made from polymer strands infused with stem cells, that might help surmount two major obstacles to using stem cells to heal the heart: getting the cells to the right spot and keeping them there long enough to trigger healing.
Flu... there's a shot for that. Broken bone...there's a shot for that too
Today, a broken hip usually means surgery and extensive rehab. But what if all you needed was an injection and a shorter recovery period? That's the vision that inspires Thomas Webster, an associate professor of engineering at Brown University.
Webster has developed a nanomaterial that quickly solidifies at body temperature into a bone-like substance. This week, Brown announced a deal with medical device maker Audax Medical of Littleton, Massachusetts, to further develop the material and launch trials in animals.
Skip the biopsy...ask for laser beams instead
Scientists at Harvard University have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that captures images at the molecular level so quickly that they can "watch" red blood cells move through the capillaries of a live mouse. The system uses two laser beams set at different frequencies to excite specific types of molecules in the skin. A custom-designed detector picks up the excited molecular signal and translates it into an image.
With such a capability, says Ji-Xin Cheng, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University, doctors may be able to identify other diseases that manifest on the surface of organs other than skin.
"Some cancers start in the epithelial layer, or the surface of tissues, like colon cancer," says Cheng. "Diagnosing such cancers could be a good application for a system like this."
People helping computers process information for a change
Most brain-computer interfaces are designed to help disabled people communicate or move around. A new project is using this type of interface to help computers perform tasks they can't manage on their own. In experiments, researchers used the interface to sort through satellite images for surface-to-air missiles faster than any machine or human analyst could manage alone.
11.24.2010
Essay writing turns into facebook browsing turns into youtube watching...
With the growing application of computers and technology in educating the youth of today, the question becomes how to focus attention on relevant tasks while filtering out the limitless stimuli provided by the internet?
11.22.2010
Yay alma mater...UBC research actually matters!
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using nanocrystals of cellulose, the main component of pulp and paper, chemistry researchers at the University of British Columbia have created glass films that have applications for energy conservation in building design because of their ability to reflect specific wavelengths of light, such as ultra violet, visible or infrared.11.18.2010
Turning skin into blood...21st century alchemy
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an important breakthrough, scientists at McMaster University have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin.
Earthquake repair 101
A bacteria that can knit together cracks in concrete structures by producing a special 'glue' has been developed by a team of students at Newcastle University.
11.16.2010
Muscle regeneration just needs some guidance in the right direction
Researchers have repaired large muscle wounds in mice by growing and implanting "microthreads" coated with human muscle cells. The microthreads—made out of the same material that triggers the formation of blood clots—seem to help the cells grow in the proper orientation, which is vital for rebuilding working muscle tissue.
11.12.2010
11.10.2010
Who put the microchip in my benadryl?
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG is developing a pill containing an embedded microchip, which it hopes to submit for regulatory approval in Europe within 18 months.
The chip is activated by stomach acid and transmits information to a patch attached to the patient’s skin, which then sends it on to a doctor via the Internet or a smartphone.
11.04.2010
Thinking about replacing your home's windows? Go green with solar-powered ones!
A material with semiconducting abilities has been developed which also happens to be largely transparent, paving the way for potential future applications in "energy-generating solar windows, transparent solar panels, and new kinds of optical displays."
10.28.2010
10.19.2010
A Long-Lasting Universal Flu Vaccine
For decades, researchers have been doggedly pursuing a universal flu vaccine--one that would protect against the evolving influenza virus for years rather than just a single season--with little success. The bug mutates so quickly that a new vaccine must be specially formulated each year. But a relatively new strategy, targeting a rarely seen portion of the virus, is now showing some success.
While vaccines for other infections can create immunity that lasts for decades, the flu virus has proved a more challenging adversary. Because the human immune system is so adept at recognizing it, the virus has evolved the ability to modify its most recognizable protein--called hemagglutinin--from year to year. So every year, six months prior to flu season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration devises the country's annual vaccine according to its best guess for which strains will be most virulent. And every year, we need another flu shot.
Palese's experimental vaccine, however, targets a part of the hemagglutinin protein that remains relatively stable over time, enabling its broad immunizing effects.
Making a Genome Quickly from Scratch
A rapid DNA-synthesis technique has been used to synthesize a complete mitochondrial genome from scratch. The new method will be used to make vaccines rapidly by a startup company called Synthetic Genomics Vaccines.
10.01.2010
Reefer Gladness
Reefer Gladness - NYTimes.com
A little insight on the upcoming vote to legalize and tax marijuana in California.
9.24.2010
9.21.2010
Yet another step towards a television free world
Miniature device could allow a cell phone to project images on a wall | KurzweilAI
A new one-cubic-centimeter projector head that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone has been developed by Lemoptix, a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the Maher Kayal Laboratory.
A new one-cubic-centimeter projector head that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone has been developed by Lemoptix, a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the Maher Kayal Laboratory.
The projector uses very little energy, requiring on average 30% less current than the matrix- or LED-based technology currently available on the market. It should be available in 2011 for industrial applications, and the following year for consumer electronics, according to Nicolas Abelé, Technical Director of the start-up.
Test tube babies are so 2009
Technology Review: Artificial Ovary Could Help Infertile Women
First time that a 3-dimensional environment containing the three main types of ovarian cells: theca cells, granulosa cells, and the eggs (oocytes) has been developed. Immediate importance in studying fertility, environmental and pharmaceutical impacts, contraceptive development, and ovarian cancer with future clinical potential in harvesting and maturing eggs safely for infertile women.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)