Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to matching organs such as kidneys and livers from donors, that can be quite a tough thing to do, not to mention an extremely short list of donors are available in addition to a super long waiting list of recipients. While 3D printing of compatible body organs are not achievable at this point in time, how about growing an organ in the laboratory? We are heading in the right direction, as scientists have managed to grow a rat kidney in the confines of a laboratory, and when this lab-grown kidney was transplanted into animals, it managed to produce urine.

All right, so similar techniques to churn out simple body parts have already been achieved to date and actually used in human patients, but the achievement of a kidney is stunning to say the least, considering how the kidney is considered to be one of the most complicated organs manufactured, or grown, to date. Of course, it goes without saying that such genetically grown and engineered kidneys are a whole lot less effective than natural kidneys, but this is a good start to the future nonetheless. Could this signal the early days of Repo Men?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Fujitsu Medical Body Area Network Completes Verification Test, Phone Camera Assists Medical Field Again,

It is said that plenty of science and medicine fields do rely on microscope and flow cytometry use, where the former see action in numerous medical fields including identifying pathogens and examining tissue samples for aberrations among others. As for flow cytometry, it is used for cell sorting, counting and biomarker detection, and comes in handy to diagnose different disorders, where among them also include hematological malignancies. The thing is, such technology is not easily available in remote and poor countries, which is why a more affordable, workable solution needs to be discovered.

A bunch of scientists from UCLA has come up with an attachment to a normal cell phone which is capable of transforming it into an impromptu fluorescent microscope or fluorescent flow cytometer, now how about that? We are quite sure that third world countries will find this attachment more than useful, as it makes life easier to identify various pathogens out there. The thing is, how high of an adoption rate will it see?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Panasonic DNA Testing Lab, NEXThaler Dry Powder Asthma Inhaler,

Scientists working together from Japanese and American universities may have made a pretty large leap in restoring neural function for those with non-paralyzing spinal cord injuries. The researchers applied a “novel artificial neuron connection” over lesions in the spinal cord of a partially paralyzed monkey, partially restoring its arm / brain circuit and allowing greater hand control purely by brainpower. The team also created a reverse circuit where muscle activity from the arm stimulated the spinal cord, reinforcing the signals and “boosting ongoing activity in the muscle.” There’s no word on whether it would help those with full paralysis, though for lesser “paretic” damage, “this might even have a better chance of becoming a real prosthetic treatment rather than the sort of robotic devices that have been developed recently,” according to the team. See the source and More Coverage links for more.

Filed under: Science

Comments

Source: National Institute for Physiological Sciences

Panasonic, together with the Belgium-based research institution IMEC, has developed a DNA testing chip that automates all stages of obtaining genetic information, including preprocessing.

This development is expected to enable personalized, tailor-made therapy to become widespread.

“This is the chip we’ve actually developed. As you can see, it’s less than half the size of a business card. It contains everything needed for testing DNA. Once a drop of blood is inserted, the chip completes the entire process, up to SNP detection.”

SNPs are variations in a single DNA base among individuals.

Detecting SNPs makes it possible to check whether genetically transmitted diseases are present, evaluate future risks, and identify genes related to illness.

“By investigating SNPs, we can determine that this drug will work for this person, or this drug will have severe side-effects on that person. Investigating SNPs enables tailor-made therapy. But with the current method, it has to be done in a specialized lab, so it actually takes three to four days. In the worst case, it takes a week from sending the sample to getting the result. Our equipment can determine a patient’s SNPs in just an hour after receiving the blood.”

Testing is done simply by injecting the blood and a chemical into the chip, and setting it in the testing system.

First of all, the blood and chemical are mixed. DNA is then extracted from the mixed solution. The regions containing SNPs are then cut out and amplified. DNA amplification uses technology called PCR, which cuts out the desired sections by varying the temperature. With the conventional method, this process took two hours.

“Through careful attention to thermal separation design, we’ve achieved high-speed PCR, where 30 temperature cycles are completed in nine minutes. We think this is one of the fastest PCR systems in the world.”

The amplified DNA is then sent through a micropump to a DNA filter. Here, the DNA is separated for each section length. Then, a newly developed electrochemical sensor identifies SNPs while the DNA is dissolved in the chemical.

“To implement this system on one chip, and make detection easy, the first thing we focused on was the actuators. This system requires a very small, powerful pump. In our case, we used a conductive polymer for the actuators. A feature of these actuators is they’re powerful, yet extremely compact. They can exert a pressure of up to 30MPa.”

“Ultimately, we’d like to make this system battery-powered. We think that would enable genetically modified foods to be tested while still in the warehouse.”

This Video is provided to you by DigInfo.tv, AkihabaraNews Official Partner.

Via: Panasonic, IMEC

We obviously love our gadgets around here. But, as worked up as we get for things with octa-core processors and 4K displays, what really excites us about technology is its ability to improve people’s lives. And while having an endless repository of information at your fingertips 24/7 certainly qualifies, we’re more interested in the people working to solve real problems. In the basement of the Egan Research Center at Northeastern University, a group of students are toiling away under the watchful eye and guidance of professor Constantinos Mavroidis to build a rather unique device called the Virtually-Interfaced Robotic Ankle and Balance Trainer — or vi-RABT. For the better part of a year the team has been working on what started life as a Capstone project. The concept began when Dr. Maureen Holden, from the school’s physical therapy department, came to the laboratory with a problem: how can we improve the speed and quality of recovery for stroke patients who have lost strength in their ankles and struggle to stay balanced?

Filed under: Misc, Robots

Comments