Category Archives: Issues in Science

The Promised Future of Prosthetics: Robotic Limbs

Posted on February 11, 2013 by | 6 comments

It must feel great to be able to feel a friend’s hand after seven years. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC have enabled a 30-year-old paralysed man to be able to move his robotic arm by means of electrodes placed in his brain. The tested patient has been paralysed for seven years after a motorcycle accident. “It feels like I’m robocop” says Tim Hemmes, the spinal patient. Researchers used the newly developed brain-computer interference (BCI) technology to make Tim he has hand again. The data released from Tim’s thoughts are then interpreted by an IBM designed processor. The analysed data are then put into command language for the robotic limb. “When Tim reached out to high-five me with the robotic arm, we knew this technology had the potential to help people who cannot move their own arms achieve greater independence,” said Dr. Wang, when watching a memorable scene in 2011.

Today, different types of bionics are being made. There exists bionic lenses, bionic arms and bionic legs. However, the accuracy of these devices are not perfect yet but the clinical cases are showing a promising future in this field.

Tim Hemmes’s case

How does it work?!

In order for patience to feel comfortable using the prosthetic limb, the designed limb’s weight should match the actual limb’s weight. This prevents researchers from producing gigantic robots. The next step in making a robotic limb is building an appropriate BCI which matches the right part of the brain. In order to do so, researchers use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to find the right place for the conductors. Conductors take data orders from your brain and analyse those data using bio-computational algorithms to transform data into machine language. The robots then do the job for the patient.

 

The robots used should have the same functionality as the actual limb since it is believed the brain of the patient can only command in a certain manner. That certain manner matches with what the patient did with his/her actual limb and our brains are not trained for anything beyond what our limbs can do.

Below is a Ted talk showing the clinical accomplishments of robotic limbs:

Although it is very early to comment on this technology but it is pretty evident that soon this technology will become a solution for amputated limbs. Many different researched are also being conducted on robotic lenses but not a lot of successful cases have been reported yet.

References:

1. Di Pino G, Porcaro C, Tombini M, et al. A neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis tuned inter-hemispheric communication. Restorative Neurol Neurosci. 2012;30(5):407-418.

2. Di Pino G, Porcaro C, Tombini M, et al. A neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis tuned inter-hemispheric communication. Restorative Neurol Neurosci. 2012;30(5):407-418.

3. Guymer R. The challenge and the promise of the bionic eye. the bionic vision australia project. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2012;40:123-124.

4. Li Hu, Yang Jian-yu, Su Peng-cheng, Wang Wan-shan. Computer aided modeling and pore distribution of bionic porous bone structure. J Cent South Univ. 2012;19(12):3492-3499.

5. Mironov V, Boland T, Trusk T, Forgacs G, Markwald RR. Organ printing: Computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering. Trends Biotechnol. 2003;21(4):157-161.

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A Top Scientific Discovery: Would You Want To Know Your Baby’s Genetics?

Posted on January 22, 2013 by | 1 comment

Genome Sequencing For Fetuses

Can you imagine being able to know more than just the gender of your baby before it is even born? You may soon be able to learn personality and physical traits of your unborn baby!

A discovery in 2012 was made by researchers at the University of Washington when the successful sequencing of a complete fetal genome was made. This sequencing is unlike any previous techniques because it does not pose any risks to the baby. The technique is noninvasive and can create a genome sequence of the developing fetus from as early as the first trimester.

Fetus. source: flickr.com

Today’s common prenatal genetic tests include amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. These tests require a needle inserted into the amniotic sac to test for certain genetic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities. They are invasive and pose a 2% risk of miscarriage.

The newly discovered technique is possible because there is circulating cell-free DNA. A portion of which, in a pregnant woman’s blood, is derived from the fetus. This can be isolated and further sequenced. The test requires a sample of blood from the mother and blood or saliva from the father. Once the parents’ genomes are determined, one can determine which DNA comes from the fetus.

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 The main benefit is early medical warnings that were previously unknown. Importantly, scientists are interested in identifying conditions that can be treated before birth.  Is there a limit though to how much genetic information parents should know?

 Not all genetic irregularities are expressed. Whole genome mapping merely predicts the possibility of disease. Consequently, parents could be living in fear or even abort the baby that may never actually have the disease appear.

 In just five years time this testing could be clinically available. I think this topic is so interesting and controversial, and the future debates on this topic will be fascinating.

By Ashley Dolman

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science in the News

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch – A floating plastic island

Posted on January 20, 2013 by | 2 comments

 Plastics are ubiquitous, we use them everywhere in our daily lives: The bottles for our drinks, the packaging of our goods, even the insulation in our homes. But while these chemical polymers are undeniably useful, they are also everlasting. Every piece of plastic ever made is still here.

But where does it all go?

    The sad truth is, while some are recycled, a lot of it ends up in our oceans, where it is swept up in the ocean currents and deposited in Gyres. This process has continued unabated for close to 60 years, the result is The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 3.4 million square kilometer swath of plastic debris sitting on the surface of the North Pacific Ocean (Perkins 2010), three times the size of B.C. The vortex-like current of the gyre ensures the plastic remains localized to the area (Maximenko et al. 2012), and as it doesn’t degrade, it does nothing but affect the fragile ecosystem of the ocean and its inhabitants.

Plastic is left to gather in the Gyres

      In 2009, a team of graduate students from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego journeyed 1000 miles off the California coast to the eastern edge of the Garbage Patch.  There they collected samples and ran tests on the impact of the plastic on the area (Asian News International, 2009). They discovered  that the stomach contents of over 9% of the fish in the area contain plastic pellets . It might not seem like a large number but that accounts for over 12-24 thousand tonnes of ingested plastic a year (Ecology, Environment & Conservation, 2011) .

     And this garbage patch isn’t the only one floating in the vast expanses of the Pacific. The patch studied by the Scripps team was located in the northern region of the Pacific, but another patch has been discovered in the southern hemisphere by a team from the 5 Gyres Institute in California (Marcus et.al., 2013) .

How Does it Impact Us?

    There are a few answers to this, one of them is bio-accumulation of bisphenol A through ingestion of contaminated fish. Bisphenol A is a component of all manufactured plastics. The fish ingest the plastics and are in turn eaten by us, adding to the stores of bisphenol A in our systems (Canavan, 2010).

Chemicals affect a host of animals which we then eat.

         Even though the effects of plastic ingestion on humans hasn’t been well documented, there has been enough research done on its carcinogenic properties (Richter et al., 2007)  and neurological effects (Hajszan & Leranth, 2010)  that we can conclude it is in our best interests to keep our internal concentrations low. The presence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch directly opposes this.

So What Can be Done?

    Thanks to pioneering efforts by people such as Capt. Charles Moore, awareness of the environmental effects of ocean plastic are better understood. As individuals, we can help by reducing the amount of plastic we waste by limiting our use of them, using cloth shopping bags and recycling bottles whenever we can.

Here Cpt. Moore describes his work on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch:

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     Until we as a global community are better educated about the possible harm our negligence is causing, the garbage patch will remain, a monument to our environmental apathy.

By Ammar Vahanvaty

References: 

 Anonymous. (2009, ). Ocean garbage patch. Journal of College Science Teaching, pp. 10.

DAVID CANAVAN. (2010, ). ‘Garbage island’: Lost at sea. The Bangkok Post

Eriksen, et al. Plastic pollution in the south pacific subtropical gyre. Marine Pollution Bulletin, (0) doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.12.021

Hajszan, T., & Leranth, C. (2010). Bisphenol A interferes with synaptic remodeling. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 31(4), 519-530.

Maximenko, N., Hafner, J., & Niiler, P. (2012). Pathways of marine debris derived from trajectories of lagrangian drifters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65(1–3), 51-62.

Perkins, S. (2010). Oceans yield huge haul of plastic. Science News, 177(7), p. 8.

Richter, C.A., et. al. 2007. In vivo effects of
bisphenol A in laboratory rodent studies. Reprod. Toxicol. 24, 199–224

Scientists discover extensive plastic debris in ‘great pacific ocean garbage patch’. (2009, ). Asian News International

Scripps study finds plastic in 9 percent of ‘garbage patch’ fishes. (2011). Ecology, Environment & Conservation, , 501.

 

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The promising future of transplantation

Posted on January 20, 2013 by | 4 comments

Are you wearing a donor wrist band? Well! Take it off. Soon no one will need your organs any-more . ‘Printing‘ the organs is a new technology which can revolutionize all transplantation procedures performed in today’s medical world. Tissue engineering technology or ‘printing’ is a new way of producing human organs by means of computers and organ printers. 

Organ Printing or cell printing are very recent ideas which were introduced to the world of biotechnology in 1987. The technology has been rapidly developing ever since. Synthetic blood vessels are the first body-parts which were made by this technology.

Organ Printer

Luke Massee is the first patient who has experienced this new technology successfully. Luke was born with dysfunctional kidneys a condition know as CKD.  He was chosen over tens of candidates after 10 years of investigations. His case proved that not only this procedure is possible but also safe and cheap to use.

What is organ printing?

organ printing is a biomedical version of rapid prototyping technology which is based on tissue fluidity. Computer-assisted printers put natural component of an organ together in the right shape and form.

How does it work?

“It’s like making a cake” said Anthony Atala of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.  A 3D scan of the wanted organ is captured first. Then, a sample from the recipient tissue is taken in order to make the organ with the right material. ‘Printer’ starts producing the organ layer by layer in the final step.  Thus, the procedure of organ printing can be divided into three main steps: preprocessing, processing and postprocessing. In preprocessing computer-aided design ( CAD) or blue print of the organ is done. in processing step, materials are put together by means of tissue scaffold. Printers play the main role in this step. postprinting is the final step and organ is double checked for functionality.

The progress of the stem cell technology has also greatly contributed to progress of the organ printing technology. Stem cells can be used to produce any organ in the body. They can be used for the tissue culturing and the produced culture can later on be used in producing the organ.

Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney

Even though there has been one successful case of organ transplantation, there is still a lot not understood about human body and I believe it will take a long time for this technology to become accessible for everyone.  And until the day that science can solve every problem about our mysterious bodies it is much wiser to keep your donor wrist band on!

Refrences:

1. Mironov V, Boland T, Trusk T, Forgacs G, Markwald RR. Organ printing: Computer-aided jet-based 3D tissue engineering. Trends Biotechnol. 2003;21(4):157-161.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779903000337#

 

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