10-13-2012, 10:33 AM
These are some of the recent breakthroughs or hot research going on in the Biotechnology sector that I stumbled across. There are lots more out there and many more to come.
1) Decay Fighting Microbes - Bacteria living in our teeth convert sugars to lactic acid, which erodes the enamel and eventually causes tooth decay. ONI Biopharm a Florida based company has come up with a new bacterial strain called SMaRT, that cannot produce lactic acid and it produces an antibiotic that kills the natural decay-causing strain. Dentists will only need to swab SMaRT, now in clinical trials, onto teeth once to keep them healthy for a lifetime.
2) Artificial Lymph Nodes - The Riken Institute scientists have come up with artificial lymph nodes, organs that produce immune cells for fighting infections. The artificial lymph nodes can be used as immune boosters. Doctors could fill the nodes with cells specifically geared to treat certain conditions, such as cancer or HIV.
3) Asthma Sensor - Asthma can be really fatal and accounts for most of the emergency visits in the US and worldwide, but scientists hope this situation will change with the new asthma sensor developed at the University of Pittsburgh. Inside the handheld device, a polymer-coated carbon nanotube—100,000 times thinner than a human hair—analyzes breath for minute amounts of nitric oxide, a gas that lungs produce prior to asthma attacks.
4) Cancer Spit test - Say bye to biopsies, University of California - Los Angeles have come up with a test which can detect oral cancer from a drop of saliva. Proteins that are associated with cancer cells react with dyes on the sensor, emitting fluorescent light that can be detected with a microscope. According to engineer Chih-Ming Ho the same principle could be applied to make saliva-based diagnostic tests for many diseases.
5) Biological Peacemaker - The good old fashioned electronic pacemakers are effective but they eventually wear out. The scientists have come up with a solution to combat this problem. Researchers at several universities are developing a batteryless alternative: pacemaker genes expressed in stem cells that are injected into damaged regions of the heart. Better suited for physical exertion, biological pacemakers have been shown to bring slow canine hearts back up to speed without complications.
6) Absorbable Heart Stent - The function of a stent is to open arteries that have become narrow or blocked as a result of a coronary heart disease. Drug-eluting stents release medication that keeps the artery from narrowing again. The bio-absorbable version made by Abbott Laboratories in Illinois goes one step further: Unlike metal stents, it does its job and disappears. After six months the stent begins to dissolve, and after two years it's completely gone, leaving behind a healthy artery.
7) Gastrointestinal Liner - Obesity is associated with type II diabetes, which over time wears out the pancreas. A gastrointestinal liner developed by Massachusetts-based GI Dynamics may restore the obese to a healthy weight by preventing food from contacting the intestinal wall. The Endobarrier is routed endoscopically through the mouth—unlike a gastric bypass, no surgery is necessary—and lines the first 2 ft of the small intestine, where the most calories are absorbed (nutrients are still absorbed farther down the intestine).
These according to me are by far the interesting and innovative research going on in the Biotechnology sector.
1) Decay Fighting Microbes - Bacteria living in our teeth convert sugars to lactic acid, which erodes the enamel and eventually causes tooth decay. ONI Biopharm a Florida based company has come up with a new bacterial strain called SMaRT, that cannot produce lactic acid and it produces an antibiotic that kills the natural decay-causing strain. Dentists will only need to swab SMaRT, now in clinical trials, onto teeth once to keep them healthy for a lifetime.
2) Artificial Lymph Nodes - The Riken Institute scientists have come up with artificial lymph nodes, organs that produce immune cells for fighting infections. The artificial lymph nodes can be used as immune boosters. Doctors could fill the nodes with cells specifically geared to treat certain conditions, such as cancer or HIV.
3) Asthma Sensor - Asthma can be really fatal and accounts for most of the emergency visits in the US and worldwide, but scientists hope this situation will change with the new asthma sensor developed at the University of Pittsburgh. Inside the handheld device, a polymer-coated carbon nanotube—100,000 times thinner than a human hair—analyzes breath for minute amounts of nitric oxide, a gas that lungs produce prior to asthma attacks.
4) Cancer Spit test - Say bye to biopsies, University of California - Los Angeles have come up with a test which can detect oral cancer from a drop of saliva. Proteins that are associated with cancer cells react with dyes on the sensor, emitting fluorescent light that can be detected with a microscope. According to engineer Chih-Ming Ho the same principle could be applied to make saliva-based diagnostic tests for many diseases.
5) Biological Peacemaker - The good old fashioned electronic pacemakers are effective but they eventually wear out. The scientists have come up with a solution to combat this problem. Researchers at several universities are developing a batteryless alternative: pacemaker genes expressed in stem cells that are injected into damaged regions of the heart. Better suited for physical exertion, biological pacemakers have been shown to bring slow canine hearts back up to speed without complications.
6) Absorbable Heart Stent - The function of a stent is to open arteries that have become narrow or blocked as a result of a coronary heart disease. Drug-eluting stents release medication that keeps the artery from narrowing again. The bio-absorbable version made by Abbott Laboratories in Illinois goes one step further: Unlike metal stents, it does its job and disappears. After six months the stent begins to dissolve, and after two years it's completely gone, leaving behind a healthy artery.
7) Gastrointestinal Liner - Obesity is associated with type II diabetes, which over time wears out the pancreas. A gastrointestinal liner developed by Massachusetts-based GI Dynamics may restore the obese to a healthy weight by preventing food from contacting the intestinal wall. The Endobarrier is routed endoscopically through the mouth—unlike a gastric bypass, no surgery is necessary—and lines the first 2 ft of the small intestine, where the most calories are absorbed (nutrients are still absorbed farther down the intestine).
These according to me are by far the interesting and innovative research going on in the Biotechnology sector.
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