Diagnostic Microscope "App" for iPhone and Droid

Guoan Zheng's goal is to make it easier for scientists and doctors to diagnose Malaria out in the field. Zheng, shown above, has created a microchip that would allow doctors the ability to turn their cell phones into high powered microscopes. The chip that Zheng built has a sub-pixel resolving optofluidic microscope, built into the microchip. This microscope has very small tubes that can pass a blood sample directly over a CMOS sensor (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) which takes several low resolution pictures of the sample. From there, the images are loaded onto a computer utilizing image enhancing software through a USB port. The software combines all of the images together and turns them into one high resolution image allowing doctors the ability to scan for malaria and other blood born diseases. This process is estimated to cost only 50 cents per sample, which would make testing malaria very cheap and more accessible.

With medical diagnostic technology becoming as portable as a cell phone and laptop computer, this could make a huge impact on the world epidemics. For a doctor to be able to leave his office with just his cell and a laptop, take samples from infected organisms, test them on the spot, and provide instruction on how to treat the illness, would be a great advantage in disaster relief projects across the world. For an example, assuming this technology is expanded to include various types of testing, doctors could be field testing radiation effects on those Japanese citizens who live near the failing nuclear plants using new technology on their cell phones. The faster they are able to get on the field and start testing, the quicker they can make decisions on how to treat the infected and evacuate those still in danger.

The benefits in this type of technology seem to be great. Of course the initial technology will take a great amount of research to get it to work consistently and interact well with different digital environments, but once established, it should be fairly easy and cheap to operate. With Zheng being able to further research and refine his microchip, this field of medical technology will definitely gain more recognition and inspire more engineers.

Article from Scientific American

MALARIA GAME - Learn how malaria is transmitted from person to person!

Study Guide Questions:

1. What is the name of the man featured in this article?

2. What is the approximate cost per sample tested with using Zheng's chip?

3. What type of censor is utilized by Zheng's chip?

Resource:

Greenemeier, Larry. "2011 Lemelson-M.I.T. Student Inventor Prizes Offer a Glimpse of the Future in Medical and Security Screening Tech." Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. 9 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lemelson-mit-student-award-2011.

Bionic Legs Invented in Garage by Quadriplegic

*Click Play To Begin Video*

The wheelchair has been providing mobility to those who cannot walk since the 6th century. In this video we see how the wheelchair may become obsolete to those who meet a few conditions. The Rewalk system that is represented in this video requires a user to have legs and dexterous hands/arms that are able to operate a small watch-like remote control. With leaning forward, the user commands the legs to move, but the type of movement is still controlled by the remote (walk, climb stairs, etc.). The inventor, Amit Goffer, sees his invention not just as a means of transportation, but "From the point of view of the disabled person it's self esteem, the dignity of the person. I mean sitting, being in a height of a child, a grown up in a height of a child is difficult." Amit is disabled himself, but he is a quadriplegic and cannot use the Rewalk because he does not have use of his arms.

Where will Goffer's new invention lead the disabled of the world? With the invention of legs that can move easily and safely at the lean of the user, bionic legs for those who do not have physical legs anymore, can be right around the corner. Balancing issues would definitely be an issue, as the legs must be able to fully support the weight of the individual Even though they may be able to use crutches to steady themselves, a fall could cause great harm considering the weight of the mechanisms and backpack. The cost is also a great concern. With the Rewalk product costing about $50,000 per patient, will this be accessible to the common person? Will the government's disability program help fund this type of "treatment" for those that cannot walk?

With the cost being so great for the Rewalk, we must look at the "pros" and their payoff. Getting the disabled on their feet not only gets them moving, but working. It would allow them to get jobs that they were previously unable to perform, providing income for their families and allowing them to pay off the initial debts of the Rewalk. Depression is also a serious problem for disabled people. Being able to get out of a chair, walk upright, and feel somewhat complete again, would have great effects on a person's self-esteem and confidence. As Goffer eluded to in his previous statement, the ability to stand makes a crippled person feel not so small or degraded.

This is a great advancement in medical technology that not only enables a weak body but strengthens a soul to stand. Furthering this research could lead to new bionic transportation and allow various handicaps to get on their feet again.

Link To Article: Bionic Legs - 1500 Years After the Wheelchair

Study Guide Questions:

1. According to the video/article, what is the name of the man using the bionic legs and how did he get injured?

2. What is the name of Amit Goffer's invention?

3. What is the current price of the bionic leg system?

Resource:

Vittert, Leland. "Bionic Legs—1500 Years After the Wheelchair « Liveshots." Liveshots. 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/01/16/bionic-legs-1500-years-after-the-wheelchair/?test=latestnews.

Company Works Medical Magic in Orbit

Company works medical magic in orbit: kxan.com

With the last mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery in flight, I thought it would be nice to see how medical experiments are conducted in space. The above video gives an example how Astrogenetix, a company in Austin, has astronauts perform their experiments in low gravity conditions. As NBC's Austin, TX affiliate, KXAN, reports, "...the low gravity environment in orbit enables interactions between materials that would be more isolated from each other as gravity weighs them down on earth."

Of course conducting experiments on the space shuttle is very interesting, but where Astrogenetix really pushes the envelope in medical technology I believe, is how they perform the tests. As you can see in the video, the astronauts simply have to turn a crank to perform the experiment. What this relays to me, is Astrogenetix had to engineer that container to protect the astronauts from the bacterias that they were releasing in the tube, and create the mechanisms inside to operate in conjunction at the turn of the crank. By this one turn of a crank, Astrogentix was able to get results from low gravity conditions, that helped to find a possible vaccine for Salmonella.

In the video, it states that Astrogentix is currently working on a vaccine for MRSA, "a deadly disease that kills an estimated 19,000 people a year in the United States, alone." MRSA, is Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infection and is mostly concocted in health care settings. (More information can be found at the Mayo Clinic website) With the Space Shuttle missions coming to an end, will possible medical breakthroughs, such as a vaccine for MRSA, that could have been harnessed in space, die along with Nasa's space shuttle program?

Discovery's last lift off:

Study Guide Questions:

1. What is the name of the company featured in the video/article and where is the company based?

2. For what disease did the company find a possible vaccine for?

3. For what deadly disease is the company currently working to find a vaccine for, and in what environment is it normally found?

Resources:

Swift, Jim. "Company Works Medical Magic in Orbit." KXAN.com. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/scitech/space/Company-works-medical-magic-in-orbit.

Robots Used in MIS (Minimally Invasive Surgery)

The Video above shows how Dr. Chris Nguan is using his $5,000,000 grant. He is researching the use of robots in surgery and how they effect the recovery of the patient. Dr. Nguan states, "We're moving away from big incision in surgery and the robot is the next step in the delvery of minimally-invasive surgery." "The traditional approach to kidney surgery meant a 20-30 centimeter incision for the patient, seven to 10 days in hospital, pain and trauma to the kidney. With the Surgical robots, we can make three to four small puncture wounds, operate with precision and the patient is good to go home in two days."

It is easy to see the benefit for the use of robots in the operating room, but the cost is great and hospitals are being forced to rationalize whether or not the cost of the robot will be offset by the amount of surgeries they are able to use it for.

Article: Surgical Robot Acquisition Increases Rate of Surgery to Treat Prostate Cancer

In this article on news-medical.net, the author looks at different aspects of how robots effect the finances of the hospital. The article specifically is looking at the use of robots in prostate surgery, which was given the green flag by the FDA in 2001.

The use of robotics within the medical community is not necessarily new, but there are constant advancements, as are seen with Dr. Nguan's results. However, it is likely that the cost to have surgery involving these robots will rise in order to cover the expenses of the hospital. They will not only have to pay the surgeon, but the bill for their robot as well.

Study Guide Questions:

1. Who is the doctor featured in the video?

2. What are the advantages to using robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery?

3. According to the article, what was the study used to determine, and what was the outcome?

Resources:

NYU Langone Medical Center. "Surgical Robot Acquisition Increases Rate of Surgery to Treat Prostate Cancer." News-Medical.Net. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110311/Surgical-robot-acquisition-increases-rate-of-surgery-to-treat-prostate-cancer.aspx.

3-D Cell Imaging

Ever since the the first microscope was assembled by simultaneously looking through two glass lenses at the same time, scientists have been refining their need to see how "life" works. Modern technology allows scientists from a myriad of fields to use various types of microscopes to serve specific needs. Some of the various types of Microscopes:

Light (Optical)Microscope

Electron Microscope

Scanning Probe Miscroscope - Many Variations

In the Article entitled, "3-D Tracking of Single Molecules Inside Cells Using New Multifocal Plane Micropy Method" by ScienceDaily, we are given a view of how a modern Microscope is being used to track a specific cell and its interactions. This article helps to briefly explain the problems with past techniques and the ability and usefulness of the new. Previously, scientists were only able to see one plane within a cell, only producing a two-dimensional image. Because of this, the depth of the image was always hard to judge. With this new technique, the microscope is able to provide a view from various planes, allowing a more three-dimension look once the planes are collected as one single view.

The example provided at the top of this post provides an easy way to understand the basic technique involved. It shows the basic one plane of view on the left, and then the mutli-focal view on the right.

This technique will allow researches, scientists, and doctors to gain a better view on how specific nutrients move through the cell. They will be able to watch as it moves vertically and horizontally through the cell. It also allows them to track a specific cell or body as it moves around the organism and interacts with other microorganisms.

Future uses for this technique and technology could be to visually track how vaccines effect their target and later how they are reproduced and distributed to other cells.

Study Guide Questions:

1. Where schools are the researchers involved in the 3-D tracking technology from?

2. What two technologies were combined to track individual molecules within the cells?

3. According to Dr. Sripad Ram, how does this new technology differ from that used by current microscopy technologies?

Resource:

American Institute of Physics. "3-D tracking of single molecules inside cells using new multifocal plane microscopy method."ScienceDaily 8 March 2011. 20 March 2011