Science Ahead

The trauma of going through the excruciating pain, hair loss and nausea associated with cancer treatments could soon be a thing of past, if the recent breakthrough proves to be a success in human trials. Painless cancer treatment sans side effects could soon be a dream come true for cancer patients.

Gene scientists have created mice resistant to cancer by genetically engineering the mice to have higher levels of protein than normal. The mouse gene called Par-4 produces a protein which attacks tumor cells without affecting the healthy tissue in the body. It was found that these genetically engineered mice were immune to most forms of cancer including liver and prostrate and showed no visible side effects as well.

After starting the umbilical cord business in 1989, Cryo-Cell International has formed a menstrual blood bank. In recent years, researches have shown that stem cells, especially the embryonic stem cells can be effective immune system boosters useful in fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, sickle cell disease, anemia and other diseases.

Their effect is currently being studied for fighting heart diseases and neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. Cryo-Cell recently funded research that found menstrual blood to be rich source of stem cells.

A multinational team of researchers has reportedly discovered the explanation for the sudden halt in the growth of some tumors, which seem to go into a long period of dormancy. According to their findings, the immune system has the ability to stop the growth of a cancerous tumor, though not actually killing it. Hence, according to the researchers, even when immune attacks cannot kill off the cancer, they can certainly be used to contain cancerous growths.

The researches are based on the cancer-immune system stalemate equilibrium. During this state, the immune system can diminish the cancer’s ability to replicate and it even kills some of the cancerous cells. However, the entire process is not quick enough to actually eliminate or shrink malignant tumors.

Three years back in a motorcycle accident, Claudia Mitchell, 27, had lost her left arm and now she can feel the sensations with her artificial arm! After a pioneer operation, her artificial arm was given the sense of touch by rerouting some of her nerves. She can now feel the touch of anything with her artificial hand with the help of a device attached to her chest.

The operation took four hour to complete in which, the nerves of her shoulder that used to carry signals from the hand to the brain were moved and redirected to some muscles of her chest. It was after four months that the feeling of touch, temperature and pain was felt by Mitchell’s artificial arm.

If 30-year-old UCLA mathematician Joseph Teran’s dream comes true, it can mean a boost in the success rate of surgeries, leading to a lot more lives saved.

According to his concept of surgical simulation, surgeons would be able to practice surgery on a biologically accurate 3-D ‘digital double’ of a patient before operating on the actual patient, to reduce chances of error and to be able to learn from their mistakes. Teran is positive that in near future, astonishingly real digital doubles will be made in a matter of minutes.

The base of this technology, Teran mentions, lies in modern applied Mathematics, computational geometry and scientific computing. The behavior of tissues, muscles and skin, Teran explains, can be accounted for by a classical mathematical theory, similar to most everyday behaviors. Teran’s applied mathematics can also be used to design more durable bridges, freeways, cars and aircraft.

For people who are at the risk of developing an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, thanks to their genes, a brain scan may now help detect the same, a new study has found. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is an anxiety disorder, where a person is forced by irrational thoughts and fears, making him to repeat an action again and again.

Discovering that cancer-growing cells start in bone marrow, scientists said this is something to look forward to in finding better treatments for cancer patients.

Nanoparticles are increasingly executing their magic in various fields of sciences - especially in medicines, security and electronics. And it is real impressive when they are even controlled remotely!

The MIT scientists have developed ‘nanoparticles’ capable of releasing drugs to fight tumors. And, this happens when an electromagnetic field is fed with a pulse controlled remotely.

The word ‘fingerprinting’ straightaway reminds us of a stronger security check. This authentication technique has been helping law enforcement officials identify potential criminals for decades. And, its application has gained wider usage over the years now - in the form of biometrics — with government agencies, and corporations making a move toward using it for physical security.

And, thus the need for more and more powerful and sensitive fingerprint detection methods is increasing. And, it is recently, scientists in India have developed a portable detection device capable of scanning fingerprints in just microseconds! It uses the optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique for detection.

Hair loss affects about 35 million men and 21 million women in the United States alone. 40 percent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35 and 65 percent by age 60. And to worsen the matter, the sufferers of hair loss often decline to admit their bother for going bald!

That hair loss is more than skin deep; scientists are up with arms to stall the growing problem. And eventually, they have discovered a way by which they can induce hair follicles-regeneration and regrowth in mice. Though it is till now, limited to mice, the finding may decode clues to ‘regrowing hair in humans.’