NanoSapiens » Cancer

MRI Powered Pill-Sized Robot Uses Tail To Swim Through Your Intestines

Aaron Saenz — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:18:22 +0000

The size of a large pill, the magnetic microswimmer will travel at several millimeters per second through your intestine while looking for cancer.

For years medicine has struggled to kill off all the little parasites swimming inside the human body. Now they’re ready to add their own. Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston have collaborated to create a robot that will be able to swim through the intestines. The size of a large pill, the “microswimmer” is powered by the strong magnetic fields generated by an MRI machine. A tail measuring 20mm x 5mm made of copper and flexible polymer vibrates due to the magnets and propels the little microrobot through the gut. Still in early testing, the magnetic microswimmer has been shown to maneuver well in a water tank. Eventually its creators hope that the robot will be able to quickly explore the intestines, sending back pictures to diagnosticians, and helping detect the early stages of cancer. As disturbing as it sounds to have a robot doing laps in your colon, such a device could save the lives of millions of people in the years ahead.

Current methods for detecting gastrointestinal cancer rely on various forms of endoscopy. For the better part of the last century, doctors have been able to insert a camera into the colon to detect precancerous or cancerous growths. More modern forms of detection include “capsule endoscopy” where a pill-sized camera is swallowed and pictures taken every half second or so until the device is passed. Even such improved forms of endoscopy, however, have their limitations. A swallowed pill is essentially at the mercy of the movements of the GI tract.

Not so with the microswimmer. Developed by Gabor Kosa (TAU), Peter Jakab (B&W) and their colleagues, the tiny robot is powered and propelled by magnetic fields. As explained in the recent paper published in Biomedical Microdevices, 3T MRI machines are able to get the little device moving at speeds of several millimeters per second – more than adequate for this type of endoscopy. With such controlled movement, doctors would be able to aim the microswimmer towards different portions of the GI tract depending on the needs for each patient. Part of the ingenuity of the microswimmer is its reliance upon the MRI machine. Rather than worry about embedding large power supplies or propulsion systems that would make the device untenable, they can instead rely upon an instrument that is nearly ubiquitous in larger modern hospitals. Furthermore, the copper and polymer tail hinders MRI scans very little, leaving just a modest shadow on the image.

As imaging technology continues to shrink, engineers are creating ever smaller and more versatile cameras. Some are so miniscule they can fit on the tips of wires, others contain onboard legs that can be used to crawl through the GI tract, and now Kosa, Jakab and the rest of their team have even introduced a swimming version. Taken collectively these devices suggest that in the near future doctors will be able to image the interior of the body at will. Eventually, such micro-explorers may even be able to reside inside humans on a permanent basis. Not everything that swims in your gut is bad for you.

[image via American Friends of Tel Aviv University and taken at Brigham and Women's Hospital]
[source: Kosa et al Biomedical Microdevices 2011, Kosa et al Robotics and Automation 2008]

Original post source

Powerful new ‘molecular GPS’ helps probe aging and disease processes

h+ Magazine: News Feed — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:07:12 +0000

Michael Woods

Scientists in Michigan are reporting the development of a powerful new probe for identifying proteins affected by a key chemical process important in aging and disease. The probe works like a GPS or navigation system for finding these proteins in cells. It could lead to new insights into disease processes and identify new targets for disease treatments, the researchers say. Their study is scheduled for the Sept. 18 issue of ACS Chemical Biology, a monthly journal.

Kate Carroll and colleagues note that scientists have known for years that the excess build-up of highly-reactive oxygen-containing molecules in cells can contribute to aging and possibly to disorders such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe that a diet rich in antioxidants, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables, may help deter this cell-damaging process by blocking the accumulation of these molecules, also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). But until now, scientists have lacked the proper tools to study the effects of these molecules in detail.

Read Original Article

Promise of nanodiamonds for safer gene therapy

h+ Magazine: News Feed — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:07:14 +0000

Megan Fellman

Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of a myriad of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, among many others. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been challenging.

Now a team of Northwestern University researchers has introduced the power of nanodiamonds as a novel gene delivery technology that combines key properties in one approach: enhanced delivery efficiency along with outstanding biocompatibility.

"Finding a more efficient and biocompatible method for gene delivery than is currently available is a major challenge in medicine," said Dean Ho, who led the research. "By harnessing the innate advantages of nanodiamonds we now have demonstrated their promise for gene therapy."

Read Original Article

Dad Gives Toddler Battling Brain Cancer Medical Marijuana

vladowsky — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:03:03 +0000

To call what the Hyde family has been through a “parent’s worst nightmare” sounds like a horrible cliche. But, it’s hard to imagine what else you could call it. Their two-year old son Cash was diagnosed last year with a stage 4 brain tumor; he nearly died more times than they can count. He was miserable from the chemotherapy coursing through his body. Until his dad made a controversial decision to give cannabis to his young son. KXLY 4′s Melissa Luck reports.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer–And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place

ISBN13: 9780307587596
Condition: New
Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

In Knockout, Suzanne Somers interviews doctors who are successfully using the most innovative cancer treatments—treatments that build up the body rather than tear it down. Somers herself has stared cancer in the face, and a decade later she has conquered her fear and has emerged confident with the path she’s chosen.
Now she shares her personal choices and outlines an array of options from doctors across the country:

Effective alternate treatments
•without chemotherapy<

List Price: $ 15.00

Price: $ 8.76

lazo_cancer_mama

Image by portaldelsures
dia mundial del cancer de mama

Related Facebook pages

Cancer pages

http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=Cancer&type=pages

Cancer photos

vladowsky — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:03:05 +0000

Cancer will not break us…

Image by okie9687
As I was taking pictures of this family, in which the husband/father has cancer, I took this shot. It speaks volumes. This couple has really fought a battle and even though the "death" word has been spoken, they have not given up on God’s healing. I would like to have this wording to stand out more and need suggestions on bettering this shot. I can use Photoshot Elements, though I just got it and know little about it. And I can use picnik. C/C please!

Liam Cormier, Cancer Bats

Image by © Natalia Balcerska Photography
Cancer Bats at Satan’s Hollow in Manchester, England on 21st May 2008

www.cancerbats.com
www.myspace.com/cancerbats

The Definitive Guide to Cancer, 3rd Edition: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing (Alternative Medicine Guides)

Information is power–and when you or a loved one is faced with a cancer diagnosis, the need for accurate and trusted medical information becomes urgent. The Definitive Guide to Cancer, now in its third edition, encourages you to take an integrative approach that embraces both alternative and conventional therapies across the spectrum of cancer prevention, treatment, and healing. Naturopathic physician Lise N. Alschuler and medical journalist Karolyn A. Gazella present an overview of what cancer

List Price: $ 25.00

Price: $ 14.24

Liam Cormier, Cancer Bats

Image by © Natalia Balcerska Photography
Cancer Bats at Satan’s Hollow in Manchester, England on 21st May 2008

www.cancerbats.com
www.myspace.com/cancerbats

Related Facebook pages

Cancer pages

http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=Cancer&type=pages