In 1928, Alexander Fleming introduced the world to Penicillin, a discovery that saved countless lives and to this day is often regarded as one of the greatest breakthroughs of the 20th century.
Now the world has a glimpse at what could be the next big thing.
Like something fresh from a Sci-fi movie, researchers at Ohio State University have created a miraculous device which can heal organs with a single touch. According to the university’s website, the technology, known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions.
“It takes just a fraction of a second. You simply touch the chip to the wounded area, then remove it,” said Chandan Sen, PhD, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “At that point, the cell reprogramming begins.”
As this video demonstrates, the device is completely non invasive and is quick to apply. In a number of lab tests, researchers used the chip to heal injured legs of mice that vascular scans showed had no blood flow.
“We reprogrammed their skin cells to become vascular cells,” Sen said. “Within a week we began noticing the transformation.” By the second week, active blood vessels had formed, and by the third week, the legs of the mice had recovered with no other form of treatment.
This breakthrough could have incredible benefits for doctors and surgeons when dealing with life threatening injuries on a daily basis. As this technology progresses we can only hope that it will become more widely available, protecting us from the everyday threats of sickness, injuries and death.
