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© 2011, 2012 Health Futures Digest
| A trial of a second-generation retinal implant, much smaller and with higher visual resolution than previous models, is getting under way. If successful, the implant could be on the market in a little over two years.
The artificial retina is one type of device that could benefit from a new way to connect nerves non-invasively to prosthetic devices, though the technology is more likely to be applied first in robotic limb prostheses. * * * More “smart fabrics” are making their way into production as personal biomonitoring devices. The latest are a chest-worn “bio-harness” and a shoe insole, which measure multiple physiological parameters. The data collected may be sent in real time to a Web site via cell phone. Another sort of smart fabric is a high-tech dust cloth that could be a considerable boon to keeping hospitals and medical equipment microscopically clean. |
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| Retinal Implant Trial
US researchers have received FDA approval to install prototype Argus II retinal implants in 50 to 75 patients. A tiny camera mounted on the patient’s glasses sends images to a palm-sized computer worn on the belt, which converts the light into electrical pulses and sends them on to a receiver just under the surface of the front of the eye, thence to electrodes implanted in the retina. The technique partially restores vision to blind people with diseases such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. First-generation, low-resolution (16 electrode) devices already fitted to six patients, one as long as five years ago, have delighted their recipients, even though they perceive objects as little more than shadows. The new implants have 60 electrodes and yet are much smaller at about one millimeter square, which reduces the invasiveness of the implant surgery. The will last two years, and if successful could be commercialized soon after, costing around US$30,000. Other devices could then be developed with higher resolution or a wider field of view, said according to the lead researcher. University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and University of Michigan researchers have made it possible to take advantage of the special properties of nanoparticles for use in light-stimulated nerve-signaling devices — such as an artificial retina. The UTMB and Michigan researchers engineered a film-like nanomaterial for compatibility with living cells (in this case, neurons) and to turn light into nerve-stimulating electricity. When the current reaches a neuron membrane attached to the nanofilm, the affected neurons fire. A researcher involved in the project said “It should be possible for us to tune the electrical characteristics of these nanoparticle films to get properties like color sensitivity and differential stimulation, the sort of things you want if you’re trying to make an artificial retina,” which is one of the long-range goals. In the shorter term, the researchers hope the technology can be used in less complex applications such things as prosthetics and diapeutic imaging. The nanofilm can be remotely and wirelessly activated, enabling non-invasive connections between the human nervous system and “prostheses and instruments that are unprecedented in their flexibility, compactness and reliability,” said another of the researchers. Soldiers, athletes, and patients could soon be wearing garments made of a fabric that monitors their heart beat, skin temperature, posture, activity, and breathing rate. The fabric, developed in New Zealand, has sensors woven into it and is available in a “bio-harness” (worn around the chest) and a “shoe pod” (a smart insole), which can measure step length, pressure, and other parameters. The device would be useful to runners and for measuring patients’ gait progress after hip and knee surgery. A week’s worth of data can be accumulated in the electronics that go with the devices for later download, or can be transmitted in real time to a nearby laptop. The company is also planning to connect the devices via cell phone to the Internet, so the data can be sent to a Web site. The manufacturer, Zephyr, has a deal to supply the bioharness to US special forces, and hopes to interest drug companies in using them on patients in clinical trials of new drugs. A dust rag developed at a nuclear weapons plant can pick up potentially deadly beryllium particles 20 times smaller than what can be seen with the naked eye. The “Negligible-Residue Non-tacky Tack Cloth,” as it is called, might also be used to mop up industrial spills, wipe down semiconductor clean rooms, and even reach the consumer market. The inventor used it to clean the alloy wheels on his car. “The stubborn brake and road dirt came right off and left the wheels bright and showroom-shiny,” he told the Associated Press. “You could even polish your titanium golf clubs with them.” The patent-pending, organic solvent-based treatment could work on any rag and was tested on cheesecloth for six months with great success in picking up metal, ceramic, plastic, fibers, and radiological contaminants, according to its inventor. Beryllium is used in bicycle frames, golf clubs, X-ray machines, and nuclear weapons. Exposure can lead to chronic respiratory problems and cancer. |
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