Saturday, May 21, 2011

Nanotechnology Rejuvenates the Heart

What's the Latest Development?

Experimenters at Brown University and the India Institute of Technology Kanpur have created a small mesh of carbon nanofibers that, when placed on dead heart tissue resulting from a heart attack, regenerates the dead tissue. The device, which looks like a small black band-aid and measures 22 millimeters long by 15 microns thick, works by drawing cardiomyocytes—specialized cells that form heart muscle—to the dead tissue area. After reaching the nano-surface, the heart cells begin to spawn, effectively regenerating the heart tissue destroyed by a heart attack.

What's the Big Idea?

The new technology is most applicable for patients who have suffered a heart attack and who are therefore at higher risk of another. Because a heart attack kills heart tissue, one-time heart attack victims are at a higher risk of having a second heart attack. "In 2009, some 785,000 Americans suffered a new heart attack linked to weakness caused by the scarred cardiac muscle from a previous heart attack, according to the American Heart Association." The same nanotechnology that enabled this heart patch has wide application in other fields. Research is currently being conducted to develop bendable laptops, new drug delivery systems and novel diagnostic tools.

17 comments:

  1. Isn't this the same technology that dooms day groups say will also take over the planet and eat everything?

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  2. Now I kind of want to have a heart-attack. So I can be a cyborg

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  3. Wow, this is awesome, heart disease is a huge killer in modern society... so this is a very good thing!

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  4. lets hope these treatments are avaiable to all people :/ not just old rich people

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  5. Awesome, I want them as pets :3

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  6. this could definitly help yep

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  7. The Tech that is getting developed these days is amazing.

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  8. Thats amazing, and it will save many lives.

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  9. This is very useful information. I might have to bring this up to my grandfather who is struggling with lung cancer. His heart has been a big problem though too. Thank you.

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  10. Nanotechnology is advancing so quick! I'd love to do my masters in it

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  11. I'm very glad to see new advancements in medicine thanks for posting this!

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  12. I'm so grateful to see medical science advancing at this fast pace.

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