Ever wondered how cool it could be to have a healing factor like that of Wolverine or Deadpool? Well we’re probably still pretty far away from genetically mutating people to gain abilities, but scientists may have just discovered the next best thing.
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a technique called nanotransfection, whereby they use a tiny nanochip to essentially change our bodies on the fly to faster heal wounds.
To explain more thoroughly, the tiny device sits on the surface of a living being’s skin. Then, using an intense, focused electric field applied through the device, the researchers were able to reprogram the skin cells underneath. This works by delivering genetic information to the skin cells, instructing them to transform into other types of cells, which can replace the wounded tissue being targeted.
The wonder nano device!
The device holds limitless possibilities, turning a patient’s own genes into a bioreactor of sorts. Using this, medical technicians could produce more of a certain type of cell to replace what’s lost, repair nearby damaged tissue, or even grow more cells to use in a different location.
The ability to transform cells into those of another type isn’t new, it’s actually been part of various medical research experiments since its discovery in 2012. The difference here is that this technique avoids an entire step in the old method. Earlier, skin cells would have to first be transformed into something called pluripotent stem cells, before they could be put to other use. Nanotransfection instead converts the entire process into a single step method. More importantly, it uses a precisely directed electric field to deliver the genes instead of the previous standard method of using a harmless virus.
When can we get one?
So far, the device has been successfully tested on animals, with the research team growing different cells out of the creature’s skin. What’s also promising is that the cell transformation is limited to the coverage of the device; it doesn’t go haywire and begin a spreading transformation like a tumour, one of the initial worries involved.
Not only does this mean doctors can quickly grow anything from blood vessels to neurons, it also solves the problem of tissue rejection in transplant operations, as the cells are coming from the same patient. Hopefully the team will have more updates when the device begins human clinical trials next year.