Prof. Hossam Haick of Technion (the Israel Institute of Technology) has created an electronic nose that is capable of detecting the biomarkers of cancer from a patient's breath. Currently undergoing clinical trials, the Nano Artificial NOSE (NA-NOSE) is capable of detecting the biomarkers of lung and head and neck cancers in a non-invasive test. It is also showing promise in detecting other forms of cancer and diseases in the body by the unique chemical signature emitted in the breath.
Blade Runner
This summer, Oscar Pistorius (nicknamed the "Blade Runner") became the first below the knee double amputee to compete in the Olympic games. Born with bilateral fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula), Oscar's parents had his legs amputated at 11 months of age, and he first learned to walk using prosthetics. Introduced to running at 17, Oscar runs on a pair of Flex-Foot Cheetah carbon-fibre blades developed by biomedical engineer Van Phillips and manufactured by Icelandic company Össur. Oscar, holding the Paralympic world record in the T44 class in the 200 and 400 metre events, previously held the record for the 100 metre as well, and a personal best time of 45.07 s in the 400 m, is known as the fastest man on no legs. He competes on the South African paralympic team, and this summer qualified to compete in the 400 m and 4 x 400 m race in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Oscar's journey to the Olympics has been fraught with controversy. Initial studies in 2007 showed that his carbon-fibre legs gave him a significant advantage when running at top speed in a straight line, and thus rendered him ineligible to compete in the normal Olympics. He appealed this decision, and the subsequent trial reversed this previous ruling on the grounds that his prosthetic legs are a disadvantage at starting from blocks and during acceleration, and that there is no evidence that his high tech legs give him any net-advantage over able-bodied athletes. Other studies on single below the knee amputees have found that the stiffer carbon-fibre prosthetics generate 9% less power than biological legs.
Links:
Flex-Foot Cheetah blades
NPR: Studying Oscar Pistorius: Does The 'Blade Runner' Have An Advantage?
Oscar's journey to the Olympics has been fraught with controversy. Initial studies in 2007 showed that his carbon-fibre legs gave him a significant advantage when running at top speed in a straight line, and thus rendered him ineligible to compete in the normal Olympics. He appealed this decision, and the subsequent trial reversed this previous ruling on the grounds that his prosthetic legs are a disadvantage at starting from blocks and during acceleration, and that there is no evidence that his high tech legs give him any net-advantage over able-bodied athletes. Other studies on single below the knee amputees have found that the stiffer carbon-fibre prosthetics generate 9% less power than biological legs.
Links:
Flex-Foot Cheetah blades
NPR: Studying Oscar Pistorius: Does The 'Blade Runner' Have An Advantage?
Mensa Test Sale
For those that are interested, Mensa is having a sale on qualifying exams from Sept. 29 and Oct. 7 for only $25 (compared to $70 for students and $90 for the general public normally). Please contact us at uofs.tmed@gmail.com if you would like more information, or go to http://www.canada.mensa.org/ and find the Saskatoon proctor.
Space Robotics to Robotic Surgery
Have you ever wondered what impact space exploration has on technological advancement in the field of medicine? Among the many ways, an amazing Canadian advancement is the neuroArm. Canadian engineering-company MacDonald, Dettwiler, and Associates (who developed and built Canada's biggest contributions to space exploration: the Canadarm, Canadarm2, Dextre, the Mobile Base, and all the related training and real-time support infrastructure) worked closely with physicians, nurses, and scientists at the University of Calgary to develop a robotic surgical device that is capable of operating in the high magnetic field environment of an MRI Scanner. The neuroArm is equipped with several safety features, and controlled by a neurosurgeon working from a computer station. Engineers working on the development of the neuroArm spent time in the operating room, observing surgeons, learning about the tools used, what types of movements are made, and what degree of motion there needs to be, all with the goal of biomimicring the surgeon to create an effective surgical tool. The neuroArm allows surgeons the opportunity to get real-time images during surgery to ensure surgical success, and improved accuracy and precision of the surgery. If you would like to learn more about the neuroArm, you can go to their website: http://www.neuroarm.org/
Adaptive Optics in the Developing World
The lack of eye care in the developing world has long been a problem. People in need of corrective lenses struggle with reaching their economic potential, thus hindering their quality of life. Now Professor Joshua Silver, atomic physicist and professor of physics at the University of Oxford, has developed a simple and inexpensive solution: adaptive lens eyeglasses. The lenses of his glasses are are two layers of plastic filled with fluid, and the user simple adjusts and sets the amount of fluid in lenses themselves in a process called self-refraction. His goal is to help the millions of people lacking access to an optometrist, with a goal of helping a billion people through vision correction. For more information, please see the Centre for Vision in the Developing World.
Bionic Eye
Sheila Nirenberg, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and professor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University where she is studying neural coding. She is working to develop a bionic eye using an encoder-transducer to help create the appropriate neural signals that the brain can understand. Her work appears to improve bionic vision from high contrast edges and light to actual images, though it has still to be tested in humans. Learning to use the neural codes has potential to revolutionize the world of bionics.