Could prosthetics be better than the real thing? 22 January, 2008

 

Sarah: Having just written a nanovic blog around nanotechnology, prosthetic limbs and synthetic skin, I was interested to read a recent piece in The Australian newspaper. The article described the recent banning of South African double transtibial (i.e. both lower legs) amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius from competing with able-bodied men.  Pistorius uses carbon fibre blade prosthetics to participate in international sprint races, and was a 2004 Para-Olympian gold and bronze medalist. Biomechanical and physiological analysis of Pistorius’ sprinting technique in November 2007 showed that the blades allowed him to run at the same speed as but expend 25% less energy than able-bodied sprinters. This result is in clear contravention of a recent amendment to rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which prohibits “use of any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other elements that provide the user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device”. Whether the IAAF plans to test all new prosthetic devices is not clear.  I think it will be a very interesting topic to watch in the future, with the emergence of new man-made materials with novel properties resulting from rapid advances in nanotechnology and other modern sciences . Maintaining a ‘level playing field’ within Para-Olympic competition will also be an issue, with the newest and best materials only being available to those with the biggest budgets. Drugs in sport, nanotechnology in sport….what’s next?

Body Batteries 10 January, 2008

Daniel: Nanoscale materials have some remarkable properties, hence the current nanotechnology revolution. For example, zinc oxide nanowires can turn mechanical energy into electrical energy such that electricity can be produced by bending and releasing the wires. Researchers from Prof. Zhong Wang’s research group at Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA hope to exploit this property to produce nanogenerators for application within the human body, harnessing the energy of muscle stretching/flexing and other body movements. Bundled arrays of millions of zinc oxide nanowires could potentially produce enough current to power implantable biomedical devices which would otherwise require conventional batteries, removing the need for bulky and inconvenient external power sources or internal sources which may need to be periodically exchanged. Could this mean we’ll never feel ‘flat’ again?

Creation of creepy-crawly microrobot 30 October, 2007

Sarah: A biologically active, crab-like microrobot which could crawl through human blood vessels and deliver drugs to specific cellular environments has been created by a team of scientists at Chonnam National University, South Korea. The new robot has a biologically inert polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) backbone and 6 legs, onto which are grafted individual, living heart muscle cells. The robots are especially unique in that they do not require a power source: instead, the muscle cells utilize soluble glucose in their surroundings to contract and relax, thus propelling the robot forwards. The robots move at an average speed of 100 micrometres per second, and can walk continuously for over 10 days. While not quite at the nanoscale (the robot is approximately 2000 micrometres long in its relaxed state), the creation does show that biologically compatible, functioning robots which operate for extended periods of time in living systems can be generated.  The invention was recently published in the journal Lab on a Chip. Any volunteers for clinical testing?!

In Sync 31 July, 2007

Lisa: The Australian Synchrotron was officially opened today.  The machine produces synchrotron light, a high intensity light millions of times brighter than the sun, which can be focussed down beam lines for specific experiments.  These beam lines will be used for a wide variety of experiments, from examining the properties of nanostructured materials such as the carbon nanotube fibres, to determining the complex structures of proteins and assembly of protein complexes. 

The SHINE project, created with Bridge8 to introduce the opportunities, applications and challenges of nanotechnology into the high school curriculum, contains a module introducing the potential uses of the Australian Synchrotron. 

It’s hoped that investing in world class infrastructure such as the synchrotron will help avoid the “Brain Drain” of talented scientists.  The ABC News site quotes Susan Cory from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute who says “People who previously felt that they needed to work overseas to get access to a synchrotron for their science will be able to rethink their career plans and we will attract scientists from other countries to join us,” she said.

Welcome Lisa Bailey 12 July, 2007

Kristin: Welcome to Lisa Bailey who has commenced this week as the Industry Analyst at Bridge 8.  Lisa obtained her Bachelor of Biotechnology at Flinders University and is currently completing her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Adelaide.   She is passionate about science education, not just to produce new scientists but to produce citizens who can make their own informed choices about the science and technology that inevitably affects all our lives.  Lisa is on the South Australian committee of the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR), where she has been involved in coordinating educational outreach programs and public science engagement events such as “Science in the Cinema”.  Lisa will be providing scientific content and analytical support for marketing, education and industry projects.  She will also be a regular contributor to this blog.  I am excited about the experience and knowledge Lisa brings to the role and look forward to her contribution.