IMPLANTS TO RELY ON BLOOD SUGAR
Implanted medical devices in the future could be powered by electric currents generated by tiny fuel cells that themselves are implanted — and these cells will generate the electricity from the patient’s own blood sugar. ETH Zurich researchers have developed a prototype of the fuel cell which can be implanted just under the skin. This fuel cell can convert blood sugar from the patient’s body into electricity. The implanted cell uses excess blood sugar (glucose) from the body tissues to generate the electrical energy. The potentials are many. For instance, in diabetic patients the fuel cell can produce insulin at the touch of a button to lower blood glucose levels.
NEW SPERM SELECTION METHOD FOR BETTER IVF SUCCESS RATE
A new technology has been developed that will see a higher success rate of conception among childless couples undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). A World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate indicates that one in six people globally are affected by infertility. There is also a 78% failure rate in IVF treatment. Partly, this is because of poor sperm quality in the males in among the couples seeking the treatment to beget children. Now, researchers from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and its nurtured start-up, NeoGenix Biosciences, have tested a new microfluidic sperm selection device that provides a more reliable process for selecting high-quality sperm, which can lead to higher conception rates in IVF treatments. The new technology is a 3D printed, biologically inspired microfluidic sperm selection device, which replicates the female reproductive tract and the natural sperm selection process.
A ‘MINI HEART’ IN A PETRI DISH TO STUDY EARLY HEART DEVELOPMENT
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a human heart in a petri dish by inducing stem cells. This has allowed the researchers to closely study the early development of the heart, besides making it conducive to conducting research on congenital heart diseases and find treatment modules. Normally, the heart of a human foetus starts developing in the very early stages of pregnancy when the woman is not even aware of her pregnancy. This makes it difficult to study the live development of the heart when in its early stages. The TUM’s experiment not only facilitates close study of the heart’s early development, but also provides a template to develop human hearts in a petri dish for continuous studies. The TUM method involves use of pluripotent stem cells (cells that can form into any organ of the body) and adding signaling pathways in the human body that control the human heart’s development. The TUM team is the first in the world to successfully create a “mini heart”, which does not pump blood, but can be electrically stimulated to emulate heart movements.
