Do you like science fiction movies? If so, surely you have always liked them. About 20 years ago these films showed what the world would be like in the future and, it is likely that, deep inside you, you had the hope that things would be like this. Some of these films showed flying vehicles, space travel for tourists, super advanced computers, humans with robotic parts and much more. And, oddly enough, the truth is that many of these theories, today, are a reality. Which makes us think about what will become of science and technology tomorrow. Nowadays it is normal to see people who have metal parts. For example, some implants, some limbs, plates to repair a bone, nails in the knees or ankle and many other things. While it is true that they are foreign objects, they allow the performance of daily activities and provide a better quality of life. Such is the case of nanochips, this is an integrated electronic circuit of tiny size, which is measured accurately at the nanometer scale and is being used in different areas of life.
In the case of medicine, they are being used for all diagnostic techniques, in order to classify pathogenic diseases, hereditary anomalies, predisposing diseases and reactions to pharmaceutical therapies. Now, did you know that there is the possibility of reprogramming the cells with the help of these nanochips? How can it be done? For what purpose is it done? How does it benefit us? What risks does it involve? If you want to know the answers to these and other questions, in this post you can know them. Only then will you have more confidence when undergoing some of these medical procedures.
Scientists around the world have dedicated themselves tothe design of a prototype of a new nanochip-shaped device, which aims to reprogram skin cells so that they can be new blood vessels and new nerve cells. All this, thanks to the great medical advances of recent years whereit has been possible to take specialized adult cells to transform them into a type of non-specialized stem cells, located in the tissue of embryos. Stem cells havegreat therapeutic potential, which is intended to be used to the fullest, thanks to the fact that they have the ability to become other cells, tissues and organs fully compatible with the patient. In this way, the problem of rejection due to tissue incompatibility or the tireless search for permitted donors is left aside. Of course, like any laboratory procedure, this involves certain risks, such as the creation of cancer cells. In order to prevent this from happening, the possibility of turning the human body into a cell programmer has been raised, using a new technology that consists of the use of a silicon nanochip that contains a kind of channels that end in microneedles and, on the chip, place a rectangular container with certain genes. These genes are driven by a focused loadthat introduces them into living tissues, altering the cells and converting that space into a small bioreactor, which, in turn, is responsible for reprogramming the cells in order to transform them into different types of cells or multicellular structures. Once they have occurred, they have the ability to repair damage locally or in other parts of the body, including the brain. Best of all, it is done without going through complex laboratory techniques or dangerous virus transfer systems
You need to know that this technologyis made up of two components: The first one is a hardware chip, which has been designed through nanotechnology and is responsible for delivering a certain charge to adult cells found in the body. The second consists of adesign with a specific and indispensable biological loadfor the transformation of the cells that allows, in turn, that this charge, when delivered by means of the nanochip, converts the adult cell into another that has the characteristics that are required.
This procedureis known as tissue nanotransfectionand, it should be noted that it does not require any laboratory procedure. On the other hand, it can be implemented wherever it is needed without the slightest problem. It is also necessary to note thatthe procedure is non-invasive. The nanochip is only required to contact the epidermis for 1 second to deliver the charge to the skin cells so that they transform into vasculogenic cells. Reprogramming cells with nanochipsavoids the use of stem cells. In addition, it is very simple and easy to implement. At present, its use has already been authorized to allow the dermis and other tissues of the organism to become others already adapted and modified, in order to be used in different types of therapies, eliminating, almost completely, the problem of incompatibility. Among these therapies are those that are required in cases of mild and severe burns, reduction in complications from diabetes, in the case of people who have been injured, in one way or another, and to regenerate tissue that has been damaged or is diseased. The nanochippossesses the ability to change the function of living body parts. For example, if a person has suffered a traffic accident and their blood vessels have been damaged, making a bloodtransfusion necessary, since the blood vessel is damaged and can no longer be used, the nanochip transforms the skin tissues into blood vessels and thus be able to save the limb that was compromised
Those responsible for the development of this nanochip, capable of reprogramming cells, are researcher Chandan Sen and his team at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Before this great advance, it was possible to take specialized adult cells and reverse them to the point of becoming the type of non-specialized stem cells, which are located in embryonic tissue and have great potential at the therapeutic level. However, the risk of causing an increase in cancer cells is undeniable. The work, based on this research, has been developed for about 5 years. However, now the team has the desire to turn this prototype into a practical application. For this, it requires the approval of the competent bodies. If approved, clinical research in people would begin. Some of its applications would include repairing brain damage resulting from a cardiovascular accident or reversing the damage to the nervous system, caused by the degeneration of diabetes. If we stop for a moment to think about what has been achieved, we realize that, behind it, is the great contribution of engineering with the manufacture of the chip. This is what has made it possible. On the other hand, although it is true that the manufacture of a single nanochip can take between 5 and 6 days, since it is a very simple procedure, with the necessary information, anyone who has some experience in the field of engineering, can achieve it. All this allows us to see that advances in science point towards a better health system, one that is more complete, more efficient and with fewer risks for the patient. Without a doubt, the health system we all want and need.