HealthTech.PH: neurosurgery

Using Robots In Fruit Fly Brain Dissection

May 30, 2017 The Reporter 0

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By now, it’s starting to seep into our consciousness that <a href="http://www.healthtech.ph/search/label/Robotics%20and%20Surgery">robots are about to take over Surgery</a> as a medical sub-industry. Today, we show you another way that robots are being refined to conduct medical procedures on humans in the future. 
 
 
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This video demonstrates the use of a brain surgery robot on a fruit fly. Fruit flies, in general, are the choice of the scientific community in terms of research. <a href="http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/why-use-the-fly-in-research">The reasons are numerous</a>, such as the fact that 75% of human genes are also present in the fruit fly. Aside from that, they easily breed, and are inexpensive to maintain. It is logical, then, that robots are now being used to study fruit flies’ brain structure. 
 
 
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According to the initial application of the robot, around 1,000 fruit flies were dissected in a 10-hour period. By contrast, manually dissecting fruit flies could be a rather tricky ordeal, with the process ranging from catching the fly, to rendering it immobile, as well as dissecting with tools that can manipulate the fly’s brain for research. 
 
This machine, then, will allow a more in-depth study into the neural structures of the fruit fly, allowing medical researchers to learn more about the mechanisms and structures of brains in general, as well as to find out the causes of brain degeneration. 
 
In spite of the fact that the machine is very dexterous, precise, and accurate, the researchers who pioneered the technology <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/408679/inside-the-brains-of-fruit-flies/">aren’t keen on outlining its use for human brain surgery anytime soon</a>, however. The researchers are far more keen on employing the use of the technology to study neurological degeneration on fruit flies and a range of other insects, for the meantime. 
 
 
<h4>
Further Reading:</h4>
<h5>
On Fruit Fly Brain Dissection:</h5>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/408679/inside-the-brains-of-fruit-flies/">Inside the Brains of Fruit Flies</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/science/14neuron.html">Decoding the Human Brain, With Help From a Fly</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/64462/robots-can-perform-brain-surgery-flies">Robots Can Perform Brain Surgery on Flies</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/science/a-robot-that-can-perform-brain-surgery-on-a-fruit-fly.html">A Robot That Can Perform Brain Surgery on a Fruit Fly</a></li>
</ul>
<h5>
 </h5>
<h5>
Fruit Flies And Brain Research Papers: </h5>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://greenspanlab.ucsd.edu/networks_fly.html">Networks in the Fruit Fly Brain</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v12/n7/full/nmeth.3410.html">Dexterous robotic manipulation of alert adult Drosophila for high-content experimentation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.jove.com/video/55128/a-simple-one-step-dissection-protocol-for-whole-mount-preparation">A Simple One-step Dissection Protocol for Whole-mount Preparation of Adult Drosophila Brains</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660653/">Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Organism of Brain Diseases</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep08920">Visualization of synaptic domains in the Drosophila brain by magnetic resonance microscopy at 10 micron isotropic resolution</a></li>
</ul>
 
<h5>
Regarding The Use Of Fruit Flies In Scientific Research:</h5>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/why-use-the-fly-in-research">Why use the fly in research?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.unc.edu/depts/our/hhmi/hhmi-ft_learning_modules/fruitflymodule/">Using fruit flies in research</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
<h3>
Robot Surgery:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=BhHic2uoo6YC&pg=PA463&lpg=PA463&dq=robot+brain+dissection&source=bl&ots=3PJvjzHjWC&sig=NzhkOiElFixgdQEvit5pIzoaVfA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN0vvgrZbUAhUJJ5QKHaLdC_0Q6AEIPTAE#v=onepage&q&f=false">Advances In Tele-Reality And Artificial Existence</a></li>
</ul>
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Using Robots In Fruit Fly Brain Dissection

By now, it’s starting to seep into our consciousness that robots are about to take over Surgery as a medical sub-industry. Today, we sh...

Future Forward: Whole-Head Transplant By Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, et, al.

May 09, 2017 The Reporter 0

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A full head transplant. The phrase evokes wispy memories of Isaac Asimov, Aldous Huxley, or George Orwell’s 1984. This is the stuff of hardcore science fiction, but it’s been done. Over and over and over again by <a href="https://web.facebook.com/SergioCanaveroMD/">Dr. Sergio Canavero, M.D</a>. 
  
Late last week, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Dr. Canavero’s latest whole head transplant exploit, <a href="https://technology.inquirer.net/62164/surgeons-successfully-transplant-2nd-head-onto-rat#ixzz4g8rm0wYV">a whole head transplant between two rats</a>, with one rat as the host for blood supply. While this operation is definitely groundbreaking, this is not Dr. Canavero’s first attempt. 
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Dr. Canavero earned both praise and notoriety when he declared in 2015 and 2016 that he and his team would be able to finally carry out a whole-head transplant on humans by 2017. Dr. Canavero, in partnership with the Harbin Medical University in China and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/chinese-surgeon-who-has-performed-1000-head-transplants-on-mice-wants-to-create-the-first-head-10304115.html">Dr. Xiaoping Ren</a>, was able to carry out a whole-head transplant on a monkey in 2015 (estimated). 
  
However, it was way back in 2013 when Dr. Canavero started his streak of success in carrying out <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3408400/Surgeon-claims-carried-HEAD-transplant-live-monkey-Controversial-trial-lead-procedure-humans.html">over a thousand whole head transplants on mice and rats</a>. And with their reported success on carrying out a whole head transplant on not just a monkey, but also a human being, Dr. Canavero’s projection that he, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, and the rest of their team would be able to successfully carry out a whole head transplant on a real live human being by the end of 2017 is fast becoming a reality. 
  
Not everyone is happy about this “Frankensteinian” development, however. Protests about the ethical ramifications of this specific operation are rife, and Dr. Canavero and his team have hit many roadblocks in the quest to carry out the operation on humans who actually need it. 
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In 2016, it was reported that Valery Spriridonov, who suffers from <a href="http://observer.com/2017/04/dr-sergio-canavero-head-transplant/">Werdnig-Hoffman disease</a>, a condition that has wasted his muscles and rendered him a paraplegic, would be the first-ever patient for the human whole-head transplant. However, possibly due to his concerns about the success rates of the operation, it was decided that the first patient to receive a complete whole-head transplant would be a Chinese patient. Dr. Sergio Canavero <a href="https://web.facebook.com/SergioCanaveroMD/photos/a.295594744144773.1073741828.295472257490355/399287613775485/?type=3">has assured the public</a> that they are still in search of solutions for Spriridonov. 
  
Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, the Harbin Medical University in China and the rest of their supporters have since received <a href="https://www.ooom.com/digital/sergio-canavero-a-revolution-in-medicine/">extensive exposure on OOOM.com</a>, which calls itself “The first global platform to inspire and connect people with the same thoughts, feelings, interests, wishes, and needs,” with the goal to “[…]Show people how to lead a better, more sustainable, and much more inspired life.” 
  
While <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2073923-head-transplant-carried-out-on-monkey-claims-maverick-surgeon/">the protests</a> regarding the procedure are <a href="https://braindecoder.com/post/please-dont-take-the-head-transplant-surgeon-seriously-1085090918">rife</a>, the fact remains that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12112051/First-head-transplant-successfully-carried-out-on-monkey-claims-surgeon.html">the procedure</a> holds much potential for individuals who need a new body, and subsequently, a new lease in life. Valery Spriridonov is not alone in dreaming of finally being able to do what the rest of us merely take for granted. Conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, the viral ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), as well as other conditions and accidents that cause <a href="http://www.humanillnesses.com/original/Pan-Pre/Paralysis.html">paralysis</a> and <a href="http://www.healthline.com/symptom/muscle-wasting">muscle atrophy</a>, severely limit a person’s mobility and quality of life. Which is why, in spite of the ethical considerations for Dr. Sergio Canavero’s groundbreaking work, the potential for greater good is still very palpable. 
  
Will this procedure make it into mainstream surgery and neurosurgery? Only the very near future will tell. 
 
Photo Credits: Getty Images, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dabertphotography/7433158082" target="_blank">Robert Lopez on Flickr.com via Creative Commons</a> 
 
 
 
 
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Future Forward: Whole-Head Transplant By Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, et, al.

ALS Cerebral Palsy Dr. Sergio Canavero Dr. Xiaoping Ren groundbreaking procedures neurosurgery neurosurgery technology Surgery Whole Head Transplant Future Forward: Whole-Head Transplant By Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, et, al.

A full head transplant. The phrase evokes wispy memories of Isaac Asimov, Aldous Huxley, or George Orwell’s 1984. This is the stuff of ha...

Breaking News: An Automated Robotic Drill May Change The Way Craniotomies Are Performed

May 02, 2017 The Reporter 0

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What do a car and your skull have in common? 
 
Probably just carbon and a few other elements. But soon, hospitals across the world may be using the same technology used to drill cars, to perform intricate cranial surgery. 
 
The University of Utah tapped their Mechanical Engineering department to design exactly that: A drill for the skull that can cut into the cranium with such an unparalleled precision. 
 
While the idea for the machine came from drills used in cars, the version custom-built to perform neurosurgeries was programmed to work with and around the sensitive structures in the brain. In the past, a neurosurgeon would have to slowly, painstakingly, drill at the skull bone with a hand drill <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480624/" target="_blank">specifically designed for cranial surgery</a>. This machine, though, takes away the backbreaking work of bone-cutting from the neurosurgeon, allowing him to maintain his focus on the whole operation. 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
 “It was like doing archaeology. We had to slowly take away the bone to avoid sensitive structures.” </blockquote>
 
These were the words that Dr. William Couldwell, a neurosurgeon at the University of Utah Health, used to describe the procedure. 
 
However, hacking at bone is not the be-all and end-all of craniotomies. A craniotomy is but a means to an end: The neurosurgeon still has to get to the actual issue: A brain tumor, an abscess, even a tapeworm in the brain. With all the neurosurgeon’s energy sapped from bone-hacking, you bet that he’d have less focus and sharpness when he has to get into the actual issue. 
 
 
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But thanks to Dr. William Couldwell and the mechanical engineers at the University of Utah, soon, neurosurgeons can be freed to focus on the heart of their tasks: Whatever needs to be removed from the brain. 
 
The machine even has a nifty function: It can cut away and remove large sections of bone. By contrast, the existing tools require gradual chipping, and at smaller points at a time. 
 
This comes as good news for neurosurgeons, indeed, as with this automated robotic drill, surgeon fatigue would be reduced in leaps and droves. 
 
For more details, head on over to <a href="http://newatlas.com/robotic-drill-skull-minutes/49297/" target="_blank">New Atlas</a> and the <a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/publicaffairs/news/2017/04/drill-neurosurgery.php" target="_blank">University of Utah’s official press release</a>. 
 
 
 
Photo Credits: <a href="http://newatlas.com/robotic-drill-skull-minutes/49297/" target="_blank">New Atlas</a> 
 
 
 
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Breaking News: An Automated Robotic Drill May Change The Way Craniotomies Are Performed

cranial surgery craniotomy Dr. William Couldwell Global News Health IT neurosurgery neurosurgery technology robot robotics Robotics and Surgery robots Tech revolutionizing Medicine Technology Breaking News: An Automated Robotic Drill May Change The Way Craniotomies Are Performed

What do a car and your skull have in common? Probably just carbon and a few other elements. But soon, hospitals across the world may b...

HealthTech.PH

Using Robots In Fruit Fly Brain Dissection

Future Forward: Whole-Head Transplant By Dr. Sergio Canavero, Dr. Xiaoping Ren, et, al.

Breaking News: An Automated Robotic Drill May Change The Way Craniotomies Are Performed

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