Incredible artifical human brain

Incredibly exciting!!! Artificial brain?

Yes, artificial brain will be a reality soon and cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia may not be far off with the recent creation of artificial brain. The scientists at the Aston University in Birmingham have achieved this marvel. This artificial brain is capable of performing the human brain’s basic functions of processing, connecting, and communicating like a normal human brain. The scientists are hopeful of understanding other neurodegenerative diseases also as also relevant medical remedies for them in the near future. The Alzheimer’s Society is hopeful of the exciting outcome of this project.

Funded by the Humane Research Trust in Birmingham, UK to develop alternatives to animal testing, the research team under the guidance of Prof. Michael Coleman has now developed artificial human brain capable of processing thought at the most basic level. This cellular brain is incredibly closer to the human brain.

The research team at the Aston University took cells from a cancerous tumor and reprogrammed them to create the artificial brain, a breakthrough in dementia and Alzheimer’s. This cellular model could be an useful tool in this research.

The cells in this artificial brain are kept alive in the laboratory by injecting them with nutrients and minerals every two days. Though the research is still in its early days, medical solutions to common brain diseases like dementia may not be quite far.

While balls of cells similar to those in the human brains have been developed by the scientists in the ongoing experiments, the major hurdle in this research continues to be the brain shortage.

Source: Times of India, March 27, 2009

Image: Google

Synthetic blood soon

Just years away from ground-breaking production of synthetic blood from stem cells.

Risk of infection from blood transfusion will be a thing of the past when the research by the British scientists to produce synthetic blood succeeds in about three years. This is achieved by transfusion of synthetic blood made from the stem cells of spare IVF embryos in trials on human volunteers. This breakthrough when successful will save the recipients from the great risk of infection from the donor blood, but strong ethical implications will need to be addressed as well. Need for dependence on blood donation volunteers will no longer be necessary. Initial attempts are based on the universal donor group of O-negative volunteers whose blood can be transfused into any patient without the risk of rejection. Hepatitis, HIV, and the human “mad cow” risks are totally eliminated in synthetic blood transfusion, it is felt.

Though only 7% of the population has O-negative, the researchers are hopeful of mass production from embryonic stem cells due to their phenomenal ability to multiply indefinitely. Just one embryo can meet the needs of an entire nation! Is it not a medical achievement?
This project under Dr. Mare Turner, Professor of Cellular Therapy (see photo), University of in Edinburgh involves the British National Health Service and the Wellcome Trust, the world’s largest medical research charity in UK. Sweden, France and Australia are also engaged in similar research programs.

Of interest, the Advanced Cell Technology of the United States had developed medical technology to mass produce billions of blood cells from stem cells, but paucity of funds affected this program. This has since been restored by the Obama administration.

Source: Times of India March 24, 2009

Image: Google