Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: thedoc on 03/05/2012 21:35:32
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Cells capable of releasing insulin in response to a radio signal have been engineered by scientists in America.
Read the whole story on our website by clicking here (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news-archive/news/2547/)
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Excellent.
Not necessarily regulating the insulin levels, but giving one the ability to essentially give a dose of insulin without a shot.
Now, if they could combine the technology with prickless blood sugar monitoring.
http://photonicssociety.org/newsletters/apr98/overview.htm
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That sounds great, however......... how do you go about protecting the cells from radio emissions not intended to activate the release of proteins?
If cells can be engineered to produce Insulin, then can the same technique be used to make other types of cell release lets say Adrenalin for example?
In the future will it be possible to listen to music that really does send you to sleep, or a radio alarm clock that wakes you up by essentially giving you a shot of caffeine?
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Yea my thoughts exactly. You would not want a massive uncontrolled insulin release and crash every time you enter a venue with free wifi for example :)
Sleep music would be possible, triggering synthesis and release of melatonin.
As for the caffeine alarm clock, that'd be a bit more difficult, because a human body can create insulin or melatonin, but it can't create caffeine..
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As for the caffeine alarm clock, that'd be a bit more difficult, because a human body can create insulin or melatonin, but it can't create caffeine..
Undoubtedly, though, while one is tinkering with genes, one could add the plant genes to produce caffeine, or cocaine for that matter. Hopefully some mad scientist doesn't decide to make a drugged up society.
As far as the insulin.
Of course, the alternative would be to actually culture beta islet cells. Perhaps determine the lethal antigen/antibody combination in Type 1 diabetics, and leave that antigen out of the cells cultures if possible.
With any luck, with cultured beta islet cells, one could get natural insulin production and regulation.
OUCH!!!
This article indicates that the errant antigenicity may in fact be INSULIN.
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2005/05.12/12-diabetes.html
That would make it very difficult to remove the antigenicity of the cultured beta islet cells.
However, on the bright side, this article seems to indicate a potential future treatment/vaccine for Type 1 diabetes, at least if it is caught early.
http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=113648
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100408121054.htm
If Type 1 diabetes is ever cured, perhaps the radio cells would still have some utility with Type 2 diabetes in which higher than normal doses of insulin are often required.
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Undoubtedly, though, while one is tinkering with genes, one could add the plant genes to produce caffeine, or cocaine for that matter. Hopefully some mad scientist doesn't decide to make a drugged up society.
Speaking of plant genes... Imagine what would happen if we introduced a working chlorophyll system to our skin. We would become (little) green men, able to survive much longer on water only :)
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Undoubtedly, though, while one is tinkering with genes, one could add the plant genes to produce caffeine, or cocaine for that matter. Hopefully some mad scientist doesn't decide to make a drugged up society.
Speaking of plant genes... Imagine what would happen if we introduced a working chlorophyll system to our skin. We would become (little) green men, able to survive much longer on water only :)
Naked green people!!!
One would likely only get a small fraction of one's energy supply on a hot summer day from photosynthesis, but perhaps every little bit counts. If we could decrease our caloric input by 10%, that would be that much less food that we would need. Of course, in modern society, the issue is often too much caloric input.
Hmmm, there is a green sea slug that does photosynthesis.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34824610/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/sea-slug-surprise-its-half-plant-half-animal/
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/green-sea-slug/
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2Fimages_blogs%2Fwiredscience%2F2010%2F01%2Fgreen_sea_slug.jpg&hash=0320ed9bdd1d7c297df37be9497025dc)
Apparently it doesn't actually make chloroplasts, but steals them from algae.