You would be forgiven for thinking that the scientists at Ohio State University have been watching too many sci-fi movies – their new technology is very Star Trek.
The tech involves a silicon chip that simply needs to be placed on the skin of the patient, and afterward the healing system then “injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells.”
Essentially, if someone has an injury to their leg or arm, the applied technology would convert some of the patients skin cells into vascular cells to help speed up the repair of the physical damage.
In a promising lab experiment, the scientists were able to effectively apply the tech on a mouse with a brain injury caused by a stroke, and were able to restore brain functionality by turning some of its skin cells into brain cells.
So far no known side effects have been identified, and the ease of the application of the technology means that applying it into multiple different scenarios in the real world is looking extremely good. The technology, if all goes well, could revolutionise the medical industry in treatment of injuries and disease.
The researchers are now awaiting FDA approval to begin human trials this year.