In today's rapidly changing world of scientific and technological development, from time to time, there will be cases of research results that sound very sci-fi.。A paper published in the journal "Scientific Robotics" belongs to this scope: a cell regeneration robot that successfully works in vivo.
However, let's not fall into the imagination of “swarms of nanorobots running in the blood”, because that is the real science fiction.The research results of this time are not as visually cool as in the movie, but in terms of scientific achievements, it is very amazing.
The success of this research was made by a team of multinational researchers led by Dana Damian of Boston Children's Hospital in the United States.In the paper, the researchers said they had created a robotic implant that “can promote the growth of tubular organs such as the esophagus and intestines by exerting computer-controlled traction.”
In surgery, it is extremely difficult to repair the tubular structure in the body.And since the vast majority of living organisms contain a large number of tubular structures, this has always been a major research direction in the field of medicine.
Existing methods, such as organ transplantation, are not only expensive, but also risky.Surgical methods such as long-distance esophageal atresia require the patient to be anesthetized for several weeks, because each section of the esophagus needs to be gently stretched and connected.
The pigs used to experiment with Damian's team's robot implants are not only alive and well, they are even awake when the implants are implanted into their esophagus.
Why is this robot implant so magical?The answer may surprise you. The principle it uses is not complicated. It was discovered as early as 1930 and is commonly used to cultivate bacterial communities.It is mechanical stimulation (mechanostimulation), which stimulates cells through mechanical movement to increase the speed of cell growth and wound recovery.
However, all along, the equipment needed to produce mechanical stimulation is not suitable for implantation in the human body due to its size.Thanks to the development of the field of microelectronics in recent years, we can finally produce a mechanical device small enough to stimulate the cells inside the living body.
Compared with existing methods, the advantage of this technology lies not only in time, but in avoiding many serious problems by breeding living tissues.Since the existing methods need to expand the tissue in segments within a few hours or days, there will be a risk of neurofibrosis (fibrotic) and poor nerve connections.
During the operation described in the paper, a robotic implant about 10 cm long was connected to the esophagus from the outside by the doctor, and two O-rings were fixed to the tubular part of the esophagus.The outside of this implant, which contains motors, sensors, and various electronic components, is wrapped in a layer of biocompatible waterproof skin, and is connected to the control unit outside the body through a data cable.The part in the middle of the two O-rings will be mechanically stimulated to speed up cell growth.
The results of the researchers' experiments were very successful.In 9 experimental pigs, the length of the esophagus between the two O-rings was expanded by 77%.This result does not come from stretching, but is achieved by stimulating cell self-growth.In this process, the blood flow and functionality of the esophagus are completely maintained.
The researchers speculate that if this device is further upgraded so that it can recognize the contraction and relaxation of the esophageal muscles when eating, it can even allow patients to eat during the repair process.
Seeing this, is it a pity for you?Reality is not as tall as the swarm of nanomachines that can repair various injuries and diseases in science fiction works.But this robot with elongated tubular organs may be closer to those robots than we thought.
Because the researchers pointed out: "In addition to their use in organ growth, robot implantation also represents a new research direction for medical robots.These bionic systems can help provide normal body functions, whether it is temporary or permanent before the body is repaired.”
“The miniaturization of sensors and actuators, coupled with the development of wireless communication, energy transmission, energy collection and other technologies, is likely to allow us to create devices that surpass those in science fiction works.”
Shenzhen Yujiaxin Technology Co., Ltd. develops and produces various surgical robot pliers, scalpel heads, surgical scissors, endoscope accessories, laparoscopic accessories, ultrasonic knife heads and other precision surgical instrument accessories.
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