TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government on Monday refused to let Tokyo metropolitan authorities land on islands at the centre of a territorial dispute with China, a move aimed at defusing tensions that led to biggest anti-Japan protests in years. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has proposed buying the islands from their private Japanese owners and has sought central government permission to ...
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Japan blocks landing on disputed islands to defuse China tensions
IT MIGHT seem brave, but at least a few Cook Islands locals see a chance for the tiny Pacific nation - population barely 12,000 - to ''play off'' superpowers China and the United States against one another.
With a summit of Pacific leaders about to get under way, a daily gossip column in the Cook Islands News known as ''Smoke Signals'' had one reader sending a message that this was a chance for Prime Minister Henry Puna to shine.
He is certainly in the spotlight. Hillary Clinton is the most talked-about guest at this week's Pacific Islands Forum, the most senior US official ever to attend.
It has sparked speculation the US is worried about China's influence in a region traditionally seen as America's backyard.
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China has sent an 18-strong delegation, led by senior Vice-Minister Cui Tiankai.
In the Cook Islands alone, Chinese money has built the courthouse and police headquarters - part of China's total aid to the Pacific estimated at $600 million in recent years.
Reporters have been told to expect another big Chinese announcement during the forum, but officials remain coy.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Willy Telavi, for one, is bemused by talk of a US-China Pacific rivalry.
''Well, this is a hard question,'' he told The Age. ''We are not really sure about the visit of the US Secretary of State, as to what she is going to discuss with us when she comes.''
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The Supreme Court will rule in the coming weeks on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act the health care law that has been a flashpoint of partisan acrimony and debate since its beginning.
Much of that debate has been philosophical. But now that the law is under review by the country's highest court, politicians have to plan for the real implications of the court's decision. That's proving particularly difficult for congressional Republicans.
They've rallied for repeal of the plan since the day it passed in 2010. And they won a majority in the House later that fall.
But now the GOP has a problem. In the two years since the law passed, several of its parts have become very popular with voters among them, parents' ability to keep kids on their health plans until age 26 and a ban on denying insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
So it wasn't surprising when news leaked to Politico last week that Republicans were making plans to try to preserve those popular parts of the act if the Supreme Court strikes the law down.
But the political blowback for the GOP was immediate and harsh. Staffers described dozens of calls from angry conservatives. Right-wing think tanks blasted the endorsement of what they called "government meddling in business." And just a few short hours after the news was leaked, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent an email blast to the media, saying, "Our plan remains to repeal the law in its entirety. Anything short of that is unacceptable."
This isn't the first time GOP leaders have hinted at their support for those provisions. Right after Republicans first won the majority, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., spoke at a forum at American University in Washington.
Student Alyssa Franke, who has a chronic medical condition, asked Cantor the question that still stands today: "Will you try to preserve these two provisions as they stand or continue to push for a full repeal of the health care bill?"
At the time, Cantor said: "We too don't want to accept any insurance company's denial of someone because he or she may have a pre-existing condition. And likewise, we want to make sure that someone of your age has the ability to access affordable care, whether it's under your parents' plan or elsewhere."
That was more than a year and a half ago, long before last week's firestorm over the same Republican sentiment.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri judge is preparing to weigh arguments on the wording of a health care proposal on the state's November ballot. Republican Lt. Gov.
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MILWAUKEE, Wis. & FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Aurora Health Care and IASIS Healthcare today announced a wide ranging partnership which includes the formation of a development joint venture, Aurora IASIS Health Partners, to pursue healthcare acquisitions, new construction, management of facilities and development of clinical services with an initial focus on new and existing markets in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora IASIS Health Partners will evaluate opportunities in other markets on a case-by-case basis.
The first project announced is a cancer care center in Kenosha, Wis. In addition to the joint venture, Aurora and IASIS are exploring a variety of other affiliations including sharing clinical practices and leveraging operational capabilities across the two organizations.
This unique collaboration positions both Aurora, one of the nations largest integrated not-for-profit systems, and IASIS, the nations largest privately held hospital company, at the forefront of organizations developing pragmatic and innovative responses to challenges presented by the changing dynamics of the U.S. healthcare industry.
This partnership advances our strategy of providing our patients and communities with value in the form of high quality, affordable, accessible healthcare, said Nick Turkal, MD, CEO of Aurora Health Care, a $4 billion integrated health system headquartered in Milwaukee. Healthcare is undergoing rapid and fundamental change and leading edge systems are finding ways to manage these changes. We believe, and national trends support this fact, that partnerships will be critical to meeting the challenges of the future. In IASIS, we have found a strong organization like ours, with a compatible purpose and culture that brings complementary strengths to our organization.
This groundbreaking joint venture brings together two organizations nationally recognized for clinical quality, operational excellence and a commitment to patient-centered care, said Carl Whitmer, President and CEO of IASIS Healthcare, a $2.6 billion system headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and operating healthcare facilities in seven states. Our combination of two large healthcare organizations, with complementary areas of expertise, creates new development and affiliation opportunities, access to financial and human resources to achieve strategic growth initiatives, and a unique ability for us to respond to hospitals and healthcare systems looking for a strong strategic partner.
The first project of Aurora IASIS Health Partners is the development of a cancer care center on property just west of Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha. The new 11,000 square foot facility will expand patient access to outpatient radiological oncology services in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, which are now limited by space and technological constraints at Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha. Other clinical service offerings also may be part of the campus where the cancer center will be built. These plans will be announced at a later date.
This project exemplifies one of the ultimate goals of our partnership: to enhance access and care for patients in ways that are cost-effective and will combine the expertise and capabilities of Aurora and IASIS, Turkal said.
Whitmer added, Like Aurora, IASIS has a strong record of providing high-quality services at exceptional value for our patients and payors, and this collaboration signals another major step forward for each of our organizations. This partnership can capitalize on value-added pay-for-performance initiatives in this new era of healthcare delivery which will benefit each of our organizations and the patients we so proudly serve.
Aurora and IASIS also may engage in various areas of clinical affiliation, including transplant programs, clinical research projects, physician practice management collaboration, managed care initiatives for Aurora patients covered by Medicaid, medical management programs and shared clinical protocols. The organizations anticipate making future announcements about these initiatives and other development opportunities to be pursued by this partnership.
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INDIANAPOLIS Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg said Monday he favors a hybrid health care exchange model.
Running mate Vi Simpson noted that Republican opponent Mike Pence failed to make a decision on the matter, instead throwing Hoosiers under the federal bureaucratic bus.
The comments from the Democratic ticket came after a meeting with Gov. Mitch Daniels, who had sought input from all governor hopefuls.
Health care exchanges are new entities being set up under the federal health care act to create an organized and competitive market for buying health insurance.
They will offer a choice of health plans and largely serve individuals or small businesses buying insurance.
States have the choice of setting up their own exchange, joining a regional exchange, taking a hybrid approach or doing nothing.
If they decide to do nothing, the federal government steps in and makes all the decisions.
Indiana has taken some preparatory steps, but Daniels has not officially moved forward with a plan.
States are required to decide by Nov. 16, only a few days after a new governor will have been elected but before he will have taken office. Daniels said he will honor the recommendation of whoever is elected.
Gregg said he supports the hybrid state/federal option because the state retains control while receiving reimbursement from the federal government.
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The rising cost of health care continues to be the top problem facing small business owners, according to a new study.
The report by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) revealed that more than 50 percent of small business employers view the cost of insurance as their most critical problem.
According to the research, health insurance costs for small firms have risen 103 percent in the last decade, an increase outpacing wages and inflation.
"Fears over increasing health insurance costs continue to dominate the list of concerns for small businesses," said Holly Wade, senior policy analyst for the NFIB and the survey author, noting that it has been the top problem facing small businesses each of the eight times the study has been conducted over the past 25 years.
[5 Ways to Make Health Care Reform Work For Your Company]
Among the other top 10 problems facing small business owners are:
New to the rankings were uncertainties over economic conditions and government actions, which the report says have been a major hurdle to small business recovery and growth.
"This year's survey was conducted on the heels of the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s," Wade said. "The high level of uncertainty cited by small employers helps to explain the sector's inability to recover and expand."
The least severe problems for small business owners include exporting products and services, undocumented workers and access to high-speed Internet. The largest decline in the ranking was in regards to interest rates, which dropped 30 positions to No. 62. Also declining in importance and severity were finding and keeping skilled employees and employee turnover, both of which fell 21 positions.
The study was based on surveys of more than 3,800 small business owners.
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Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (AMEX: XLV) where we have detected an approximate $219.0 million dollar outflow -- that's a 4.5% decrease week over week (from 125,515,324 to 119,865,324). Among the largest underlying components of XLV, in trading today Abbott ...
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OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To help reduce health care disparities and increase language access in health care, Kaiser Permanente recently convened with 14 nonprofit health care organizations and community providers from across the country in Atlanta for its award-winning Qualified Bilingual Staff training.
The five-day, 40-hour facilitator training, which was offered at no charge to participating organizations, provides bilingual employees specialized education to maximize their diverse linguistic skills with the goal of improving the overall patient care experience. Following the training, attendees return to their organizations armed with the tools and skills to implement the QBS Model in their organizations, with support from Kaiser Permanente.
Kaiser Permanente created the QBS Model in 2003 in response to demand for language services and a shortage of qualified and trained interpreters. Since its inception, the QBS Program has trained nearly 10,000 health care professionals across the country representing 48 languages.
Kaiser Permanente employs a large contingent of bilingual staff to assist in delivering high-quality, equitable health care for its racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse members. Employees and physicians speak more than 130 languages. In 2006, the Kaiser Permanente QBS Model and Program was awarded the National Committee for Quality Assurance "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award."
"Kaiser Permanente has experienced a high degree of success from developing our bilingual staff through the QBS Model and Program. Sharing what we've learned externally demonstrates how health care organizations can work together to address health equity in a meaningful way," said Gayle Tang, senior director of national linguistic and diversity infrastructure management at Kaiser Permanente. "Training our external partners furthers the reach of this great work and our mission to better serve diverse linguistic populations and ensure health care equity for all."
Success Story
Early adopter Adventist HealthCare, a faith-based, not-for-profit health care system based in Rockville, Md., saw the need for such a program as it, too, faced a shortage of health care interpreters to serve its increasingly diverse population. Since it adopted the QBS Model in 2007, the organization has seen many measurable successes, including a reduced wait time for an interpreter, which has been especially important in emergency cases, says Marcos Pesquera, executive director, Adventist HealthCare Center on Health Disparities.
Adventist HealthCare has been further disseminating the QBS model, training more than 400 employees in 12 of the mostly widely spoken languages in the region, including Spanish, Mandarin, Russian and Arabic.
The Road to Implementation
Since attending the recent training, Gabriela Flores, director of the office of equity and diversity at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas and Missouri, has begun laying the foundation to implement the QBS Model within her organization, including engaging human resources and mid-level managers to help emphasize the need for this initiative.
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Kaiser Permanente Trains Nonprofit Health Care Providers to Provide Bilingual Services
DALLAS, Aug. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CenseoHealth, a leading provider of risk adjustment evaluation and analytic services for health care plans, today announced the status of recent growth initiatives, highlighted by a 50% increase in headcount since May of this year, with an additional 25% growth in the employee base expected over the next several months. Much of this represents recent investments in scheduling, physician compliance, and quality assurance -- areas that are core to CenseoHealth's differentiated service offering.
In addition to these broad-based investments in talent, CenseoHealth has welcomed three seasoned Senior Executives over the past six months. These include:
"The health care landscape is evolving rapidly towards a model that rewards accountable, quality care and risk adjustment strategies that efficiently allocate health care dollars," commented Jack McCallum, MD, PhD, CenseoHealth's Chief Executive Officer. "At CenseoHealth, these skills have been integral to our business model since Day One, and our related expertise will provide us with a strong competitive position in the marketplace. We are delighted to welcome all of our new additions to the team as we move forward in pursuit of growth and new opportunities."
About CenseoHealth
CenseoHealth leverages a dynamic, data-driven evaluation platform combined with physician-led member engagement sessions to achieve a critical goal in today's health care economy: aligning health plan payments and premiums with the actual health of plan members. CenseoHealth delivers on this promise through a suite of integrated services, including the Advanced Evaluation(TM), a face-to-face health risk assessment conducted by one of the Company's 3,000 licensed physicians. CenseoHealth's CareCurrent(TM) and CareConnect(TM) services further allow health plans and medical groups to close gaps in care through 100% documentation and proactive claims tracking and direct outreach. The common thread is greatly enhanced connection for clients and their members which, in turn, positively impacts member engagement and health outcomes. For more information please visit http://www.censeohealth.com.
Contact: Nicole Terranella Director of Marketing, CenseoHealth 972-715-3817 nterranella@censeohealth.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com http://www.cisionwire.com/censeohealth/r/censeohealth-provides-update-on-corporate-growth-initiatives,c9296642
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CenseoHealth Provides Update on Corporate Growth Initiatives
The technique would retrain cells that typically don't respond to light.
Kiji McCafferty
One biotech startup wants to restore vision in blind patients with a gene therapy that gives light sensitivity to neurons that don't normally possess it.
The attempt, by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Retrosense Therapeutics, will use so-called optogenetics. Scientists have used the technique over the last few years as a research tool to study brain circuits and the neural control of behavior by directing neuron activity with flashes of light. But Retrosense and others groups are pushing to bring the technique to patients in clinical trials.
The idea behind Retrosense's experimental therapy is to use optogenetics to treat patients who have lost their vision due to retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa experience progressive and irreversible vision loss because the rods and cones of their eyes die due to an inherited condition. If the company is successful, the treatment could also help patients with the most common form of macular degeneration, which affects nearly a million people in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved any therapies for either condition.
Retrosense is developing a treatment in which other cells in the retina could take the place of the rods and cones, cells which convert light into electrical signals. The company is targeting a group of neurons in the eye called ganglion cells. Normally, ganglion cells don't respond to light. Instead, they act as a conduit for electrical information sent from the retina's rods and cones. The ganglion cells then transmit visual information directly to the brain.
Doctors would inject a non-disease causing virus into a patient's eye. The virus would carry the genetic information needed to produce the light-sensitive channel proteins in the ganglion cells. Normally, rods, cones, and other cells translate light information into a code of neuron-firing patterns that is then transmitted via the ganglion cells into the brain. Since Retrosense's therapy would bypass that information processing, it may require the brain to learn how to interpret the signals.
So far, Retrosense and its academic collaborators have shown that the treatment can restore some vision-evoked behaviors in rodents. The treatment also seems safe in nonhuman primates. The optogenetically modified ganglion cells of these primates are light-responsive, but behavioral tests aren't possible, as there are no nonhuman primate models of retinal degeneration, says Retrosense CEO Sean Ainsworth.
Retrosense plans to begin its first clinical trial in 2013 with nine blind retinitis pigmentosa patients.
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The problem is not new. One way or another, people have to validate their identities. I am trying to enter a building or a Web service that only Joe Smith should have access to, I need to offer evidence that I am, indeed, Joe Smith. For decades, authentication has required cards and passwords. In the near future, you might just use a part of your body. (The"Futurist's Cheatsheet" series surveystechnologies on the horizon: their promise, how likely they are, and when they might become part of our daily lives. This article is Part 2.)
Use a thumb-print to unlock a door, an iris scan to unlock a smartphone. Maybe use your voice to interact with your mobile device, PC or television. Biometric data can be used for verification (say, allowing access to a personal bank account) or identification (say, identifying you to law enforcement agencies).
Pick a body part, any body part. There is a good chance that it has a unique identifier that can be used authenticate an individual human. Of course, not all body parts have practical applications in all situations. For instance, hormone analysis would be an awkward choice of authentication for entry to a building.
Criminal forensics provided an early proving ground: Identification based on fingerprints became a viable form of authentication in the late 1800s. DNA performs much the same function today.
Cloud technology is giving rise to new, ubiquitous forms of biometric authentication. Physical identifiers for large groups of people can be uploaded to a server and used for purposes such as accessing data on a company computer, gaining access to secure buildings or unlocking smartphones. Storing biometric keys in the cloud makes it much easier for devices to recognize and recover the data and for users to put it to work.
The rise of a digitally connected society has led technologists to propose the notion of one true login. Today, you may have one password for Facebook, another for Gmail and so on. At the same time, you may have an ID card such as a drivers license. Depending on where you work, you may have an ID badge that you have to scan to get into your office.What if all of these functions could be replaced with one biometric identifier unique to you?
Such an innovation could improve personal and data security an dalso improve user experiences across a variety of devices. Much of modern computing has been built around the standard user interface: keyboard and screen. That is starting to change as computers,smartphones, tablets, and televisionsincorporate cameras that recognize your face, touchscreens that know your fingerprint and microphones that recognize your voice. Quick, convenient biometric authentication would tie these devices more seamlessly into daily life.
The technology for biometric authentication is already widely available. The true challenge comes in building an acceptable infrastructure where the technologies can be easily implemented. Part of the challenge is cost in replacing or augmenting legacy authentication methods such as the magnetic keycard system in a hotel or an enterprise. Another challenge is legal. Many states and countries have privacy laws on how certain types of biometric identifiers can be used, inhibiting how enterprises and commercial ventures can deploy these authentication methods. These privacy laws are important as people are extremely sensitive in how their biomedical is stored and used.
Research firm Gartner focuses on the future business aspects of biometric authentication in its most recent Hype Cycle report, but the consumer realm poised to see practical applications. Smartphones can be unlocked through a variety of biometric keys such as voice, facial recognition or a fingerprint. Apple, Samsung and Microsoft will likely lead the way.Companies like Nuance are tuning mobile devices to the user's voice. And enterprises won't be far behind.Before long, companies will implement biometric authentication for onsite building access and smartphone security.
Book -- Anil K. Jain et al. -- Introduction to Biometrics
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FREEDOM - Last season Freedom returned to the postseason for the first time since 2004 and despite losing in Level 1 to eventual Division 4 state champ Wrightstown, expectations are higher in 2012.
In Week 1 of the football season, the Irish under a new coach, certainly met those expectations as it crushed Berlin, 52-7, in an Eastern Valley Conference game. That performance has made Freedom the FOX 11 Team of the Week.
The 52 points were the most scored by Freedom since the 2010 season finale, when Freedom scored 60 points in a win over Berlin.
Its surprising we put so many points up, but its not in a way, coach Clint Kriewaldt said. The way our kids are working together, they want to learn. They want to soak in knowledge.
Kriewaldt is a big reason for Freedoms optimism. The Shiocton High School graduate was part of the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XL team as a linebacker and he also played for the Detroit Lions.
Having a guy like that who knows that much about football, its great to have running back Bo Casper said.
Casper was part of Freedoms onslaught Friday, rushing for 174 yards on six carries and scored three touchdowns. Casper was pleased with the first game.
Youre always coming in not quite sure how that first games going to go, Casper said. Were happy with the outcome of the game.
Added lineman Reed Ambrosis: It was a good game. We were projected to lose by 21 points, but we came out and showed the conference what we were going to do.
Freedom is confident it can compete in the Eastern Valley with usual penthouse teams Xavier and Waupaca. Xavier has won or shared the last three titles.
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Groups want two major U.S. parties to support Internet 'freedom'
Internet facilitates freedom, but it also makes violations easier. Fundamentally, it's all about an individual's responsibility towards ensuring one's freedom doesn't interfere with other's freedom
Dr. Bob Hoekstra, former CEO of Philips
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint and the state of not being subjected to or affected by something undesirable. That is what the Oxford dictionary says.
In simpler words: I am free if I can do and say what I want and others do not impact me with undesirable stuff.
In Internet terms: I can write and read the information I want and get no spam. I am in control.
Internet brings instant communication and multiplication capability of all information from all people, to all people, in all regions, in all languages and with sound and video.
That gives much more freedom to individuals, as the power to express is much enhanced.
Spectacular are the many sites where people share their knowledge freely and usefully. Wikipedia replaced expensive encyclopedia, affordable to a few only, and made one by all, for all of the same quality, free. YouTube made publication of your music and TED presentations much easier and free.
User groups share information on how to best use your apparatus and fix problems. Political sites show the programs of political parties, and compare their promises and performance.
Smartphones with camera and video capability allow every individual to be a reporter.
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The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors our heroes by providing for their children.Dulles, Virginia (PRWEB) August 27, 2012 Today, Freedom Alliance announced the extension of the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund's application deadline for the 2012-2013 academic year. The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication exhibited by Americans in our Armed Forces who have ...
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Freedom Alliance Scholarship Funds Now Available for Children of America’s Injured Service Members
The Republican and Democratic parties in the U.S. should take a stand for Internet "freedom" during their upcoming national conventions, a group of Internet activists urged Monday.
More than 36,000 people have signed a petition, started by 'Net activist group Demand Progress in mid-August, calling on the two major parties to add Internet freedom language to their party platforms. Demand Progress reiterated its call for Internet freedom language in the platforms on Monday, a day before the Republican convention starts in Tampa, Florida. The Democratic convention is next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"The next two weeks will determine which party is the party of the 'Net," David Segal, executive director of Demand Progress, said in an email. "Internet start-ups, civil liberties groups, and Internet users generally will be paying close attention to who really represents us."
U.S. residents are becoming more concerned about threats to Internet freedom as their dependence on the Internet grows, Segal added. "It behooves both parties to demonstrate their support for that cause -- in their platforms, and in their legislative undertakings," he said. "If they fail to do so, the swelling number of Internet-savvy voters will start to look elsewhere."
The Internet freedom language proposed by Demand Progress and other groups is fairly general, and doesn't specifically mention net neutrality, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the controversial cybersecurity bills debated in Congress this year. Several of the groups pushing for the Internet freedom language opposed SOPA, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the cybersecurity bills.
"We ... urge political parties to explicitly adopt positions that protect and foster an open Internet that equally respects the rights of ordinary users, as well as the thousands of companies and organizations who rely on this platform everyday," the supporters of the Internet freedom language said in an open letter to the two parties. "We further urge American political parties to clearly reject efforts to censor the Internet and engage in unwarranted surveillance of its users -- and to do so in writing."
Other groups advocating the Internet freedom in the party platforms include the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, Cheezburger.com and the Free Press Action Fund.
There are some indications that both parties are considering Internet language in their platforms. On Friday, the Daily Caller published what it called a leaked Internet freedom proposal for the Republican platform.
In addition, four Democratic lawmakers, Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Anna Eshoo and Doris Matsui, all from California, and Jared Polis of Colorado, have urged the Democratic Party to include Internet freedom language in their party's platform.
"We strongly recommend ensuring the platform includes this or similar language: 'The Democratic Party stands for global Internet freedom, the free flow of information online, a free and open Internet, and protection from online censorship and privacy violations,'" the four wrote to party leaders last Wednesday.
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Groups Want Two Major US Parties to Support Internet 'freedom'
Biohackers, grinders, and people who strive to become cyborgs exist. The world of recently published “State of Mind” could be just around the corner.Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 27, 2012 At the beginning of the month The Verge uploaded a documentary on biohackers and grinders, which follows several individuals who attempt and succeed in connecting their bodies with technology. Wired Magazine ...
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A team of Harvard University have developed a cyborg tissue material that is a literal mesh of nanoscale electronics and cells, able to support cell growth while at the same time monitoring biological activities at the cellular level.
Among the team to device such a material are Bozhi Tian (one of Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35 this year); Harvard University chemist Charles Lieber; Daniel Kohane, director of the Laboratory for Biomaterials and Drug Delivery at Boston Children's Hospital; and Robert Langer, a chemical engineer and Institute Professor at MIT.
The above image depicts smarts cells: "Alginate (white), a seaweed-derived material used in conventional cell scaffolds, is deposited around nanoscale metal wires (false-colored in brown) to form a three-dimensional electronic scaffold."
The nanoelectronic scaffolds were made from a thin mesh of metal nanowires, either straight or kinked, dotted with tiny transistors that detect electrical activity. The researchers folded or rolled the mesh into a three-dimensional structure to simulate a piece of tissue or a blood vessel, respectively. The result is a scaffold that is both porous and flexible-not an easy feat for electronics.
The scaffold was then seeded with cells or merged with conventional biomaterials, such as collagen, into hybrid scaffolds.
According to Lieber, "These scaffolds are mechanically the softest electronic materials that have ever been made."
The team tested the cyborg scaffold's sensing capabilities in living cells; they grew neurons in the framework and successfully monitored their firing activity "in response to excitatory neurotransmitters." They also tracked changes in pH level on either side of a simplified blood vessel, and observed subtle differences in the way heart cells on one side of the tissue beat from heart cells on the other side.
Numerous pharmaceutical companies have already expressed interest in the technology, specifically with regards to the way such a medical advancement could identify the ways in which various drugs respond when localized in difference tissues. [TechnologyReview]
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Cyborg Tissue Acts as Smart Scaffolding at a Cellular Level [Biotechnology]
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POSTED: 3:53 am PDT August 28, 2012
Copyright 2012 by City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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