Scientists at the University of Würzburg are developing a 3D test system that will simulate exactly what happens inside the body. They are hoping to replace animal testing with this method. The 3D lungs they have created are the size of sugar cubes. The scientists are also creating a computer simulation model for patients with unique genetic variations. This is important because the variations will effect how well the drug works. Scientists will combine data from the 3D lung and the computer simulation to get the most information.
3D lung the size of a sugar cube
The scientists are currently testing exactly how similar the 3D lung is to the human body, eventually the goal for this project will be to create a model lung for each patient. This will allow doctors to run tests and determine which method of treatment will be most effective.
NOS Themes:
- Science is collaborative
- Science is tentative
- Role of credibility
- Role of skepticism
- Importance of repeatability
Link:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/05/29/artificial_lung_the_size_of_a_sugar_cube.html
This could be a huge step forward in Creating Treatment for lung cancer. Hopefully with the creation of similarities with this lung and the human lung, they will be able to perfect a treatment and save the lives of future patients. I found this very informative thank you for picking this topic.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting!! I am so impressed by how science and technology has progressed to this point. The lung's primary developer, Dan Huh of Harvard University, hopes that within the next two years the lung will convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. This would make the mini lung even more similar to the human lung, even thought the mini lung still has many similar traits. Huh would also like to create other artificial organs for additional cosmetic and pharmaceutical testing. Visit this site to learn more about Huh and his studies:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-09/every-breathe-you-fake