MediSieve — science being awesome

[sarah darwins]

Sometimes it's good to be reminded of just how awesome science can be.

There's something a bit old school about this invention, and about its inventor.

George Frodsham, 29, who holds a PhD from University College London, has devised a new machine that strips out infected cells from the bloodstream and can reduce a child’s “infection burden” – the measure of how likely the patient is to die – by 90pc within three and a half hours ...

The MediSieve – so called because of the way it sieves out the infection – is currently in pre-clinical testing, and could go to full clinical trials as early as next year because it doesn’t introduce pharmaceuticals into the body. In contrast, a vaccine called Mosquirix was finally given the green light last summer after 30 years of research – and it still hasn’t come to market ...

To bring down the cost of developing the device, the nanotechnology graduate used 3D printers to create bespoke parts for the prototype.

“We’ve taken the technology from something I built in my garage to something that can be easily mass-produced,” he says ...

“A whole new industry could be created within healthcare that moves away from using pharmaceuticals as a way of treating everything towards a purely physical way of removing bad stuff from blood.”

Source: The Telegraph, 23 Feb 2016 - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...166495/Fresh-blood-to-help-fight-malaria.html

MediSieve website: http://www.medisieve.com

 

[roller]

PARASITES MAKE US MAGNETIC ?

Then Dr Frodsham came across research that demonstrated malaria-infected blood cells are naturally magnetic

‘Basically, as a natural part of the malaria life cycle, the parasite eats the human blood in the red blood cell,’ Dr Frodsham explained.

So in essence, the parasite eats the protein but leaves behind the blood’s iron – which is paramagnetic.

Dr Frodsham said: ‘That gives malaria cells unique and naturally occurring magnetic properties.’

The scientist fine-tuned his technology while completing his PhD in biochemical engineering – and formally founded his company, MediSieve, in May 2015.

The device MediSieve generates a strong magnetic force that prevents the malaria-infected blood cells from continuing on their path, the scientist explained.

Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3458817/Could-medical-sieve-cure-malaria-Pioneering-device-uses-magnetic-force-strip-infected-cells-blood.html

 

[Sasha]

Wow...

for Dr Frodsham!

 

[roller]

i think that such things are the diagnostic tools we need.

measuring magnetics and measuring pheromones.
there must be specifics for both, that are typical at least for classes/groups(...) of pathogens.

because, parasitic infection (i mean virus, bacteria, helminths, amoebas.. all) is not equally distributed over the body.
this may depend not only on pathogens but also e.g. genetics.

when they take blood for diagnosis its totally insufficient.
when they take a tissue biopsie its the same stupid crap.
to me this looks like an idiots lottery...

there should be a sort of scanner for the whole body, locating pathogens ...
...perhaps by magnetic, pheromones (...)

i dont think, we need to have the name of that specific bacteria (etc).
if they were properly grouped with befriended pals would be even better.
we need to treat all anyway.

 

[sarah darwins]

Wow...

for Dr Frodsham!

Sasha, I'll defer to you for a final decision but personally I feel he deserves an extra trophy for the haircut. That's a proper scientist do, that is.

 

[Effi]

Dr George Frodsham

Doesn't he also deserve a place on the 'interesting doctors names' thread?
Dr FraudSham

cool work he's doing!

 

[sarah darwins]

cool work he's doing!

Maybe we should have a have a roll of honour for people doing ‘cool science’? It would be a nice, positive thing for us to recognise those who are just getting on with solving problems and figuring out stuff to help people.

 

[JaimeS]

Soooo cooool

I should add that I had a very odd experience in which my encephalitic pain dissipated immediately in the wake of a strong, electrical impulse... though that could have been the nerves frying too.

One of Mayo's 'nerve impulse' tests.

 

[JaimeS]

Here is the original article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26439594

Sadly, not free. It is, however, free on researchgate, if anyone else has access. I've printed it out to look at later.

-J

 

[valentinelynx]

Here is the original article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26439594

Sadly, not free. It is, however, free on researchgate, if anyone else has access. I've printed it out to look at later.

-J

Haven't you heard? All pubs are now free... try this: go to this site: sic-hub.cc and paste in the blank the DOI number for the article (10.1515/bmt-2015-0056)

See Wikipedia here for more info on sci-hub. Note that the site moves around a lot as They try to shut it down, but so far Wikipedia has had the most up-to-date URL.

 

[JaimeS]

Ah yesss, sci-hub!