Current Events: Wrist Band Sensors Can Detect, and Possible Predict, Life-Threatening Seizures

    Some seizures may not be all that bad, must some can be deadly. Why would you, or someone you know, ever want to go through a seizure that no one expected? You wouldn't. Luckily, media researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institution of Technology) have created wristbands that can detect when seizures are occuring. How do these wristbands work? They measure skin conductance, or how easily electrical currents can pass through skin (how much you sweat). Skin conductance can change for a variety of reasons and a researcher discovered that skin conductance spikes before and during a seizure. More tests and experiments have shown that if the seizure lasts for a long time, it doesn't guarantee the seizure is deadly. How bad a seizure is can be found by seeing how fast the brain returns to normal after. After testing 11 children, the researchers found that the higher the skin conductance, the longer it took for the brain to return to normal, causing the seizure to be more deadly.

     I believe that the MIT media researchers should continue to improve this wristband because it can be very beneficial in the future. By running more tests and experiments, researchers can fix all the bugs in the wristband an insure that they work properly. If they work properly, people who suffer from seizures are able to tell when they are going to have a seizure. This is helpful because then the seizure victim can find help immediately and find a place to stay that won't harm anyone. In addition, this will help the seizure victim feel more safe and stressed. Originally, many seizures would be sudden, but with this wristband, they do not need to worry about a seizure coming up out of the blue. Finally, the wristband will also show how bad the seizure will be, so people can get the necessary help. These seizure detecting wristbands will be extremely helpful in society and will do nothing but help seizure victims.

Seizure Detecting wristbands

Article and picture from:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/wristband-sensors-can-detect-and-possibly-predict-life-threatening-seizures

Current Events: The First Drug Made by Genetically Modified Plants is Approved for Human Use by the FDA

     Imagine having Gaucher Disease. This is a lysosomal storage disorder and is caused by lack of a specific enzyme. You may have worried about possible drugs to use to help cure your disease, but now there is no more need to look. Engineers at an Israeli biotech firm (Protalix Biotherapeutics) have been able to produce this enzyme in carrot cells. They just need to inject a specific gene into them. The drug is called Elelyso. Results from trials have showed that using Elelyso have showed greater improvement than another treatment from hamster cells. Elelyso is the first drug made by genetically modified plant cells approved for humans. Previously, there have been concerns about using drugs made from genetically modified plants, but in recent years treatments have been proven successful for animals. This may have lead the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) to approve Elelyso for humans.
      I believe that this drug will lead to other drugs from modified plant cells. Researchers believe this too; they believe that they can create enzymes to treat many other disorders and diseases. In addition this treatment doesn't contain pathogens that can affect mammalian cell stocks and doesn't lead to a shortage of usable drugs. Furthermore, the FDA approving this drug may mean that they are open to other drugs from genetically modified plant cells. This will lead to more drugs that can treat other disorders like the Gaucher Disease. Thanks to the engineers in the Israeli biotech firm, a new door as been open to new types of drugs created from genetically modified plants.

By injecting a gene into carrots, engineers are able to produce a specific enzyme needed from Gaucher Disease patients


Article and picture from:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/first-plant-derived-biologic-drug-approved-human-use-fda