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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Diamond Delivery"
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(90 seconds)
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DIAMONDS MIGHT BE A PATIENT'S BEST FRIEND... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. WHILE YOU MAY NEVER WANT TO BUY YOUR SIGNIFICANT-OTHER A NANO-DIAMOND RING, TINY, MICROSCOPIC NANO-DIAMONDS COULD BE THE NEXT MEDICAL FASHION-ACCESSORY--SERVING AS A DELIVERY-SYSTEM FOR MEDICATION. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS HAVE DEMONSTRATED AN INNOVATIVE METHOD USING NANO-DIAMONDS FOR DELIVERY AND SUSTAINED-RELEASE OF INSULIN, DIRECTLY TO A WOUND, FOR A LONG PERIOD. INSULIN HAS RECENTLY BEEN FOUND TO BE AN IMPORTANT NEW WEAPON FOR BOTH FIGHTING INFECTION AND HEALING WOUNDS. WHAT MAKES SUSTAINED-RELEASE WORK SO WELL WITH NANO-DIAMONDS DEALS WITH THE P-H-LEVELS IN THE BODY. AT AN INFECTED WOUND-SITE, P-H-LEVELS ARE HIGHER--CAUSING THE INSULIN TO BE RELEASED SLOWLY, AND CONSISTENTLY, OVER SEVERAL DAYS. AT NORMAL BODY P-H-LEVELS, THE INSULIN STAYS BOUND TO THE NANO-DIAMONDS--AND NO INSULIN IS RELEASED. ONE OF THE BIG ADVANTAGES OF USING THESE LITTLE GEMS TO DELIVER THE GOODS INVOLVES SURFACE-AREA: YOU CAN PACK A LOT OF MEDS ONTO THE MULTI-FACETED SIDES. ANOTHER ADVANTAGE INVOLVES PAYLOAD--AS THEY CAN CARRY ANY THERAPEUTIC--INCLUDING MOLECULES, PROTEINS, AND ANTIBODIES. FURTHERMORE, THEY CAN BE EASILY SUSPENDED IN WATER, THEY'RE BOTH BIO-COMPATIBLE AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE, AND THEY DON'T CAUSE INFLAMMATION. FROM DIAMOND-STUDDED SUTURES, TO GEM-LADEN GELS, TO BLING-BEARING BANDAGES--IN THE FUTURE, WE MAY HAVE A WHOLE NEW WAY OF WEARING DIAMONDS. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
