Researchers working at The Ohio State have developed a device “that can switch cell function to rescue failing body functions with a single touch. The technology, known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions.”1
It’s basically gene therapy with a twist; the difference is how they deliver the DNA into the cells.
“The chip, loaded with specific genetic code or certain proteins, is placed on the skin, and a small electrical current creates channels in the tissue. The DNA or RNA is injected into those channels where it takes root and begins to reprogram the cells.”2
Check out the video below to see the process in action.
A new study published in Nature Nanotechnology demonstrated that the technique worked with up to 98 percent efficiently. And it works not only on the skin but on any type of tissue. “In fact, researchers were able to grow brain cells on the skin surface of a mouse, harvest them, then inject them into the mouse’s injured brain. Just a few weeks after having a stroke, brain function in the mouse was restored, and it was healed.”3
Researchers hope to see the technology approved for human trials within the year because the technique (1) uses a patient’s own cells and (2) does not rely on.
We will be watching with anticipation.
