Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
UCB - University of California Bone Regeneration
UCLA professors Kang Ting and Ben Wu are developing a new molecule they’ve named University of California Bone (UCB). This technology may be the most significant advance in bone regeneration in decades.
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) were first used by Dr. Marshall Urist at UCLA in the 1960s. UCB differs significantly from the protein currently used by orthopedic surgeons to aid in bone repair, in that UCB has potentially fewer side effects. With BMPs, bone formation has been observed to occur at locations outside of the intended implant site, and tissue other than bone also has been reported. UCB’s main effects appear to be more specific towards bone formation process, giving surgeons increased control over where bone forms.
(From New method to regrow human bones)
Dr. Wu points out that UCB is more specific because it works downstream from the body’s “master switch” for bone formation. Because the two molecules act on different targets, UCB also works synergistically with BMPs to form more bone than is typically possible with BMPs alone.
"For the average person, this new development potentially means faster, more reliable bone healing with fewer side effects at a lower cost," says Ting. "In more severe cases, such as in children born with congenital anomalies, the new protein may offer an advanced solution to repair cleft palates, which involves bone deficiencies, and also aid in repairing other bone defects such as fractures, spinal fusion and implant integration."
The research team is already working under the business name Bone Biologics; a partnership with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), the nation’s largest tissue bank, has resulted in a collaborative development agreement to provide customized tissue forms to support the delivery of UCB.
Although science fiction writers have been working with the idea of regrowing organs and repairing bodies since the 1960's (I'm thinking in particular of Frank Herbert's crechepod from The Godmakers), there is another example I can't resist.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry has the misfortune of having all of the bones in his right arm magically removed by the inept wizard Gilderoy Lockhart. Is it possible to regrow bones?
Madame Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased."You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding up the sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been [Harry's] working arm. "I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back-"
"You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately.
"I'll be able to, certainly, but itw ill be painful..."
Madame Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something called Skele-Gro.
"You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steaming beakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."
Now, I know what you're thinking. This is a science fiction (and science) site - where do I get off using a fantasy fiction example? Well, I figure that if sf Grandmaster Arthur C. Clarke is right about any sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic...
Read more at Researchers discover new method to grow human bones; you might be interested in this discussion of how patent law might be applied helpfully in Patent support aids researchers. Thanks also to Roland for getting the story.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/24/2005)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 5 )
Related News Stories - (" Medical ")
MIT Computerized Bionic Leg Is Part Of The User
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain, through the mediation of the electronic brain in the leg.' - Charles Recour, 1949.
Bone-Building Drug Evenity Approved
'Compounds devised by the biochemists for the rapid building of bone...' - Edmond Hamilton, 1932.
BrainBridge Concept Transplant Of Human Head Proposed
'Briquet’s head seemed to think that to find and attach a new body to her head was as easy as to fit and sew a new dress.' - Alexander Belaev (1925)
Natural Gait With Prosthetic Connected To Nervous System
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain...' - Charles Recour, 1949.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Moscow Attacked By Hundreds Of Drones
'It hurtled on down with inconceivable speed until it was visible as thousands of tiny robot planes...'
Nifty Folding Electric Bicycles!
'Separate paths were provided for them...'
FTC: Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers
'Then she looked up with a smile and moved closer to the camera.'
Switzerland May Cap Population At Ten Million
'The population of Castle Hagedorn was fixed...'
Project Silica Offers 'Long-Term' Digital Storage
'... folios and tapes and playable discs of platinum alloy.'
Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.'
Crystalline Structures In Space, You Say?
A massive space borne lifeform from ST:TNG.
Garçon! A Menu For Artemis II, S'il Vous Plaît
'Michel Ardan, as a Frenchman, was declared chief cook, an important function, which raised no rival.'
Amazing Photonic Crystal Light Sail
'That sail will be twenty thousand miles at the wide part.'
Blue Collar AI Goes To Work To Mine Its Own Crypto
Blue collar bot.
Rogue AI Replicated Itself
'Sapiro’s computer just kept dialing at random, hanging up on humans, until it got a fellow computer of the same type as itself.'
HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano
'I request that you feed the correlation between those dots and the levers of the panel into my memory banks.'
Woven Fiber Electronic Skin For Robots
'... all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
When AI Takes Its First Breath
Any suggestions?
Chinese Aircar Light And Airy, Not For Blade Runners
Daytime version.
The Morphing Wheel And The Smartwheel
'If you surf over a bump, the spokes contract to roll over it.'
