Researchers at Ohio State have created a brand new piece of medical technology that has the potential to save lives quickly and effectively in a brand new way. It is called Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT) and it was created by the school's Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies (CRMCBT).
What is TNT and how does it work?
This new technology called TNT can start the process of repairing organs in only a matter of seconds. TNT is a small chip made of silicone that takes up the same amount of room that a dime would. From the information in the school's press release, TNT administers genetic code into skin cells, changing those cells into different types of cells that are necessary for treating what ever the ailment is.
This medical breakthrough could help to save the lives of thousands of critically injured people in the future with further development and testing done on humans. In lab tests done by researchers, it only took one touch of TNT to completely fix mice who had injured legs. During a three-week span, the skin cells on the mice's leg slowly turned into the vascular cells that were needed to heal it.
Chandan Sen, director of the CRMCBT, said that the drug is able to work with and heal all kinds of tissues. He also cited another lab test involving a mouse who suffered a stroke. The drug was able to help the animal recover brain function by growing brain cells on its skin to help it make a complete recovery.
Breakthrough technology awaits FDA approval
The creation of TNT by the researchers at Ohio State is truly a breakthrough since it represents the first time in history that cells have been reprogrammed inside a living body. However, Sen says that TNT has no currently known side effects. He also added that treatment can be administered in under a second by anyone out in the field, without requiring it to be done at a hospital or laboratory.
It will also not be a hassle to transport, as he also mentioned that TNT is easy to carry since it weighs less than 100 grams (0.035 ounces). Lastly, Sen also touted that the drug also lasts a long time before it expires and has to be thrown out.
TNT still has to be looked at and accepted by the FDA. Sen, who has been leading the project working on TNT for 4 years, expects that it will be tested on people within the year. He added that he has been in talks with Walter Reed National Medical Center in order to work out a way to try TNT on humans.
