Polymer Science enables new breakthroughs in IT and medicine

Polymer Science enables new breakthroughs in IT &Nano Medicine

How about storing terabytes of information on a digital video disc (DVDs) or wearing a plastic health card that stores x-rays, ECG, blood test reports, MRI scans and other information on a bracelet. These technologies have been made possible by advancements in polymer science according to Paras N Prasad, Distinguished Professor at University of Buffalo, New York....
Delivering a plenary lecture at Macro, 2004, the international conference on polymers for advanced technologies organized by Society for Polymer Science, India, Prof Prasad said that conventional DVD,s contain only two layers while the deployment of polymeric material can create hundreds of layers which can store terabytes of information on the same disc. Plastic health cards embedded on bracelets will enable the medical team to immediately attend to a patient in case of emergencies such as accidents or heart stroke as the entire medical history of the patient is recorded in this tiny device, Prof Prasad said.
The medical branch of nanotechnology, Nano-medicine has come up with new diagnostic techniques to detect diseases at an early age through real time monitoring that was not possible before. A new product called 'Nano-clinic' has been patented in the US and is used in the treatment of cancer. It is a small bubble that contains imaging components, therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools that help in the treatment of cancer when it is inserted into the body. The same technology is also used in gene therapy where a particular organ with deficient genes has to be injected with DNA carrying nano-particles for release inside the body.
In ophthalmology, a nano-glue has been devised which when embedded in the eye would release the medicine at fixed intervals thus making the life easy for the patient. Clinical applications of nano-medicine will take a longer time before it will be made available commercially.
The biotechnology wing of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences have developed a technique to prevent formation of calcium deposits in polyurethanes used for making artificial heart and heart valves. The technique involves creating polypeptide or amide linkages in the devices that will resist the formation of calcium deposits. The calcification of polyurethane heart valve leads to stiffening and failure of flexural performance of the valve.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 17