We ’re one footmark closer to Star Trek ’s medical tricorder . Doctors say they ’ve successfully used a unexampled optical maser technology that close wounds by exalt mangled tissues to rise back together at a speedy clip .
Technology Review has a terrific , detailed news report about the laser tool and how it work . While lasers are crucial to the process , equally authoritative is a light - activate dye . According to Technology Review :
The team take on advantage of the fact that a numeral of dyestuff are set off in the presence of light . In the vitrine of Rose Bengal — a stigma used in just about every ophthalmologist ’s role to observe corneal lesion — the researchers conceive that light helps transfer negatron between the dye molecule and collagen , the major morphological component of tissue . This produces highly reactive free radicals that do the molecular chains of collagen to chemically adhere to each other , or “ cross - connection . ” Paint two sides of a wound with Rose Bengal , illuminate it with acute light , and the sides will knit themselves back together . “ We call this nano suturing , ” [ Massachusetts General doctor Irene ] Kochevar say , “ because what you ’re doing is associate together the little collagen fiber . It ’s way of life beyond anything that a thread of any kind can do . ”
Essentially , the dye becomes a kind of micro - yarn . So you ’re still stitching wounds together the traditional manner , except on a much smaller ordered series . Researchers have been testing the proficiency at Massachusetts General Hospital with great success – they say the laser technique makes wounds bring around faster and more cleanly .
study more about this intriguing raw proficiency and the science behind itat Technology Review .
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