Commentary

Diagnostic metal rod, eyeball extramission, fungal foot fetish


 

Rost-9D/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Okay, we’re pretty sure that the nanoparticles they’ve come up with won’t turn you into the Borg, but they will make your urine glow. Specifically, when injected into the bodies of people who’ve recently undergone transplants, they can help identify when an organ is failing.

The particles are tiny (duh), but they’re big enough that they won’t accumulate in normal, native tissue. However, they are small enough that, when a transplanted organ is being attacked by the body, the nanoparticles will end up getting through the kidneys and into urine. The particles are fluorescent and glow under near-infrared light.

The nanoparticles are aimed at replacing biopsies, as they are more predictive and less invasive. Also, who wouldn’t want to claim they’ve been enhanced by nanotechnology? Resistance is futile, after all.

Pages

Recommended Reading

Anxiety, depression, burnout higher in physician mothers caring for others at home
MDedge Dermatology
Michigan Medicine launches effort to make wellness a cultural norm
MDedge Dermatology
500 Women in Medicine: Part I
MDedge Dermatology
In search of an ear
MDedge Dermatology
Getting a good night’s sleep
MDedge Dermatology
Fund projects, not people to address gender bias in research funding
MDedge Dermatology
Love hormone plein air, posh preused Kleenex, and dieting plague vectors
MDedge Dermatology
What I learned from Navy SEALs about resilience
MDedge Dermatology
Culture change needed to improve gender inequalities in medicine
MDedge Dermatology
500 Women in Medicine: Part II
MDedge Dermatology