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We called it Meccano over hear. Had a massive set complete with gears, pulleys, chains, a wind-up motor drive etc. Really enjoyed it;-)) Nic 58/16 On 13 October 2010 16:59, Rick McGirr <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Fascinating that you found this in Popular Mechanics! I am not a number, I am an Erector-Set! (remember those?) > > -----Original Message----- > From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nic Marais > Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 12:48 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Nerve-cell regeneration quest is fast tracked > > http://www.popularmechanics.co.za/content/news/singlepage.asp?key=1080 > > 12 October 2010 > Nerve-cell regeneration quest is fast tracked > > > Scientists have long sought the ability to regenerate nerve cells, or > neurons, which could offer a new way to treat spinal-cord damage as > well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer�s or Parkinson�s. Many > chemicals can regenerate neurons grown in Petri dishes in the lab, but > it�s difficult and time-consuming to identify those chemicals that > work in live animals, which is critical for developing drugs for > humans. > > Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now > used a new microchip technology to rapidly test potential drugs on > tiny worms called C. elegans, which are often used in studies of the > nervous system. Using the new technology, associate professor Mehmet > Fatih Yanik and his colleagues rapidly performed laser surgery, > delivered drugs and imaged the resulting neuron regrowth in thousands > of live animals. > > �Our technology helps researchers rapidly identify promising chemicals > that can then be tested in mammals and perhaps even in humans,� says > Yanik. Using this technique, the researchers have already identified > one promising class of neuronal regenerators. > > The paper will appear in the online edition of the Proceedings of the > National Academy of Sciences the week of 11 October. > > Rapid analysis > C. elegans is a useful model organism for neuron regeneration because > it is optically transparent, and its entire neural network is known. > Yanik and colleagues had previously developed a femtosecond laser > nanosurgery technique which allowed them to cut and observe > regeneration of individual axons � long extensions of neurons that > send signals to neighbouring cells. Their femtosecond laser > nanosurgery technique uses tightly-focused infrared laser pulses that > are shorter than billionth of a second. This allows the laser to > penetrate deep into the animals without damaging the tissues on its > way, until the laser beam hits its final target. > > In the PNAS study, the researchers used their microchip technology to > rapidly cut the axons of single neurons that sense touch. Moving > single worms from their incubation well to an imaging microchip, > immobilising them and performing laser surgery takes only about 20 > seconds, which allows thousands of surgeries to be performed in a > short period of time. > > After laser surgery, each worm is returned to its incubation well and > treated with a different chemical compound. C. elegans neurons can > partially regrow without help, which allowed Yanik�s team to look for > drugs that can either enhance or inhibit this regrowth. After two or > three days, the researchers imaged each worm to see if the drugs had > any effect. > > The MIT team found that a compound called staurosporine, which > inhibits certain enzymes known as PKC kinases, had the strongest > inhibitory effect. In a follow-up study, they tested some compounds > that activate these kinases, and found that one of them stimulated > regeneration of neurons significantly. Some of Yanik�s students are > now testing those compounds on neurons derived from human embryonic > stem cells. > > The new technology represents a significant advance in the level of > automation that can be achieved in C. elegans studies, says Michael > Bastiani, professor of biology at the University of Utah. �Using > �classical� handling techniques you can cut and assay at most 100 > animals per day,� he says. �Yanik's automated system seems like it > could increase throughput by at least 10-fold over that number.� He > points out that one potential limitation of the system is that it > might not pick up the effects of neural regenerators that can�t > penetrate the worm�s cuticle, a thick outer layer that surrounds the > skin. > > However, chemicals can still be taken up through the worms� digestive > tract, which is an important test for checking whether chemicals would > work on live animals, says Yanik. > > This microchip technology can also be used to screen compounds for > their effects on other diseases such as Alzheimer�s, Parkinson�s and > ALS, says Yanik. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn