By Kim Bellard
I am always looking for advances in health care that is more like 22st Century Medicine that we still live in 2025. Far too much seems less advanced than we should expect in a world of AI, genetic engineering, nanobots, etc. I often think of the scene in Star Trek IV where Dr. McCoy finds himself in a 20th Hospital of the century and is dismayed:
I am therefore happy to report on some developments that look like the future.
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (aka “ultrasonic helmet): You may have never heard of deep brain stimulation, unless you know someone who has advanced Parkinson, Dystonia, essential tremors or epilepsy. It turns out that electrical pulses to certain parts of the brain can help reduce the involuntary movements that these conditions can cause.
The drawback is that the stimulation of the deep brain is delivered by electrodes located deep in the brain. Although this is not as intimidating as it may seem, people are always, you know, pierce holes in your head and push electrodes in your brain. You can imagine the reaction of Dr. McCloy.
Enter transcranial ultrasound stimulation. A new paper in Nature Researchers from the University College London (UCL) and Oxford describes the use of a helmet of 256 elements to precisely target the ultrasound waves to obtain the same results.
Our results reveal the potential of this system to be modulated not invasively of deep brain circuits with unprecedented precision and specificity, offering new paths to study brain function and develop targeted therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders, with a potential transformer for research and clinical applications.
Professor Bradley Treeby, principal author of the study of the UCL Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, said:
Clinically, this new technology could transform the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, depression and essential tremors, offering unprecedented precision in targeting specific brain circuits that play a key role in these conditions.
The ability to precisely modulate deep brain structures without surgery represents a paradigm shift in neuroscience, offering a safe, reversible and reproducible method to understand brain function and develop targeted therapies.
In addition, Professor Treeby says: “For the first time, scientists can not study causal relationships in deep brain circuits that were previously accessible only by surgery.” Likewise, the main author, Professor Charlotte Stagg of the University of Oxford, said: “The waves achieved their objective with remarkable precision. This alone was extraordinary, and no one did it before.”
Dr. Ioana Grigoras, a first author of the study of Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, is suitable: “This new brain stimulation device represents a breakthrough in our ability to precisely target the deep brain structures which were previously impossible to reach Parkinson diseases.
Research was mainly proof of concept, but the team is already about to test the system on brain areas linked to parkinson, schizophrenia, recovery of strokes, pain, depression and other conditions. They hope to have the first clinical applications in a few years.
The current helmet is used in conjunction with an IRM, but the team hopes to be able to possibly use the AI so as not to require irmf. They founded Neuroharmonics to develop a portable and portable version of the system, to allow patients to use at home. His vision is to “build what could become the Order for non-invasive neuromodulation, potentially transforming the lives of millions of people affected by brain disorders while opening up new borders in brain-computer interaction”.
It looks like around 22ND Medicine of the century.
Electromechanical reshaping (DME): When Lasik surgery was introduced in the late 1980s, it certainly seemed that 21st medicine. Lasers! Surgery without scalpels, and with greater precision! It was, in fact, a big step forward. But we are now in 2025, and we must admit that the Lasik is not without risks. In addition, like Michael Hill, professor of chemistry in the Western College, underlines: “Lasik is just a fancy way to do traditional surgery. It is always the sculpture of the fabrics – it’s just sculpture with a laser. ”
Professor Hill thinks there is a better way. He and his colleague Brian Wong, a surgeon-engineer at the University of California in Irvine, believe that a process known as the electromechanical reshaping (EMR) offers a better option. Basically, he uses electrical impulses to reshape the cornea. No surgery required.
The researchers applied a small electric potential to a lens. Without entering all the chemistry involved, after about a minute, the curvature of the cornea was in accordance with the form of the objective – which underlines, about the same time as Lasik takes, but with less steps, cheaper equipment and no incision. In other experiences, the team has shown that its technique could be able to reverse a certain nuptial caused by chemicals to the cornea – a condition which is currently treatable only by a complete corneal transplant.
“The whole effect was discovered by accident,” Wong, professor and surgeon at the University of California in Irvine, explained. “I considered living tissues as tight materials and I discovered this whole process of chemical modification.”
Professors Hill and Wong co-author a concept proof document in 2023. “This paper really consisted of asking, even possible? Can we change the form of a cornea without coarse damage?” Hill tells Spectrum ieee. “Now, after two years of additional work, we have systematically passed the parameters – and we can say yes, it is possible, and we can do it safely.”
The duo has tested EMR on rabbit eyelashes, not living rabbits, which will be the next step. “No one is receiving this to the optometrist next year,” warns Professor Hill. “Now comes the hard work – to assert the parameters, to confirm the long -term viability and to ensure that the treated eyes do not come back.”
However, Professor Hill believes: “There is a long road between what we have done and the clinic. But, if we get there, this technique is largely applicable, much cheaper and potentially even reversible.”
I hope I never need Lasik surgery, even less of any other type of eye surgery, but if I do it, I hope I won’t have to wait for 22ND century to get something like Emr.
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Nice things, both. And, in this current environment of attacks against science, I can not help including something other than Professor Hill underlines:
You don’t always know where basic research will lead. We were looking for electroanalytic chemistry, not eye surgery. But these fundamental ideas are what made this possible. If you cut this fundamental research, you do not get this kind of unexpected transformative opportunities.
Amen on that. This is how we arrive in the future.
Kim is a former Emarketing leader in a major blues plan, editor Dye.ioand now a regular THCB contributor
