Star Trek's medical tricorder approaches reality; The holy grail of medicine?
Actor DeForest Kelley, who played the good Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek, would just have to wave his medical tricorder over any Star Trek crew member laying in his sickbay to locate an ailment and just like magic --wounds would miraculously heal.
Is this the holy grail of medicine?
Well, it’s not just science fiction any more--- we could see such a contraption, thanks to the USA army and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
AcousTx Corporation, in Seattle, WA, who's at the forefront in the development of medical products based on the application of therapeutic energy, today announced the award of a multi-phase contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The award, potentially up to $30 million over four years, is contracted through the US Army Medical Research and Material Command and is in support of DARPA's Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation (DBAC) program. Phase I funding is approximately $8 million.
Problem:
Blood loss from extremity wounds is the number one cause of preventable battlefield death today. Extremity wounds account for almost 80% of Operation Iraqi Freedom injuries," said Joseph Eichinger, President of AcousTx.
Smart Solution:
The goal of this high priority program is to save soldiers' lives on the battlefield through the development of a portable system that will automatically locate and non-invasively treat bleeding vessels in arms and legs. The envisioned system uses advanced diagnostic ultrasound techniques with automated control to locate the bleeding and to direct the delivery of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) energy to the target site(s) to stop the bleed.
"Successful development of the DBAC ultrasound system will save lives and prevent amputations. This exciting project should lead to significant advances in emergency trauma care for both military and commercial applications."
AcousTx' team includes Siemens Corporate Research, Inc. and Therus Corporation, a HIFU innovator developing the first commercial implementation of remote acoustic hemostasis using image guided therapy.
ETA: 2011-2016?
More.. on PRNewswire
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