Technology Will Save our Minds and Bodies

Brain Control Interface & Lab Grown Body Parts

By: Teahan Campbell

Presentation Outline

• Brain Computer Interface– What is BCI?– How does it work?– Who Does BCI Benefit?– How will this technology benefit/change society?– Video

• Lab Grown Body Parts– Methods for growing body parts– Challenges with this technology– How is Technology going to save us?– Video– Works Cited

What is BCI?• Brain Computer Interface, is a

technology that allows a person to control a computer or other electronic device with their brain waves; absolutely no physical movement required.

• Can be used for a variety of different applications:– Communication– Computer Access– Wheel chair control– Prosthetic control

• Used to replace permanent motor skills loss, and for rehabilitation (1.0)

Invasive/Non-Invasive BCI

• Invasive: requires surgery to implant electrodes on/or close to the surface of the brain.

• Non-invasive: electrodes are placed directly on the scalp (held in place by a cap) (1.0)

(Image: 2.0)

How Does BCI Work?• Using electrical signals from neurons in

the brain, these signals can be picked up by sensitive sensors that relay information to the BCI where it is recorded, decoded, and turned into a command to perform a task.

• There are different control centers in the human brain that control different parts of the body. Different techniques are used to detect when certain control centers are being used.

• These control centers are very important to the functionality of the BCI (3.0).

Who does BCI Benefit?• BCI benefits those who have lost control of

their motor skills, and ability to speak. Some examples would be those suffering from:– Locked-in Syndrome (typically caused by

stroke)– ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease (advanced

stage)– Severe paralysis from injury

• BCI can also be used as a therapy option for those that lost some motor skills by coaching the person to use the correct brain activity for the given function (4.0).

How Will This Technology Benefit Society?

• “A new study reveals that over 5.5 million Americans, nearly 2 per cent of the population, are paralyzed or partly paralyzed, mostly by stroke and spinal injury.” (5.0)

• “Researchers found that 29 per cent of affected Americans became paralyzed or partly paralyzed after a stroke, and 23 per cent as a result of spinal cord injuries.” (5.0)

• ALS is said to affect more than 30,000 people in the U.S and 5,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. ALS is responsible for as many as 5 in 100,000 deaths in people over the age of 20. (6.0).

• It is clear, thousands of people every year may require BCI in order to improve their quality of life.

• Being able to restore speech so a person can communicate with others is an amazing tool, and could increase morale for these patients. Restoring motor function can also give affected persons some sense of independence.

• This technology is already being adapted to be used to control video games for hands free control. It’s common knowledge that video games are incredibly popular and the number of users in constantly increasing. Technology such as this will be the next “must have” gadget! (3.0)

Video:

Click movie button: Video Brain Control Interface (14.0).

Lab Grown Body Parts

•Most lab grown body parts (except skin) are still in the experimental stage, however has shown great promise in lab testing.•Some methods are already being used on humans are:– Bio-printer– Stem Cells – Decellularization (7.0, 8.0).

Brief Explanation of Methods• Bio-printer: is basically the same 3-D printing technology that we

already know but bio-printing creates human body parts using bio-ink. Bio-ink is similar to an ink cartridge, however it holds cells that are required to create a specific body part. The ink requires a special microgel because, cells are living and require food, “think gelatin enriched with vitamins, proteins and other life-sustaining compounds,” (9.0).

• Stem Cells: Body parts can be grown in a lab by using the patients own stem cells! The process works by taking stem cells from the patients fat and combining it with a polymer which acts as a scaffold. Researchers have already created a nose for a man who lost his in his fight against cancer. They implanted the nose into the patients skin. His body accepted it, all that is needed is the approval to transplant, (10.0).

• Decellularization: This process involves removing all the cells from an organ, leaving only the framework behind. The organ’s natural structural proteins, including the pathways for tiny blood vessels and nerves are also all left behind. Doctors have had success injecting this framework with new cells and are able to keep them alive for several hours, (8.0).

Challenges with this Technology?

• None of these technologies are ready for the market yet. They are still in the early stages of testing, however, scientist are making great progress and the future looks very promising!

• Scientist’s have yet to figure out how to get organs to function correctly, and how to get decellularized organs to live longer.

How is this technology going to save us?

• Here are some statistics dealing with organ related deaths:

• “an average of 22 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs” (11.0).

• “As of May 2015, according to OPTN, there are 55,282 people between 50 and 64 years old on the national waiting list and 25,908 people over 65 years old on the national waiting list” (11.0).

Continued • There are thousands of people in need of organ

transplants and unfortunately the numbers aren’t decreasing.

• Also, Canada has one of the worst organ donation statistics, “about 13 donors per million people, compared with 20 per million in the U.S., and more than 31 per million in Spain,” (12.0).

• With new technology capable of growing organs for people in need, organ donation would be drastically reduced or possibly no longer required.

Video

Click for Button for Video: Lab Grown Body Parts (13.0).

Works Cited 1.0) Peters, B., & Fried-Oken, M. (n.d.). Brain-Computer Interface. Retrieved April

17, 2016, from The ALS Association website: http://www.alsa.org/als-care/resources/publications-videos/factsheets/brain-computer- interface.html

2.0) Unknown. (2011, December 13). Brain-Computer Interface [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://mmspg.epfl.ch/page-58318-en.html

3.0) University Medical Center Utrecht, & Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus. (n.d.). About Brain Computer Interface. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from Utrecht

NeuroProsthesis website: http://neuroprosthesis.eu/?page_id=61

4.0) Cohen, A. (n.d.). Brain-Computer Interface. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from Research and Hope for Stroke website: http://researchandhope.com/brain-computer-interface/

5.0) Paddock, C. (2009, April 21). Paralysis Affects More Americans Than Previously Thought. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from Medical News Today website: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146819.php

Continued6.0) Johns Hopkins University. (n.d.). ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from Johns Hopkins Medicine website:

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/ centers_clinics/als/conditions/als_amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis.html

7.0) Radford, T. (2016, February 15). 'Bioprinter' creates bespoke lab-grown body parts for transplant. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from The Guardian website: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/15/bioprinter-creates-

bespoke-lab-grown-body-parts-for-transplant

8.0) News In Health. (2015, February). Fixing Flawed Body Parts. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from News in Health website:

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/feb2015/feature1

9.0) Harris, W. (2013, December 17). How 3-D Bioprinting Works. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from How Stuff Works Health website:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/modern-technology/3-d-bioprinting3.htm

Continued 10.0) Weller, C. (2014, April 8). Scientists Use Stem Cells To Grow Body Parts In

Their Lab, Including Noses, Ears, And Tear Ducts. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from Medical Daily website: http://www.medicaldaily.com/ scientists-use-stem-cells-grow-body-parts-their-lab-including-noses-ears-and-tear-ducts-275122

11.0) U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). The Need Is Real: Data. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from organdonor.gov website:

http://www.organdonor.gov/about/data.html

12.0) The Edmonton Journal. (n.d.). Canada's organ-donation rate among world's worst. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from National Post website: http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=0600888f-3f4b-4b8a-ba4e-68009688da5d

Continued13.0) Koemar, R. (2008, October 6). Regenerative Medicine: Re-Growing Body

Parts [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.comwatch?v=GwcT1ViM-hw

14.0) National Science Foundation. (2015, June 9). Brain-Computer Interface - Mysteries of the Brain [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t84lGE5TXA