Some Science Fictional Medical Advances

Reading medical news these days is becoming more and more like reading a science fiction novel. Here are some stories that definitely triggered my sensawunda*. 

• Hibernation for long space journeys has long been a trope of science fiction. Now, researchers have induced hibernation in rats, animals that do not normally hibernate. The technique uses non-invasive targeted ultrasound. 
• Man with paralysis walks naturally after brain, spine implants. "Dr. Grégoire Courtine and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne developed and implanted a “brain-spine interface” that creates a direct neurological link between the brain and spinal cord. Implants in the brain track intentions for movement, which are wirelessly transferred to a processing unit that a person wears externally, like a backpack. The intentions are translated into commands that the processing unit sends back through the second implant to stimulate muscles. The research findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, outline successful outcomes for one study participant from the Netherlands."
• Scientists use AI to identify new antibiotic that could fight drug-resistant infections. "Using an artificial intelligence algorithm, researchers at MIT and McMaster University have identified a new antibiotic that can kill a type of bacteria that is responsible for many drug-resistant infections. If developed for use in patients, the drug could help to combat Acinetobacter baumannii, a species of bacteria that is often found in hospitals and can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious infections. The microbe is also a leading cause of infections in wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan."
• Gene Therapy Gives Primates Young Eyes Again. "Last month, a team of scientists from Harvard Medical School and biotech company Life Biosciences announced preclinical data showing that a new approach was able to reprogram genetic markers to restore visual function in primates that had their eyes damaged with lasers. In essence, the team injected their eyes with special chemicals that can partially reprogram cells to have them return to a more youthful state."

*SFnal term meaning sense of wonder.