Movies, television shows, and books can create a vision of a world with endless possibilities. The future can be portrayed in ways that we would find impossible in the present day.
In my life time, the thought of a person talking into a wrist watch seemed like something only James Bond could do. Especially for a girl where our rotary phone was on the wall of the kitchen with a very stretched out spiral cord! Now, a watch can let you know how much activity you do, your schedule, and allow you to make a call on the go.
Nowhere is this more exciting than in the world of medicine!
One of the most stunning developments is the creation of 3-D lung models in laboratories to help in the treatment of rare lung disease.
This incredible article describes how cells from patients can be taken and used to make a 3-D model of human lungs. This is helping scientists better understand the scarring of lung tissue caused by diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
IPF is a progressive lung disease with no known cure. This disease leads to scar tissue taking over healthy lung tissue and a decrease in the lungs ability to function. As a result, IPF can lead to heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, blot clots in the lungs, and respiratory failure. The serious nature of this disease demands a development of treatment and understanding.
The 3-D lung models are allowing scientists to test a variety of drugs for treatment of IPF and their effects.
This is an amazing, almost unbelievable advancement giving rise to hope. A glimpse into the future of the marvels of modern medicine in treating what was once thought untreatable. In my mind, this is extremely cool.
