Ever wondered what the initials ‘Rx’ means at the top right corner of your doctor’s medical prescription?

I assume most of you people would respond in negative to this question. So here comes the answer. The use of ‘Rx’ in prescriptions originated as an astrological symbol that was written for talismanic reasons. It was used as an abbreviation for the Latin word recipe = take (imperative), i.e. an instruction to the pharmacist to take the item listed in order to prepare the medicine. There! Now you can die in peace. *wink*

Medicine is indeed a sacred science in human history, it has been saving millions in every age and unlike every science it has been there since the prophet Adam (A.S) first set foot here and blessed our beloved planet with mankind. With every age, and the evolution of human intellect, this field evolved alongside. From non-anaesthetic primitive surgeries to the more recent non-incision surgeries, there has been a gigantic leap in the development of medical science, and that is why Dr. Usman Ahmad Raza was here at Basecamp to let a bunch of enthusiasts know what’s hot in medical town these days.

A History of Diabetes

Starting with diabetes, back in 1909 there used to be urine tests, an analogue method that would only identify the intensity of diabetes in a few categories (none – low – medium – high etc.). And within the span of 91 years we had discovered insulin, oral drugs, genetically engineered insulin and then finally we were able to have the first successful pancreatic transplant in 1999.

Technology has provided a boost in the development of medical science and access to medical facilities. Ranging from electronic medical records to point-of-care diagnostics and testing, with the former allowing to eliminate all the paper work and having mercy on the trees while the latter bringing medical labs to our bed-sides.

Today as 3D printing advances at an astonishing rate, a 3D printed human body seems quite imminent. Bio printing, or the process of creating human tissues through 3D printers, is highly contested area of technological innovation. Theoretically it could save the economy billions on a global scale, whilst boosting weak or war-torn countries’ access to more affordable health care and provision, whether producing prosthetic limbs or highly customized fully-working human organs. It is basically a biomedical application of rapid prototyping, also defined as additive layer-by-layer bio manufacturing that has potential for surpassing traditional solid scaffold-based tissue engineering.

Then there is the cognitive computer technology like IBM-Watson which is a basically a super computer that processes technology more like a human being. This super computer has helped accelerate translation of cancer-fighting knowledge to cutting edge medical particles. On the other hand valuable data from day-to-day patient care and clinical trials is often trapped in the minds and notes of clinicians and researchers, as well as in the remote databases and files of other providers who may have treated these same patients in the past. Left unaddressed, this ‘Big Data Divide’ can cost precious time and resources. The divide prevents physicians from accessing all the information they might need best to treat a patient. It also blocks the pipeline through which clinical research can be completed, evaluated, approved and ultimately used in patient care. But with Watson’s cognitive computing power, we can help patients by enabling the clinicians to uncover valuable insights on diseases like cancers from the cancer centre’s research database.

Dr. Usman Explaining Nano-Pills.

That’s not all. We have yet to discuss the ‘Nano-pills’! Oh yes that’s right all those fictitious nano-bots are now becoming a reality and coming to save the day. Now there is no more throwing arrows in the dark to get the drug hit the bull’s eye. With the research on bio-composites and self-assembling biopolymers, current research is helping explain naturally occurring nano-material within cells and could one day lead to engineered bio-composites for drug delivery, artificial tissue, bio-sensing, or cancer diagnosis. Results of one study were recently published in American Chemical Society’s Bio Macromolecules. The materials analysed were composed of bio-engineered proteins polymers and cellulose nano-crystals and hold promise for medical applications including non-toxic, targeted drug delivery systems. Such bio-nanocomposites could also be used as scaffolding for tissue growth, synthetic biomaterials and even environmentally friendly replacement for petroleum-derived polymers currently in use. These nano-pills can be developed into other tissues in the body to deliver drugs for other diseases.

It’s about embracing the new technology & becoming the problem solvers.

For me I think this reveals an exciting new avenue for research and an interface between students of medicine and engineering (who are literally a street away on the main campus here!), an avenue outside of the usual clinic, an avenue outside the random engineering consultancies.

I’d love to hear what you people think about this. So please feel free to post any suggestions in the comments section below.

So, this was all from my quill and scroll, catch you guys and girls next time around!