Mind-Controlled Therapeutics | Martin Fussenegger | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Scientists are working on a treatment strategy using human designer cells that can detect diseases and produce drugs at the right time and dose, controlled by the mind.

Key Insights

• 😒 Traditional treatment strategies rely on late diagnosis and imprecise dosing, which can be improved with the future use of human designer cells.
• 🙂 The optogenetic device allows for precise control over drug production by illuminating cells with near-infrared light.
• 🧠 Brain activities can be recorded and used to program the level of drug production in animals, suggesting potential applications for chronic pain, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders.
• 🔋 The treatment strategy is evolving towards smaller and more portable implants, potentially powered by everyday devices such as smartphone batteries.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: Why is the current treatment strategy considered poor?

The current strategy relies on late diagnosis and imprecise dosing based on body weight, resulting in suboptimal therapy.

Q: How do human designer cells work in the treatment strategy of the future?

Human designer cells can sense disease signals, process the information, and produce and release drugs at the precise time and dose required for effective treatment.

Q: How is mind control involved in drug production?

By using optogenetics, scientists have developed a device that uses near-infrared light, controlled by brain activities, to program cells to produce drugs at specific times and doses.

Q: Can this treatment strategy be applied to living systems?

Yes, the treatment strategy has been successfully tested in animals by placing the near-infrared implant under their skin, fine-tuning the drug production levels based on brain activities.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Traditional treatment strategies are suboptimal, as they rely on late diagnosis and imprecise dosing based on body weight.

• The future treatment strategy involves using human designer cells that sense disease signals and produce drugs at the right time and dose.

• Scientists have developed an optogenetic device that uses near-infrared light to program cells to produce drugs, which can be controlled by brain activities.