On the horizon: nanoshells, microthreads, stem cells

Among the stories you don't get in the general press are the amazing breakthroughs in medicine. Even if you see them individually you don't get the full impact of what it all means. Every day someone somewhere is discovering something that could only have been described as miraculous few years ago. So read it here:

Gold nanoshells

Nanoshells -- hollow silica spheres covered with gold -- continue to surprise researchers with how effective they are. Researchers say they are killing breast cancer cells at a previously unreachable root level. In a mouse study the nanoshells delivered heat to breast cancer tumors already treated with radiation and not only shrank the tumor but also dramatically decreased the population of cancer stem cells.

Researchers have repaired large muscle wounds in mice by growing and implanting "microthreads" coated with human muscle cells. The microthreads—made out of the same material that triggers the formation of blood clots—seem to help the cells grow in the proper orientation, which is vital for rebuilding working muscle tissue.

Scientists have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin. The discovery could mean that in the foreseeable future people needing blood for surgery, cancer treatment or treatment of other blood conditions like anemia will be able to have blood created from a patch of their own skin to provide transfusions.

Researchers have generated 100 new lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from individuals with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and emphysema. The new stem cell lines could possibly lead to new treatments for these debilitating diseases.

For the first time, human cells have been used to create a lab-grown liver. It's a milestone on the way to creating a new source of livers for transplant.

Corneas made in the lab using genetically engineered human collagen could restore sight to millions of visually impaired people waiting for transplants from human donors. Investigators have reported results from the first 10 people in the world treated with the biosynthetic corneas. Two years after having the corneas implanted, six of the 10 patients had improved vision. Nine of the 10 experienced cell and nerve regeneration, meaning that corneal cells and nerves grew into the implant.