I suspect when most people think of healthcare innovation and Star Trek, the first thing that comes to mind is the Tricorder X Prize that is nearing its completion.

The competition sought a single device that could accurately diagnose several major conditions, and was modeled on the Tricorder device used in Star Trek.

Treating as well as diagnosing

Of course, Star Trek didn’t just have whizzy devices to diagnose illness, but also one or two to cure various maladies.

Whilst such devices largely remain the work of science fiction, a recent paper in Nature highlights how they are coming closer to reality.

The paper documents how a small, handheld ultrasonic emitter can be used to accelerate tissue repair, with healing times reduced by around 30 percent.  This obviously has some significant benefits for the patient, both in terms of reducing discomfort but also lessening the risk of infection in the wound.

Such devices are especially useful for people who struggle to heal well.  For instance, it’s well known that our healing capacity begins to deteriorate once we pass 30, and by the time we reach 60 it is often a serious issue.

This is often compounded by factors such as diabetes, smoking and obesity, and when taken together, it renders a large chunk of the population at risk of poor or slow healing.

It’s estimated that chronic wounds (ie those that never heal), affect arond 200,000 patients in the UK alone, and contribute to up to 5 percent of healthcare spending around the world.

Jump starting the healing process

The approach taken by the device uses ultrasound to reactive dormant cells and jump start the healing process.  It mimics the approach taken by other regenerative processes, such as in the liver.  It turns back the clock and stimulates cells to perform functions that were once the norm but have long since been forgotten.

As it’s effectively rebooting a natural process, the whole approach is pretty risk free, unlike various chemical drug treatments.

The device was tested on cells that were isolated from venous leg ulcer patients, with healing defects caused by things such as age and diabetes significantly reversed.  It leads the authors to believe that we will soon be able to reverse the formation of chronic wounds.

Suffice to say, the method is still at a very formative stage and will require both more investigation, and of course clinical trials, before it is seen in a hospital near you.  It is, however, a good indication of the kind of advances that are coming our way.