rajamanickamA
823
28
0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4zKUpC8Bc
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adi8995
May 28, 2024 2:10 PM
rajamanickamA
823
28
0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4zKUpC8Bc
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adi8995
NeverEnoughFoxes
Please, this has been a thing at every rave ever: lights flash, people dance, rinse, repeat! ;)
KuldFyt
Muscle biologist here. Left out conspicuously is the fact that humans do not express any channel opsins in muscle, which is the part that makes this all work. They used genetically modified mice; a human would need gene therapy. And *extensive* gene therapy at that. Muscular dystrophies are an easy nut to crack from a genetic treatment standpoint (monogenic, rescuable after diagnosis, intracellular target), but the reality of gene therapy in muscle has kept long term gene therapy solutions 1/
KuldFyt
/2 incomplete and impractical for decades. This is nowhere near a quick fix for anything, and would likely be brutal for the patient for relatively modest functional gains.
KuldFyt
*I should add that from a research perspective that this is a very useful thing, as there are some interesting kinetics to unpack and some very useful cross uses with other technologies to get at developmental and regenerative questions.
BadPunsAplenty
"What are you doing, dear?" "Oh, just having a light workout..."
hushpuppyextraordinaire
MIT rave scene is lit
thermodaemonics
Not my field, but I *think* for this to work they insert a modified gene from algae into the muscle tissue which then can be triggered more precisely and with less fatigue than with electrical stimulation. (Reference 26 in the linked paper)
Maybe you also get that Vulcan complexion and don't need to take a break for lunch when you sunbathe.