Novel blood test can measure severity of pain

A first-of-its-kind blood test that can measure the severity of pain in patients may help curb unnecessary prescriptions of painkillers, which are often addictive. For the study, researchers tracked hundreds of participants to identify biomarkers in the blood that can help objectively determine how severe a patient’s pain is. The blood test would allow physicians far more accuracy in treating pain-as well as a better long-term look at the patient’s medical future.

“We have developed a prototype for a blood test  that can objectively tell doctors if the patient is in pain, and how severe that pain is,” said a professor.

“It’s very important to have an objective measure of pain, as pain is a subjective sensation. Until now we have had to rely on patients self-reporting or the clinical impression the doctor has,” he said.

“When we started this work it was a farfetched idea. But the idea was to find a way to treat and prescribe things more appropriately to people who are in pain,” he said.

Researchers looked at biomarkers found in the blood -- in this case molecules that reflect disease severity. Much like as glucose serves as a biomarker to diabetes, these biomarkers allow doctors to assess the severity of the pain the patient is experiencing, and provide treatment in an objective, quantifiable manner. With an opioid epidemic becoming an increasing concern, the Prof. said never has there been a more important time to administer drugs to patients responsibly.

“The opioid epidemic occurred because addictive medications were over-prescribed due to the fact that there was no objective measure whether someone was in pain, or how severe their pain was,” he said.

“Before, doctors weren’t being taught good alternatives. The thought was that this person says they are in pain, let’s prescribe it. Now people are seeing that this created a huge problem,” he said.
“We need alternatives to opioids, and we need to treat people in a precise fashion. This test we’ve developed allows for that,” he added.

In addition to providing an objective measure of pain, the blood test helps physicians match the biomarkers in the patient’s blood with potential treatment options. Researchers utilise a prescription database -- similar to fingerprint databases employed by the FBI -- to match the pain biomarkers with profiles of drugs and natural compounds cataloged in the database.

“The biomarker is like a fingerprint, and we match it against this database and see which compound would normalise the signature,”he  said. “We found some compounds that have been used for decades to treat other things pair the best with the biomarkers. We have been able to match biomarkers with existing medications, or natural compounds, which would reduce or eliminate the need to use the opioids,” he added. 

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Scientists develop prototype of implantable artificial kidney

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Scientists have developed a coffee-cup-sized prototype of a surgically implantable artificial kidney that uses a silicon nanofilter to remove toxins, salts and other molecules from the blood.

The advance could be a promising alternative to kidney transplantation or dialysis for people with end stage renal disease (ESRD), researchers said. "We aim to conduct clinical trials on an implantable, engineered organ in this decade, and we are coordinating our efforts with both the NIH (US National Institutes of Health) and the US Food and Drug Administration," said Shuvo Roy, from University of California, San Francisco in US.

Researchers prototyped and tested key components of the coffee-cup-sized device, which mimics functions of the human kidney. One component of the new artificial kidney is a silicon nanofilter to remove toxins, salts, some small molecules, and water from the blood.

Bangladesh born Roy's research team designed the device based on manufacturing methods used in the production of semiconductor electronics and microelectromechanical systems. The new silicon nanofilters offer several advantages - including more uniform pore size - over filters now used in dialysis machines, according to Roy, who led the research together with William Fissell, a professor at the Vanderbilt University in US.
The silicon nanofilter is designed to function on blood pressure alone and without a pump or electrical power. Fissell said the project's goal is to create a permanent solution to the scarcity problem in organ transplantation. "We are increasing the options for people with chronic kidney disease who would otherwise be forced onto dialysis," Fissell added.

The artificial kidney being developed by Roy and Fissell is designed to be connected internally to the patient's blood supply and bladder and implanted near the patient's own kidneys, which are not removed. The research was presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week in US. 

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-scientists-develop-prototype-of-implantable-artificial-kidney-2145537

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