If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember Buckminster Fuller’s distinctive “geodesic domes” soccer-ball-shaped structures that the late futurist envisioned as ideal human domiciles. Tel Aviv University chemists remember them too and are now putting them to use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

In partnership with a group of Prof. Howard Weiner from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Michael Gozin from TAU’s School of Chemistry is attempting to create the next generation MS drug based on a delivery platform of “buckyballs,” small soccer-ball-shaped molecules sometimes called fullerenes. Made from pure carbon, the buckyballs can function as invigorating antioxidants to keep neurons in the brain alive and kicking.

Buckyballs and related carbon nanotubes have enormous potential to be used in sensors and electronic applications allowing scientists to manufacture much more smaller and faster processors. These carbon-based materials have a huge range of possibilities in nanotechnology applications as well.

Until now, buckyball-derived therapeutics have not been used in medicine. But the TAU and Harvard teams believe that they may resolve issues related to this nanomaterial development, and are seeking to commercialize their patented invention. If successful, the TAU-Harvard collaboration could provide new hope to millions of MS sufferers, and would make Bucky himself proud.

from genengnews.com

Here is one more story of someone who’s life was changed by the Bioness leg harness.

In 2003, Nicole Tassone fell while playing tennis. It took 2 years for her to find out she had Multiple Sclerosis. “The nerves are being exposed because the mylan sheath is dissolving so when I think to do something like walk it doesn’t communicate from here to here”, Tassone said.

She had to quit tennis, because she couldn’t run, and this mother of 2 says it was hard to live a normal life. MS causes extreme fatigue, and even with a cane, it was hard to get around. “I have something called drop foot so when your heel goes down your foot goes up- mine doesn’t, it just drops causing you to fall”, Tassone said.

Then 6 months ago her doctor told her about a new device- the Bioness l300.

There’s a leg cuff that wraps around the leg right under the knee and a heel sensor is secured in the shoe. Then every time it’s pressed, a signal goes to the cuff and it fires an electrical charge making her foot rise.

While she’s wearing it, she does have to stay 10 feet from the microwave. “My kids want to use the microwave (and yell) mom is your leg on? I call it my bionic leg”, Tassone said.

After wearing it for 6 months she says it’s changed her life. “Its really helped my self esteem believe it or not because I was feeling trapped in my body… and now I don’t look as obvious”, Tassone said.

And for the first time since her diagnosois she has real hope for the future.

HealthSouth is the only local medical center that carries the Bioness L-300. It costs around $6000.

from live5news