Layla Brinster
1/28/19
Current Event #14 Review
Citation:
Landhuis, Esther. “A New 3-D Printed 'Sponge' Sops up Excess Chemo Drugs.” Science News, 15 Jan. 2019, www.sciencenews.org/article/new-3d-printed-sponge-sops-excess-chemo-cancer-drugs.
Esther Landhuis, in her “A New 3-D Printed 'Sponge' Sops up Excess Chemo Drugs” describes how scientists have created a 3-D printed sponge to absorb the excess drugs associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. Scientists got the idea for the sponge from similar procedures used to remove plaque from arteries and were inspired to mimic this technique to treat glioblastomas. Normally, when chemotherapy is used on cancer patients, the drug attacks all areas of the body, causing harmful side effects. The sponge is inserted into a vein a few centimeters away from the infusion site of the chemotherapy drug. The aim of this sponge is to lessen these side effects through the absorbent sponge. That way, the chemotherapy treatment is contained more and does not spread as much. Tested on pigs, since their vein size is close to humans, the sponge has proven to absorb up to 40% of the excess drug. Although the sponge has not been tested on humans yet, there are plans to run trials in the near future.
This topic is extremely relevant to society and what we are learning in class. We have just finished learning about mitosis and cell division, how cancer occurs, and treatments for it, such as chemotherapy. We also learned that chemotherapy tends to attack the entire body, causing harmful side effects as it stops cell division. Thus, a study about lessening the effects of chemotherapy fits with what we have studied. Furthermore, these techniques can help treat multiple cancers and potentially save many lives if it proves to be successful in humans. Every day we are developing new ways and ideas to treat and prevent cancer.
Overall, this article was very well written and easy to understand. The points were concise and clear. The 3-D sponge was described very nicely and simply for an average reader to comprehend. Furthermore, the experiments being done on pigs with the sponge were also very comprehensive. However, the chronologically of the article posed some problems. To improve the article, I would suggest introducing the sponge and the inspiration behind it (glioblastoma, heart procedures) in the beginning, to paint a clearer picture. Then, I would talk about the trails on pigs and what exactly the sponge accomplishes. All in all, this article was extremely eye-opening and encouraging to learn how new innovations and research is being done to lessen the effects of cancer.
Landhuis, Esther. “A New 3-D Printed 'Sponge' Sops up Excess Chemo Drugs.” Science News, 15 Jan. 2019, www.sciencenews.org/article/new-3d-printed-sponge-sops-excess-chemo-cancer-drugs.
ReplyDeleteIn this review, Layla did provided a very good overview of the article. She very clearly outlined the principle of this sponge technology, including a description of how it was invented and how thoroughly it has been developed, without providing too many details. As a whole, this review is very well written. It is clealry structured, eloquently written and close to perfect gramatically. Finally, I liked her connection of the subject to our studies of cell division and related issues. I feel that this connection helped me gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Layla could have improved this revie by inproving a slightly more in-depth comment on just how significant this technology, if successful, could be. How important is it to our world that this treatment method be developed? How many people will be helped. Additionally, I would be interested to know a little more about how the sponges were created. The fact that they were 3D printed must be significant, as it was included in the title, but is not touched upon in the review.
Cancer affects a very vast portion of our world. The leading cancer treatment, chemotherapy, can, in cases, be almost as harmful as the illness itself. As the treatment attacks not only the cancerous cells but every cell, it can be quite traumatic on the body. If there is a hypothetical technology that can reduce this trauma while still reaping the benefits of chemotherapy, it must be developed to its fullest potention, as it may have the ability to cur immense numbers of people.