World’s first: A car driven by attention

PTI | Sep 26, 2013, 03.19 AM IST
MELBOURNE: Researchers claim to have developed the world's first attention-powered car — a pioneering vehicle that uses a headset to monitor brain activity and slow acceleration during periods of distraction.

The car commissioned by the The Royal Automobile Club of West Australia was tested in Perth in a bid to prevent road accidents due to inattention. The makers describe it as a "car that goes when you're paying attention, and slows when you're not."

The technology behind the vehicle uses a neuro headset that connects to brain activity linked to the car's engine via customized software, 'PerthNow' reported. The software communicates with the car and slows the vehicle when the driver's concentration lapses. The headset measures the electrical activity in a person's brain and feeds it into an algorithm that determines if the driver is paying attention or not.
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genomic therapies to tackle tumor-prone years


Treatment for cancer lies in our genes

, TNN | Sep 25, 2013, 03.03 PM IST
NEW DELHI: It's a warning that should be heeded. Even as experts say that the US will face a crisis in cancer care as an aging population reaches its tumor-prone years, scientists have developed revolutionary genomic therapies to tackle this looming crisis. So revolutionary, in fact, that the treatment for cancer now lies in our genes itself.

Most cancers have variations which can be decoded by their DNA. Specific tests now zero in on these DNA, leading to targeted treatment. "Previously, cancers were treated with a crude approach using multiple chemotherapy drugs with many side-effects," says Dr S V S Deo, associate professor, department of surgical oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. "Targeted therapy is like a 'smart bomb' which specifically attacks cancer cells without harming normal tissues and has minimal side effects." It is being used successfully for breast, lung, gastrointestinal and blood cancer.

The success of these biological therapies depends on identifying the defect in a cancer cell, says Dr Radheshyam, consultant, medical oncologist, HCG Cancer Centre, Bangalore. "In some tumors, precision medicine is going to be a significant part of overall treatment. While there are hundreds of chemotherapy drugs, in advanced cancers, both chemo and targeted therapy are given."

These therapies are especially beneficial for hereditary cancer and selectively kill cancer cells by interacting with the receptors. "Some targeted therapies even have the advantage that they lead to minimal hair loss," says Dr Sunil Kumar Gupta, senior consultant, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Delhi.

For these biological therapies, first tissue is taken from the tumour and a DNA test done. This will show up genetic abnormalities and mutations. Sometimes a drug that works on a mutated lung cancer cell can also work for some other cancer. So scientists have to find which treatment works for which mutation in which organ.

There are different DNA tests for different cancers depending on their mutations. For example, BRCA testing helps in identifying women at risk for developing breast cancer with a family history. "Gene profiling tests like Oncotype Dx and mamma print help in knowing the risk of cancer recurring and the treatment can be tailored to the patient's needs. They also provide information on the need for chemotherapy," says Deo. Oncotype Dx is, however, done by labs in the US.

Oncotype Dx, says Gupta, analyzes 21 genes in a tumor to determine whether the patient should be given only hormonal therapy (for low risk patients) or chemotherapy (high risk). For lung cancer, EGFR, AIK and Her-2 gene tests are done and for colorectal cancer, K-ras gene mutation analysis.

These revolutionary treatments are a mind-boggling field and expensive with the costs varying between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, says Deo. While some 25% of cancer patients at AIIMS receive some form of targeted therapy, at HCG hospital more than 100 patients have been treated with this procedure. And at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, plans are afoot to start a Hereditary Genetic Cancer Clinic.
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Safety devices for personal protection

Narayani Ganesh, TNN | Sep 25, 2013, 08.32 AM IST
READ MORE Mata Amritanandamayi|Krishnashree Achuthan|Amrita University|Amrita Centre for Cyber Security
AMRITAPURI (Kerala): Help is at hand for the vulnerable, especially women, the elderly and children, say scientists Krishnashree Achuthan and Suja Devi Vijayagangadharan, US-trained researchers at the Amrita Centre for Cyber Security that is part of Mata Amritanandamayi's Amrita University in Kerala's Kollam district.

The fetching coastline with its swaying palm trees and black sands fringes the vast University campus, where cutting edge scientific research is happening quietly, often through collaboration with peer groups abroad. Research here however is largely oriented toward practical applications that would benefit the greatest number - the Amritamitra safety device is one such that is to be announced during Amma's 60th birthday celebrations.

The personal safety device - designed at the suggestion of Mata Amritanandamayi - is just 3.5cm X 3.5cm and can be carried on one's person without attracting undue attention. The trigger may be built into the device or placed at another location on the individual's body, behind the ear or tucked at the waist, for example. This is how it operates:

This device will empower women - or the elderly, the physically challenged or children - to trigger communication with family and police when in distress. The device will remain inconspicuous to the offender and yet easily activated by the victim with multiple options to ensure stealthy and secure communication. With the ability to record conversations, and communicate immediately by the press of a button or using sms and voice calls to multiple destinations, this device also offers automated information on nearest police station, hospitals, fire stations to the victim to get immediate help. The device will also have ability to video tape events in the near future. It can work in indoor and outdoor environments with minimal power consumption.

Another device to be inaugurated during Amritavarsham60 -the 60th birthday celebrations of Amma on September 27, 2013 - is the one named Amritaspandan, a wireless device for heart patients that will alert the wearer and those on the alert list like hospital and family of any impending heart attack or failure, also revealing the location of the person.

A slew of initiatives and projects are to be announced during September 26-27 by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) including the scheme to adopt 101 villages throughout India, which is being called the Amrita Self-Reliant Village Programme (Amrita Swasraya Gramam) where Ammachi Labs will set up e-learning facilities and every effort will be made to provide for education, skills development and healthcare. A Rs 50 crore project will take off towards disaster relief work in Uttarakhand, largely for housing, care for orphaned children and women and to provide educational services.

Also announced will be breakthroughs in cancer research by the Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, a new tablet-based learning programme for literacy called Amrita RITE and a clutch of exciting online innovations for the benefit and protection of society.

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