In part two of the series on the scientific revolution known as nanotechnology, ACA explores how it's changing the face of medicine. In Sydney, doctors have developed a machine using the technology that can diagnose conditions, from heart attack to pregnancy, in less than 10 minutes.
According to Dr Bruce Cornell from the biotech company called Ambri, mammoth changes are now made possible by miniscule engineering.
"Nanotechnology is engineering at a scale of a thousandth millionth of a metre," he says. "So, engineering in the same way we understand such as building bridges, putting various pieces of bits and pieces together to make working machines. But it's at this very, very small scale."
Describing the technology as life-changing, Dr Cornell and his team have developed a machine using nanotech. The diagnostic machine has the potential to detect and measure drugs, hormones, viruses and bacteria in a matter of minutes, which allows doctors to make critical on-the-spot decisions.
Dr Carol Pollack, professor of medicine at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, where the machine is on trial for six weeks, says the technology is extremely unique, particularly because of its small size and almost instant results.
"You have to understand that in places like the country and more isolated areas, pathologists aren't easily available so for people with chest pain for instance, they may well have to stay in hospital overnight waiting for a test result to come back," she says.
Now scientists are able to work with the very building blocks of life, atoms and molecules, anything is possible.
In Brisbane, Matt Trau and his team are using the technology to try and make human flesh and living body parts like pancreatic tissue and bone. It's not cloning; they're actually building them from scratch.
"As we start getting better and better at making those sorts of devices, you'll see a blurring of inanimate materials like bricks, I hate to use that type of analogy, being interwoven with flesh," he says. "Now that sounds boring but for things like orthapaedic implants where you need cement and flesh, you'll see huge advances."
Science fiction has never been so close to fact. Just like in the film, Terminator, human flesh could be fused with metal, or more realistically, plastic or ceramic.
Still, it's a long way off.
"I think we'll see a blurring of the lines between what's human, what's electronic and what's robotic," explains Matt. "One could imagine that we can start to blend machinery with biology." Dr Cornell says we shouldn't be surprised how this technology will take us.
"If you look back 30 years, look back at the changes which have occurred since the 70s, and then look forward 30 years, it's almost impossible to predict what's going to occur then," he says. "The only thing I think you can guarantee is it's going to be very different than what's occurring now."
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