Next Generation: Blood-Cleansing Device
An external device that mimics the structure of a spleen can cleanse the blood of rats with acute sepsis, ridding the fluid of pathogens and toxins.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/40979/title/Next-Generation–Blood-Cleansing-Device/
A cool idea, but an interesting caveat:
Fink cautioned that bacterial resistance is a theoretical possibility. “Using this device will remove bacteria that sticks best to MBL, which might select for bacteria that don’t stick well to MBL,” he said. “To underestimate the bacteria would be a mistake.”
I was also amused to note the inclusion of ‘HIV’ and the even more topical ‘Ebola’; got to spew as many buzzwords as possible to maximize your chance of getting into the mainstream press and all the attention that would lead to! Of course, I would do exactly the same, so I can’t blame them…
