In operating rooms today, cancer surgeons are essentially forced to operate without any definitive way of determining whether or not 100% of the diseased tissue has been removed. Thanks to a radical invention by researchers in Massachusetts, that huge limitation could soon be a thing of the past. A new system, dubbed FLARE (Fluorescence-Assisted Resection and Exploration), involves a near-infrared (NIR) imaging system, a video monitor, and a computer. These tools are used to see special chemical dies (christened NIR fluorophores) that are crafted to "target specific structures such as cancer cells when injected into patients." When these dyes are exposed to NIR light, the cancer cells light up, giving doctors an easy look at what they have left to remove. The team is gearing up to showcase the technology at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Philadelphia -- here's hoping it can be put to good use in the very near future.

Regular nerves getting you down? Why not try a bionic nerve? According to reports, researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an artificial nerve which could have the ability to bring damaged limbs and organs back to life. In a study published in the medical rag Experimental Neurology, Dr. Paul Kingham and his team at the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration managed to take fat tissue from adult animals and differentiate them into nerve cells to be used for repair and regeneration. The team will repeat the study with human volunteers, and then develop an artificial nerve constructed from a biodegradable polymer. The "bio-material" will be rolled into a tube-like structure and inserted between two cut nerves, so that regrowing nerve fibers can spread from one end to the other. Next, the researchers hope to create a species of tyrannical man-bots called the Borg, whom they hope will move outward through the galaxy, assimilating all who stand in their way.

[Via Slashdot]

While the idea of a robotic surgeon always makes us a bit weary, a new micro-drill crafted in the UK is earning its stripes (and the public's trust) the old fashioned way: by executing its duties without harming someone. The intelligent medical drill was developed by Peter Brett and colleagues at the University of Aston and David Proops, a surgeon at University Hospital Birmingham, and is "used to bore small holes in the side of a patient's head so that a surgeon can install an implant." Aside from being just slightly creeped out at that imagery, a surgical device that has worked perfectly in three actual operations demands respect, as the device has successfully allowed doctors to "give profoundly deaf patients cochlear implants." This device stands out due to its uncanny ability to sense pressure, torque, and force, and can automatically shut down if it feels it's going to pierce a membrane that shouldn't be punctured -- and for all you fellows who greatly prefer your hair over just about anything, we're sure the implant industry is already checking into it.

[Via NewScientistTech]

Let's face it, not everyone has the technical abilities to convert their Xbox 360 into a tissue dispenser, and moreover, it's not the most portable method of carrying around sniffle rags. Never fear, however, as the nation so well known for kicking out robotic servants is at it yet again, and this time around InterRobot Inc. is offering up a mechanical being to serve up handy tissue packs to the ill public that it runs into. The Mospeng-kun robot sports a human-esque design, the ability to wheel around and meet sickly individuals, and a continually smiling face that greets folks before personally handing them a pack of nose napkins. No word on what else the company plans on dispensing care of robotic employees, but considering they'll run you (or your business) around $835 for a five day rental, we'd probably reserve this option solely for the flu season.

[Via CNET]

We've kind of tapered off on Xbox 360 case mod coverage, since beyond a bit of paint here and a large fan there, where are you going to go? Well, a friendly Engadget tipster finally answered that question with the "Xbox 360 Tissue-Dispensing Alarm Clock Case Mod." Featuring not only intense tissue-dispensing action, but a snazzy EL-based alarm clock, the Xbox 360 case mod sheds all such constraints such as "functionality" and "reason" for a case mode made especially in our honor. Fitting, no?

[Thanks, Jordan]

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