Science View

A Cure Before Illness? Small Blood Molecule Secrets (2x14)

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J-Innovators: An Ultra-Low Temperature Cooler - A Product of Precision Manufacture A cooler that lowers the temperature by 100 degrees in only 4 minutes? That would be the Stirling cooler, right? The basic design was developed by Scot, Robert Stirling 200 years ago, and has long been renowned for its efficiency. But how to make a comparable product for general use? This week's innovator found a radical solution using extraordinary precision manufacturing. What was his new idea? With great hopes for the Stirling cooler in both medicine and chemistry, we introduce the innovator who made mass production possible. Science News Watch: Fighting Flu with a New Omega-3 Substance Science Watcher Katsuyuki Sakai brings us news of a substance which can suppress the spread of the influenza virus. A research group at Akita University found this key substance while studying how the flu virus progresses and worsens. It can be made from something that's found in a food familiar to most of us. As Tamiflu and other anti-viral drugs are losing their efficacy against advanced flu, there is an urgent need for a better treatment. Will this research point a new way forward? Tune in to find out more! The Leading Edge: A Cure Before Illness? Small Blood Molecule Secrets The blood that circulates in our own bodies contains substances that can help warn of the presence of disease very early. Called metabolites, they are tiny - at up to only a nanometer in diameter. About 300 types are known, but they are formed in only minute quantities. If we succeed in identifying how they are created, they could be used as markers for disease. This includes a disease that often afflicts drinkers, and a common mental condition you might know. A team led by Nobel Prize winner Koichi Tanaka is also working in this area using an enhanced antibody to capture disease-related substances in the blood. Learn about the great progress being made in this field that could transform medicine.