Read up on some basic background information about the science and engineering topics explored in the film.
YOUR BODY IS THE WORLD’S GREATEST MACHINE
The human body is one amazing machine! It’s a single structure, but made up of billions of small structures, separated into cells, tissues, organs, and systems. All of these systems work together in unison to perform the many complex functions of the body. In order for humans to survive, the body must maintain homeostasis. The ten major systems of our body (skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive) need to work together, in balance, for an individual to maintain life. There are times when our bodies’ systems don’t function correctly and provide us with medical challenges. Medical advancements are being made daily through research, design, and testing in hopes of transforming the way healthcare is provided.
In Superhuman Body: World of Medical Marvels, we follow four stories tied to some of the most significant medical advancements of the past decade that have impacted healthcare and that provide solutions to some of our most pressing medical challenges. Audiences meet a variety of scientists and medical professionals who worked on these medical breakthroughs and individuals who are benefiting from these innovations.
Here are some of the medical subjects explored in the film.
MEDICAL ROBOTICS
Medical Robotics is an evolving field of study, with many advancements being made. Previously, the thought of robots was just found in science-fiction literature, but as technology advances, robots, including medical robots, are becoming more and more common. Using robotics in the medical field has various benefits, including alleviating workloads for nurses and caregivers and enabling a high level of patient care. Robotics are used to monitor patients, complete minimally invasive procedures, and ensure more consistent processes, just to name a few.
As advancements are made, surgical-assistance robots are becoming more common and more precise. These types of robots assist surgeons who perform a number of different tasks. Some surgical robots can operate autonomously, or by themselves, while others need the surgeon to “drive” the robot to complete the task. Engineers, including biomedical engineers, are constantly iterating robot designs to create new innovative ways to solve the problems our bodies face.
PROSTHETICS
There are many reasons why an individual might require a prosthesis including, but not limited to, amputation, loss of a
limb, or a birth defect. A prosthesis is an artificial body part designed to help individuals with limb differences improve
mobility, manage daily activities, and provide the individual with
a way to stay independent.
The earliest proof of prosthetics comes from a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, who was found with a prosthetic toe made from wood and leather. Since then, there have been numerous advances in how prosthetics are made, fitted, and utilized. New-age prosthetics can be made from a clear silicone, and even painted to match existing skin tones, body hair, and can even include natural features like freckles. Tattoos and other artwork can be added to prosthetics for even greater expression. Orthotists and prosthetists can create these devices for individuals. They can measure, design, fit, and adjust these devices for the patients in need.
As advancements are made, surgical-assistance robots are becoming more common and more precise. These types of robots assist surgeons who perform a number of different tasks. Some surgical robots can operate autonomously, or by themselves, while others need the surgeon to “drive” the robot to complete the task. Engineers, including biomedical engineers, are constantly iterating robot designs to create new innovative ways to solve the problems our bodies face.
the Heart and TAVR
Made up of four chambers, a healthy human heart tirelessly pumps blood through a 60,000-mile-long network of blood vessels, bringing nutrients to all the vital tissues of the body. It circulates around 1.5 gallons of blood through the body about every minute, and moves about 1/3rd cup of fluid with each pump. It is one of nature’s most incredible machines—elegant, efficient, and remarkably durable.
One common problem that occurs in the heart is aortic stenosis, which affects as many as 300,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. The aorta is the largest artery in the human body, and carries freshly oxygenated blood from your heart to your brain, organs, and muscles. Aortic stenosis simply means the aortic valve—a crescent-shaped structure that crucially controls the blood entering into the aorta and ensures blood does not flow backwards—has narrowed. This can thwart blood flow, causing fatigue, breathlessness, light-headedness, and other worsening symptoms.
In the past, replacing a heart valve was not so simple. Valve replacements could be only performed as majorly invasive open-heart surgery. But recently, a non-surgical procedure known as TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) has completely transformed the treatment of aortic stenosis, lending a chance for a longer life to many.
With TAVR, recovery from valve replacement can take place in a matter of days rather than arduous months, and dangerous complications are significantly reduced. In the minimally invasive procedure, a specially manufactured artificial valve is carefully threaded upwards through an artery all the way to the heart where it is implanted inside the natural valve that is not working properly. First performed on a human in 2002 in France, TAVR is now approved in more than 50 countries, and has changed thousands of lives.
T-Cell Therapy
In recent decades, cancer treatment centered around surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy but the emergence of targeted immunotherapy has gained prominence over recent years. Targeted immunotherapy uses the patient’s immune system to shrink or eliminate tumors.
CAR T-cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy, has demonstrated the ability to eradicate advanced leukemias and lymphomas, achieving long-term cancer control. Since 2017, six CAR T-cell therapies have gained FDA approval.
At the core of CAR T-cell therapy are T-cells, essential components of the immune system responsible for orchestrating immune responses and killing infected cells. Current CAR T-cell therapies are personalized for each patient. Physicians collect T-cells from the patient, re-engineer them to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and infuse them back into the patient.
The CARs are synthetic molecules that recognize specific proteins on cancer cells and guide the engineered T-cells to identify and eliminate the cells. Each CAR comprises external fragments of lab-made antibodies, which determine the overall function of the CAR T-cells, providing a versatile tool for cancer treatments.
