Khalil Ramadi: Electronic pills that could transform how we treat disease | TED Fellows

Translator: Yolanda Casas Reviewer: Noelia Bernárdez Alonso

[SHAPE YOUR FUTURE]

CREA O TEU FUTURO

For decades, scientists have tried to use brain modulation

Durante anos, empregouse na ciencia a estimulación cerebral

to treat neurological disorders.

para tratar enfermidades neurolóxicas.

Techniques usually involved sticking wires onto our head,

As técnicas empregadas implicaban pegar cables á cabeza,

then helmets that immobilized our head

poñer un casco inmobilizador

and zapping our brain with magnetic or electrical pulses.

e dar descargas magnéticas ou eléctricas no cerebro.

Given what we now know about the millions of circuits that our brain has,

Se temos en conta agora

os millóns de circuítos cerebrais que coñecemos

this was much like trying to fix a pothole by resurfacing the entire road.

isto era como arranxar unha fochanca asfaltando toda a estrada.

Brain modulation can actually come in different forms.

A estimulación cerebral dáse de varias formas.

O cerebro conecta cos órganos a través das neuronas,

The brain connects with all organs in our bodies through neurons,

much like an octopus' tentacles.

coma os tentáculos dos polbos.

This means that diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders can all be induced,

Por isto, o cerebro e o sistema nervioso poden atraer, causar e agravar

as enfermidades autoinmunes, a diabetes ou o cancro.

affected and exacerbated by the brain and the nervous system.

This also means that brain modulation can be achieved

E polo mesmo, alcánzase a estimulación cerebral

through different parts of the body

a través de varias partes do corpo

by zapping organs and limbs with electrodes

ao dar descargas en órganos e extremidades

that have usually been implanted with drills and scalpels.

con eléctrodos

a miúdo implantados con trades e bisturís.

Today, however, brain modulation doesn't have to be so invasive.

Mais agora, a estimulación cerebral non é tan invasora.

Some of my colleagues at MIT

Uns dos meus colegas do MIT

have discovered that a potential therapy for Alzheimer's

deron cun posible tratamento para o alzhéimer.

could be watching light of a certain wavelength

Consiste en mirar escintileos de luz cunha frecuencia

flash at a particular frequency.

e lonxitude de onda determinadas.

This is an example of something I like to call a bionudge --

Isto é un exemplo do que eu chamo

«BIOCONDUTORES»,

simple techniques that target specific circuits in our bodies

técnicas sinxelas dirixidas a circuítos do noso corpo

to achieve a certain outcome,

cun propósito determinado,

like using light to slow degeneration and Alzheimer's.

como usar a luz para moderar a dexeneración do alzhéimer.

Let me show you an example of a really simple bionudge.

Vouche dar un exemplo dun «biocondutor» moi sinxelo.

In 10 seconds, I'm going to cause neurons in your pretectal area to light up

En 10 segundos,

vou activar as neuronas da túa área pretectal.

and then I'll stimulate your amygdala and hippocampus to surprise you.

Logo sorprendereite

estimulando a túa amígdala e o hipocampo.

Finally, your arcuate nucleus to make you feel hungry.

Rematarei co núcleo arqueado,

que fai que sintas fame.

Bionudges don't need to be shocking or jarring,

Os «biocondutores» non teñen que meter medo nin impactar,

They just need to be designed to activate or silence a specific brain circuit.

só teñen como obxectivo activar ou deter un circuíto cerebral.

Combining bionudges in a certain order

Mesturar «biocondutores» nunha orde determinada

can allow us to use them for a more targeted purpose.

permítenos empregalos cun propósito máis concreto.

My team and I at MIT developed microdevices

O equipo do MIT no que traballo desenvolveu microdispositivos

similar in shape and size to a pill that can be swallowed like we do pills

con forma e tamaño similares

aos dunha pastilla, e son dixeribles.

Estes conteñen compoñentes electrónicos

and contain electronics

to deliver little bursts of electrical or chemical stimuli --

que dan descargas e provocan estímulos eléctricos ou químicos.

bionudges -- to our gut.

«Biocondutores» intestinais.

Our gut is the largest interface of our body with the outside world.

O intestino é a maior interface

do noso corpo co mundo exterior.

It has an incredible combination of tissues all working together.

Ten unha incrible combinación de tecidos que traballan xuntos.

It houses enteroendocrine cells

Nel albérganse células enteroendocrinas,

that sense what we eat

que perciben o que comemos

and induce the release of hormones that can regulate hunger and metabolism.

e liberan hormonas capaces de regular a fame e o metabolismo.

It houses immune cells that sense the microbiome

Tamén alberga células inmunes que detectan o microbioma

while preventing bacteria from entering our body.

e evitan que as bacterias penetren no organismo.

And neurons -- lots and lots of neurons.

E neuronas.

Neuronas a moreas.

This is why certain sugary or salty foods can ramp up dopamine levels in our brain

Por iso hai comidas doces ou salgadas que aumentan a dopamina no cerebro

and make us feel quite good after eating them.

e fan que nos sintamos moi ben despois de comelas.

Our electronic pills can be designed to reside in the gut for days to weeks,

As nosas pastillas electrónicas

quedan no intestino días ou semanas

delivering bionudges to neurons along the GI tract.

e liberan «biocondutores» ás neuronas polo tracto gastrointestinal.

Depending on the shape and strength of these electrical impulses,

En función da súa forma e intensidade, os impulsos eléctricos

poden afectar aos niveis de hormonas en sangue

they can either affect hormone levels in our blood

or travel up to our brain

ou desprazarse ata o cerebro,

where they can activate or silence specific brain circuits

onde son capaces de accionar ou deter circuítos cerebrais

that control hunger, metabolism and arousal.

que controlan a fame, o metabolismo e a excitación,

Much like we did just a few minutes ago.

como xa vimos hai uns minutos.

Using our devices, we could stimulate the stomach

Os dispositivos poderían intervir

na actividade estomacal

to tackle nausea or influence satiety

para regular náuseas e a saciedade

or the intestine to change the way we digest things like glucose

ou facer que o intestino modifique a dixestión da glicosa

by affecting absorption of nutrients in food.

cunha alteración da absorción dos nutrientes.

This could mean new, noninvasive therapies for the 34 million diabetics in the US

Isto traduciríase en tratamentos non invasivos para

34 millóns de diabéticos estadounidenses

and 650 million obese population worldwide.

e 650 millóns de persoas con obesidade no mundo.

We could even affect things like inflammation in the brain,

Ata poderiamos alterar

patoloxías coma a encefalite

slowing down degeneration for the almost 60 million patients

e retrasar a dexeneración nuns 60 millóns de pacientes

with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's around the world.

con párkinson ou alzhéimer en todo o mundo.

By being super specific, we can avoid side effects,

Ao seren tan específicos,

evitamos efectos secundarios,

unlike most of our drugs.

a diferenza da maioría de fármacos.

And in this way we can control appetite, nutrient digestion, hormone levels,

Así controlamos o apetito, a dixestión de nutrientes, as hormonas,

even happiness and reward.

a felicidade ou a satisfacción.

This is exciting.

Isto é apaixonante.

Bionudges are more targeted than medicines and less invasive than surgery.

Son máis precisos cós fármacos e menos invasores cá cirurxía.

Neuromodulation therapies could be a new gold standard in health care.

Os tratamentos de neuromodulación poderían converterse no modelo a seguir.

I'd like to leave you with an image:

Quero despedirme cunha imaxe:

a single pill, not filled with drugs or chemicals,

unha pastilla.

Non contén medicamentos nin substancias químicas,

but with electronics and microdevices

senón compoñentes electrónicos e microdispositivos

that deliver little bursts of energy to our gut.

que dan pequenas descargas de enerxía no intestino.

This pill can treat Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes or obesity,

Esta pastilla pode tratar párkinson, alzhéimer, diabetes ou obesidade

all without any chronic drugs, completely noninvasively.

sen o uso crónico de medicamentos e de forma totalmente non invasora.

No drill, no surgery, no hospital stay.

Sen trade, sen cirurxía e sen hospitalización.

This is how medicine could be.

Así podería chegar a ser a medicina.

This is how medicine should be.

Así é como debería ser a medicina.

Thank you.

Grazas.