As kids we have all been infatuated with tattoos. I know I have. Growing up in India, many of the one rupee chocolates used to get usĀ tattoos for free, which I happily usedĀ to putĀ on my skin. Elders werenāt too pleased, often citing theĀ harmful effects of these āchemical drawingsā. Nevertheless, I and my friends used to show off every day to each other till these tattoos remained on our body. It was fun.
Grown up now, but the myth of tattoos has changed. From āchemical drawingsā to āartā, there are various tattoo artists around the world. The human body is more like a walking, talking drawing book now. Some people tattoo their loved ones names, some the philosophies they follow and some an image that they love. The latest and most surprising myth that I have heard of is that of āinducing medicineā through tattoos.
As reluctant as you may beĀ to accept it, it is true. Tattoo making as an end product is art, but behind that art science areĀ investedĀ ink, machines, and colors, all produced from harm free chemicals so that something beautiful can be expressed on the body. SinceĀ these are chemicals weāreĀ talking about, scientists are using them to use medicines now.
Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, USA has come up with some fresh findings and published it in the science journal Nature on the usage of tattoos for medicinal purposes. Combining nanotechnology and medicines,Ā delivering medicines via tattoos seems possible.
Also Read: Precision Medicine ā The Ultimate Cure?
This new therapy has already found success in treating Multiple Sclerosis. The process is very simple, similar to tattoos are usually delivered. You make a tattoo using the machine filled with the ink. PositionĀ the pin of the machine on the skin and start drawing the tattoo you need. However, the ink will contain anti-oxidants mixed with nanoparticles. āā¦the carbon-based particles form a dark spot that fades over about one week as they are slowly released into the circulationā, says Baylor scientist Christine Beeton who is heading the experiment.
Related: Where are the Medical Nanobots?
Killer T cells are the infantry division of the human bodyās immune system. In a disease like multiple sclerosis, these cells stop differentiating between the bodyās own cells and the infiltrating pathogen cells. This lays the groundwork for more physical, mental, sometimes even psychiatric disorders which might eventually end up in permanent damage. When the tattoo is designed on the skin, a small patch sized in the range of nanometers,Ā is formed on the skin. This small patch is the location from whereĀ nanoparticles comprised ofĀ polyethylene glycol with hydrophilic carbon clusters (PEG-HCCs) are administered into the blood stream. The patch then disappears over time. These carbon particles now presentĀ in the blood stream slow down the T cells from attacking while letting the other cells from the immune system to work normally.
Usually when a medicine is administeredĀ to the body, it affects a broader area instead of the targeted specific area. This allows the body to be susceptible to infection and other side effects. But tattoo based medicine delivery has far lower chances of side effects, since the impact is aimedĀ directly at the T cells. After the job is done, these particles exit the body to prevent any permanent problem.
Itās interesting to see the lines between science & art blurring, and even more heartening to see the two work together for such innovative means to push our capabilities as a species forward. I believeĀ science is an art, whileĀ art needs science to be precise. This experiment was conducted on rodent specimensĀ for now. However, thereās a good chanceĀ youāll find tattoo studios and a hospital, both in the same building!