Coming, Google maps for the body

Melbourne, March 31: A previously top-secret technology to zoom through the human body down to the level of a single cell could be a game-changer for medicine, an intertiol research conference in the United States has been told. The imaging technology, developed by high-tech German optical and industrial measurement manufacturer Zeiss, was origilly developed to scan silicon wafers for defects.

Melissa Knothe Tate, a professor from University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia, is leading the project, using semiconductor technology to explore osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Knothe Tate presented several papers on her research into the human hip and osteoarthritis at the Orthopedic Research Society meeting in Las Vegas recently. Knothe Tate likened using the Zeiss technology in the hipbone to Google Maps’ ability to zoom down from an Earth View to Street View.

“These are terabyte-sized data sets so the Google maps algorithms are helping us take this tremendous amount of information and use it effectively. “The implications will ultimately pave the way to engineer better human health and quality of life as we age,” the scientist concluded. (IANS)