Here's Your Effing Jetpack: Plastic Antibodies!
Plastic Antibodies Effective In Living Animals!
Natural antibodies are proteins that are shaped to wrap around the molecules of a dangerous substance. The body has to be exposed to the substance to learn how to make them, and the immune system responses involved in the process can contribute to the trauma. Thing like antivenom serums are currently made by injecting a large animal like a horse with the toxin, and then filtering their blood for the antibodies-these natural antibodies can sometimes induce reactions of their own.
This technique creates synthetic antibodies out of plastic, simply by molding the polymer around the molecules.
This is insanely brilliant, and could open huge doors in medical treatments.
It's also one of those Amazing Advances of the Future that slipped by most SF writers.
In a space opera setting, since these are biologically neutral, you could actually have antitoxins that would work on almost any species! Call Sector General!
I can so easily see a Plastic Antibody Synthesis rig as part of the onboard medical systems of KLDR-4077, or a transhuman/posthuman character like Charlotte; it seems especially well-suited to her "rebuilt to survive in a toxic world" theme.
Regular readers will note that I've added another new "column" to my Subject Headers: "Here's Your Effing Jetpack." Yes, it's the 21st Century, and no, we don't have all the wonderful Jetsons technology they promised us-but we have so much tech that hardly anyone did foresee. And we take most of it for granted, including the ones that make this post possible. There are enough net-tech sites out there that I won't bother making note of the latest Cupertino Tchotchke, but if something weird, wonderful, and off the wall strikes my eye-well, Here's Your Effing Jetpack.
Natural antibodies are proteins that are shaped to wrap around the molecules of a dangerous substance. The body has to be exposed to the substance to learn how to make them, and the immune system responses involved in the process can contribute to the trauma. Thing like antivenom serums are currently made by injecting a large animal like a horse with the toxin, and then filtering their blood for the antibodies-these natural antibodies can sometimes induce reactions of their own.
This technique creates synthetic antibodies out of plastic, simply by molding the polymer around the molecules.
This is insanely brilliant, and could open huge doors in medical treatments.
It's also one of those Amazing Advances of the Future that slipped by most SF writers.
In a space opera setting, since these are biologically neutral, you could actually have antitoxins that would work on almost any species! Call Sector General!
I can so easily see a Plastic Antibody Synthesis rig as part of the onboard medical systems of KLDR-4077, or a transhuman/posthuman character like Charlotte; it seems especially well-suited to her "rebuilt to survive in a toxic world" theme.
Regular readers will note that I've added another new "column" to my Subject Headers: "Here's Your Effing Jetpack." Yes, it's the 21st Century, and no, we don't have all the wonderful Jetsons technology they promised us-but we have so much tech that hardly anyone did foresee. And we take most of it for granted, including the ones that make this post possible. There are enough net-tech sites out there that I won't bother making note of the latest Cupertino Tchotchke, but if something weird, wonderful, and off the wall strikes my eye-well, Here's Your Effing Jetpack.