This document discusses 4 breakthrough technologies from 2017: 1) Reversing paralysis using brain implants and electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to allow a monkey with an injured spinal cord to walk again. 2) Using facial recognition software in China for mobile payments and surveillance. 3) 360-degree cameras allowing full panoramic "selfies" being used in journalism and medical education. 4) New gene therapies targeting single-gene disorders being approved in Europe, with potential to treat more complex multi-gene diseases in the future.

1. 4 Breakthrough
Technologies
2017

2. Introduction
“We are changing the world through technology” - Bill Gates
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3. 1. Reversing paralysis
● Paralysis : Caused by damage in the nervous system, especially spinal cord.
○ Accompanies a loss of feeling.

4. Reversing paralysis
● Using brain implants to restore the freedom of movement
● Experiment
○ French neuroscientist used macaque monkey.
○ Sliced halfway through animal’s spinal cord , paralysed its right leg.
See how scientists could get the monkey walking again??!!

5. Reversing paralysis
● What Gregoire coutine and colleague’s had done?
○ Installed two devices
○ A recording device beneath the skull
○ A pad of flexible electrodes around the animal spinal cord, below the injury.
○ A wireless connection joined the two electronic devices.
● The result
○ System that reads the monkey’s intention to move is transmitted immediately in form of bursts of
electrical stimulation to its spine.
○ Monkeys right leg began to move!!

6. Reversing paralysis
Brain reading chip Flexible electrodes to stimulate spinal cord

7. 2. Paying with your face
● In china face detecting system
○ Authorize payments
○ Provide access to facilities
○ Track down criminals

8. Paying with your face
● Face ++ company a startup company in china developed the software.
● Technology from Face++ used in mobile app ‘Alipay’
○ A mobile payment app.
○ Use only face as credentials.
● Government using software to identify suspected criminals in video from
surveillance cameras.

9. 3. The 360-Degree selfie
● A camera that creates 360-Degree pictures
● Users can use a mouse cursor( on a computer) or finger(on smartphone or a
tablet) to pan around the image.
● Until recently multiple cameras at different angles and a pricey software were
used
● Today anyone can buy a decent 360-Degree camera with less than $500.

10. The 360-Degree selfie
Samsung has given this camera to New York Times journalists who are producing
360-Degree news coverage.

11. The 360-Degree selfie
● Los angeles startup use spherical videos of medical procedures to teach students
about surgery.
○ Used baseball sized camera, attached to surgical lights above patient.
Students can see :
○ the surgeon and surgical site
○ how operating room is organized
○ How room staffs interacts.

12. 4. Gene Therapy 2.0
● Gene therapy : Introduction of normal genes into cells in place of defective ones
to correct genetic disorders.
● The idea for Gene Therapy
○ Use an engineered virus to deliver healthy copies of a gene into patients with defective versions.
● Earlier the virus used to carry the new genes were delivered to wrong part,
causing cancer.

13. Gene therapy 2.0
● Now Two gene therapies for inherited diseases like
○ SCID
○ Glybera
won approval in Europe for the first time!!
● Diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart failure involve multiple genes
Lets see the same approach can cure such diseases!!

14. References
● https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2017