The GE Brief: March 5, 2021
ULTRASOUND AGAINST OBESITY
Researchers from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and GE Research have demonstrated a method for using noninvasive ultrasound stimulation to reduce obesity. The study was published this week in Scientific Reports. The findings are an important step for noninvasive approaches that tap the nervous system and could be used one day to help treat metabolic diseases without the use of pharmaceuticals. The study was based on a GE discovery that ultrasound can be used to perform peripheral nerve modulation as a new form of bioelectronic medicine. More than 650 million adults worldwide are obese, which can leave them prone to a variety of related health problems.
Sound effects: GE Research has been working in collaboration with the Feinstein Institutes for the last four years to develop noninvasive technologies like ultrasound to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes. This approach, known as biomedical science, combines neuroscience, molecular biology and bioengineering. The goal is to mimic the action of drugs by applying some form of energy to the nervous system near affected organs — to the spleen, for instance, to treat inflammation due to sepsis, or to the liver to lower blood sugar in diabetics. “From diabetes to now obesity, we are showing the future potential of this platform as an alternative to drug treatments to treat these chronic conditions,” says Victoria Cotero, a senior scientist in the Biosciences Group at GE Research.
Click here to learn more about GE’s work with ultrasound technology.
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
People who work in the wind power industry know that as much as 90% of a wind turbine can be recycled. The key to recycling blades in their entirety is finding afterlife uses for them. In a recent opinion piece in the renewable energy industry publication Recharge, John Korsgaard, head of engineering excellence at GE-owned blade-maker LM Wind Power, drove this point home: “Being fully recyclable in theory doesn’t really matter if the blades are not recycled in practice. And it is clear that the lack of large-scale, cost-efficient recycling value chains for blades — which are made of polymer-rich composite materials — remains a significant hurdle.”
Sustainable commitment: Finding cost-effective ways to do this is becoming an increasingly important goal because, as demand for sustainable energy generation grows, so will the quantity of decommissioned blades over time. To shoulder this collective responsibility, LM Wind Power along with key industry players launched the DecomBlades initiative in January with the goal of scaling up viable, sustainable recycling solutions. The project aims to establish “cross-sector partnerships” to build recycling infrastructure as well as a market for recycled blade materials.
Click here to learn more about LM Wind Power’s work on blade recycling.
Preparing for a wave of coronavirus patients, a French hospital needed a new CT scanner in 10 days. GE Healthcare had just the thing.
— QUOTE OF THE DAY —
“These encouraging results show the unrecognized potential ultrasound has to alleviate this deadly condition.”
— Sangeeta S. Chavan, PhD, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes
Quote: GE Reports. Images: Feinstein Institutes, GE Renewable Energy.