1
00:00:05,030 --> 00:00:03,030
every year about 400 000 americans are

2
00:00:06,789 --> 00:00:05,040
diagnosed with cataracts

3
00:00:09,030 --> 00:00:06,799
they are the leading cause of blindness

4
00:00:12,390 --> 00:00:09,040
worldwide and the most common cause of

5
00:00:15,430 --> 00:00:12,400
vision loss in the united states

6
00:00:17,430 --> 00:00:15,440
today the only cure is surgery but

7
00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:17,440
thanks to a nasa scientist

8
00:00:20,790 --> 00:00:20,160
other treatments may be on the way dr

9
00:00:23,670 --> 00:00:20,800
rafat

10
00:00:25,029 --> 00:00:23,680
ansari began designing a new method to

11
00:00:27,670 --> 00:00:25,039
diagnose cataracts

12
00:00:30,230 --> 00:00:27,680
14 years ago when his own family was

13
00:00:32,630 --> 00:00:30,240
affected by the disease

14
00:00:34,150 --> 00:00:32,640
my father developed cataracts very

15
00:00:38,310 --> 00:00:34,160
really personal story

16
00:00:41,990 --> 00:00:38,320
and i did not know what a cataract is

17
00:00:42,869 --> 00:00:42,000
okay so i tried to go to some doctor's

18
00:00:45,350 --> 00:00:42,879
offices

19
00:00:47,270 --> 00:00:45,360
and found out what a cataract is and

20
00:00:48,630 --> 00:00:47,280
they told me that this is the cloudiness

21
00:00:50,630 --> 00:00:48,640
of the lens

22
00:00:51,990 --> 00:00:50,640
i asked them if there is a treatment for

23
00:00:53,110 --> 00:00:52,000
it and they said no there is no

24
00:00:55,510 --> 00:00:53,120
treatment for it

25
00:00:56,470 --> 00:00:55,520
and when i will grow old i will get it

26
00:01:01,029 --> 00:00:56,480
myself

27
00:01:03,590 --> 00:01:01,039
and the only treatment is a surgery

28
00:01:05,990 --> 00:01:03,600
ansari didn't like what he was hearing

29
00:01:07,910 --> 00:01:06,000
so he decided to find out more about the

30
00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:07,920
disease that caused his father

31
00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:10,080
and millions of other americans to have

32
00:01:14,630 --> 00:01:12,240
surgery every year

33
00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:14,640
so i spent just out of curiosity one

34
00:01:17,190 --> 00:01:15,280
weekend

35
00:01:18,710 --> 00:01:17,200
at a library at case western reserve

36
00:01:20,310 --> 00:01:18,720
university in town

37
00:01:21,990 --> 00:01:20,320
at their medical library and went

38
00:01:23,270 --> 00:01:22,000
through some literature to find out what

39
00:01:26,310 --> 00:01:23,280
exactly it is

40
00:01:29,990 --> 00:01:26,320
and i learned that there are

41
00:01:31,109 --> 00:01:30,000
three different proteins in the lens of

42
00:01:33,190 --> 00:01:31,119
the eye

43
00:01:35,749 --> 00:01:33,200
and those proteins are called alpha beta

44
00:01:39,590 --> 00:01:35,759
and gamma crystallines

45
00:01:42,069 --> 00:01:39,600
in a normal lens of the human eye

46
00:01:44,069 --> 00:01:42,079
the protein crystallines are the size of

47
00:01:47,109 --> 00:01:44,079
few nanometers

48
00:01:50,630 --> 00:01:47,119
and as we age

49
00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:50,640
or there are any other

50
00:01:54,069 --> 00:01:53,040
problems in the human body then these

51
00:01:56,870 --> 00:01:54,079
proteins

52
00:01:58,469 --> 00:01:56,880
would or or if there is a we are

53
00:02:01,590 --> 00:01:58,479
subjected to the radiation

54
00:02:02,630 --> 00:02:01,600
exposure okay as the astronauts do then

55
00:02:06,069 --> 00:02:02,640
these proteins

56
00:02:10,790 --> 00:02:06,079
agglomerate and they form

57
00:02:14,390 --> 00:02:10,800
bigger sizes if the size becomes so big

58
00:02:16,710 --> 00:02:14,400
that it starts to obstruct

59
00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:16,720
the light which is falling on the retina

60
00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:18,480
with which we can see

61
00:02:24,229 --> 00:02:21,440
at that point in time a cataract is

62
00:02:28,229 --> 00:02:26,470
it just so happened that ansari was

63
00:02:30,070 --> 00:02:28,239
studying the behavior of proteins and

64
00:02:31,589 --> 00:02:30,080
experiments on the international space

65
00:02:33,910 --> 00:02:31,599
station

66
00:02:34,790 --> 00:02:33,920
as a scientist at nasa's glenn research

67
00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:34,800
center

68
00:02:39,589 --> 00:02:37,680
he used a laser technique called dynamic

69
00:02:41,910 --> 00:02:39,599
light scattering technology

70
00:02:44,470 --> 00:02:41,920
to examine tiny protein molecules

71
00:02:47,350 --> 00:02:44,480
suspended in liquid

72
00:02:49,350 --> 00:02:47,360
dynamic light scattering means looking

73
00:02:51,990 --> 00:02:49,360
at the motion

74
00:02:52,949 --> 00:02:52,000
of something whether it is being

75
00:02:58,470 --> 00:02:52,959
suspended in

76
00:02:59,270 --> 00:02:58,480
fluid so if you're talking about a

77
00:03:01,190 --> 00:02:59,280
liquid

78
00:03:02,309 --> 00:03:01,200
the way the scientists would like to use

79
00:03:05,589 --> 00:03:02,319
this is that

80
00:03:08,790 --> 00:03:05,599
they would pass a light beam through

81
00:03:12,149 --> 00:03:08,800
a fluid if this fluid contains

82
00:03:12,630 --> 00:03:12,159
a plane simple water the water molecules

83
00:03:14,710 --> 00:03:12,640
are so

84
00:03:16,309 --> 00:03:14,720
small compared to the wavelength of

85
00:03:19,830 --> 00:03:16,319
light that they would not

86
00:03:20,309 --> 00:03:19,840
scatter any light but if the particle

87
00:03:22,790 --> 00:03:20,319
size

88
00:03:23,990 --> 00:03:22,800
starts to grow and it come becomes

89
00:03:26,229 --> 00:03:24,000
comparable

90
00:03:27,509 --> 00:03:26,239
to the wave the size of the wavelength

91
00:03:30,229 --> 00:03:27,519
of the light

92
00:03:30,869 --> 00:03:30,239
then it would scatter light and if you

93
00:03:33,509 --> 00:03:30,879
collect

94
00:03:35,110 --> 00:03:33,519
that light it will give you lots of

95
00:03:36,949 --> 00:03:35,120
information

96
00:03:39,589 --> 00:03:36,959
could the same technology be used to

97
00:03:42,630 --> 00:03:39,599
detect proteins in the human eye

98
00:03:44,789 --> 00:03:42,640
ansari was determined to find out so

99
00:03:46,390 --> 00:03:44,799
determined that he asked his teenage

100
00:03:48,550 --> 00:03:46,400
daughter for help

101
00:03:50,229 --> 00:03:48,560
and the two of them began an unusual

102
00:03:54,149 --> 00:03:50,239
experiment

103
00:03:56,869 --> 00:03:54,159
we went to a local abattoir

104
00:03:57,429 --> 00:03:56,879
okay or a place where you can get the

105
00:04:03,670 --> 00:03:57,439
eyes

106
00:04:05,429 --> 00:04:03,680
to my house okay we were not set up at

107
00:04:07,350 --> 00:04:05,439
that time here nasa to do those kind of

108
00:04:08,229 --> 00:04:07,360
experiments but just out of curiosity

109
00:04:11,350 --> 00:04:08,239
got the eyes

110
00:04:14,630 --> 00:04:11,360
took it to home and i have never done

111
00:04:15,670 --> 00:04:14,640
any dissections in my life so i asked my

112
00:04:18,789 --> 00:04:15,680
daughter

113
00:04:21,590 --> 00:04:18,799
and she was at that time in ninth grade

114
00:04:23,110 --> 00:04:21,600
okay so i asked my daughter i said could

115
00:04:25,270 --> 00:04:23,120
you please dissect this

116
00:04:27,189 --> 00:04:25,280
for me i want to look at what lens looks

117
00:04:28,950 --> 00:04:27,199
like in the eye

118
00:04:31,510 --> 00:04:28,960
so she dissected the kawaii in the

119
00:04:33,670 --> 00:04:31,520
kitchen of our house

120
00:04:36,390 --> 00:04:33,680
my wife obviously was complaining that

121
00:04:38,550 --> 00:04:36,400
what we are doing but she did it anyway

122
00:04:40,550 --> 00:04:38,560
and then my wife asked well it's dinner

123
00:04:44,230 --> 00:04:40,560
time let's go have dinner

124
00:04:46,310 --> 00:04:44,240
so i took the lens put it in a glass jar

125
00:04:47,670 --> 00:04:46,320
filled with water and put it in the

126
00:04:50,950 --> 00:04:47,680
fridge

127
00:04:53,350 --> 00:04:50,960
okay just to say that it doesn't go bad

128
00:04:55,270 --> 00:04:53,360
came up after a couple hours opened the

129
00:04:57,670 --> 00:04:55,280
fridge took this thing out

130
00:04:58,390 --> 00:04:57,680
and now what i see is that the clear

131
00:05:05,110 --> 00:04:58,400
lens

132
00:05:06,950 --> 00:05:05,120
and when they become opaque that means

133
00:05:09,110 --> 00:05:06,960
it's a cataract

134
00:05:11,430 --> 00:05:09,120
but this was a great model for me to

135
00:05:13,909 --> 00:05:11,440
study so very quickly i took that

136
00:05:15,670 --> 00:05:13,919
put it in a beaker put a thermometer in

137
00:05:16,550 --> 00:05:15,680
it and it started to reduce the

138
00:05:19,670 --> 00:05:16,560
temperature

139
00:05:21,510 --> 00:05:19,680
and we used the device that we made for

140
00:05:22,629 --> 00:05:21,520
space experiments the dynamic light

141
00:05:25,430 --> 00:05:22,639
scattering device

142
00:05:25,990 --> 00:05:25,440
and start to take the measurements from

143
00:05:33,270 --> 00:05:26,000
the

144
00:05:35,350 --> 00:05:33,280
a portable probe

145
00:05:36,310 --> 00:05:35,360
that peers into the eye without touching

146
00:05:38,150 --> 00:05:36,320
it

147
00:05:40,230 --> 00:05:38,160
the probe recently underwent clinical

148
00:05:41,909 --> 00:05:40,240
testing at the national institutes of

149
00:05:45,350 --> 00:05:41,919
health

150
00:05:48,870 --> 00:05:45,360
today i'm very pleased to report

151
00:05:51,749 --> 00:05:48,880
that we just finished a pretty

152
00:05:53,029 --> 00:05:51,759
good size clinical study on the

153
00:05:56,790 --> 00:05:53,039
validation

154
00:06:00,070 --> 00:05:56,800
of this device which perhaps

155
00:06:02,710 --> 00:06:00,080
would lead now to find a medical cure

156
00:06:03,909 --> 00:06:02,720
for cataract and the reason i'm saying

157
00:06:07,430 --> 00:06:03,919
this is because

158
00:06:10,230 --> 00:06:07,440
everyone at nih and here at nasa

159
00:06:11,909 --> 00:06:10,240
we are very excited about this because

160
00:06:15,350 --> 00:06:11,919
this device is about

161
00:06:17,830 --> 00:06:15,360
three orders of magnitude more sensitive

162
00:06:19,029 --> 00:06:17,840
than anything else out there right now

163
00:06:21,350 --> 00:06:19,039
which is being used

164
00:06:23,749 --> 00:06:21,360
for detecting cataract at a very early

165
00:06:26,230 --> 00:06:23,759
stage

166
00:06:27,510 --> 00:06:26,240
the probe is so effective that it can

167
00:06:31,029 --> 00:06:27,520
detect cataracts

168
00:06:32,790 --> 00:06:31,039
long before patients experience symptoms

169
00:06:34,070 --> 00:06:32,800
this is allowing doctors to experiment

170
00:06:36,309 --> 00:06:34,080
with new drugs

171
00:06:37,590 --> 00:06:36,319
that might stop the disease dead in its

172
00:06:39,670 --> 00:06:37,600
tracks

173
00:06:42,150 --> 00:06:39,680
but that's not all the technology may

174
00:06:45,990 --> 00:06:42,160
lead to treatments for other diseases

175
00:06:47,590 --> 00:06:46,000
you have heard the one of the adults

176
00:06:51,670 --> 00:06:47,600
there which says that

177
00:06:54,390 --> 00:06:51,680
i is a window to the soul

178
00:06:55,110 --> 00:06:54,400
we are trying to change that i is not

179
00:06:58,629 --> 00:06:55,120
only

180
00:07:02,629 --> 00:06:58,639
a window to the soul but i is also

181
00:07:05,510 --> 00:07:02,639
a window to the human body because

182
00:07:07,189 --> 00:07:05,520
every tissue type and every fluid type

183
00:07:10,230 --> 00:07:07,199
in the human eye

184
00:07:10,629 --> 00:07:10,240
represent every tissue type every fluid

185
00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:10,639
type

186
00:07:15,189 --> 00:07:13,360
in the human body and the potential

187
00:07:18,550 --> 00:07:15,199
applications are

188
00:07:20,309 --> 00:07:18,560
amazing and very huge so this and some

189
00:07:21,589 --> 00:07:20,319
related technologies that we developed

190
00:07:24,790 --> 00:07:21,599
here at nasa

191
00:07:27,029 --> 00:07:24,800
are now helping us to study

192
00:07:28,150 --> 00:07:27,039
not just the lens of the eye for the

193
00:07:30,710 --> 00:07:28,160
cataract

194
00:07:31,430 --> 00:07:30,720
but also to look at the disease of the

195
00:07:33,589 --> 00:07:31,440
brain

196
00:07:35,029 --> 00:07:33,599
which is say alzheimer's disease or

197
00:07:37,350 --> 00:07:35,039
parkinson's disease

198
00:07:38,629 --> 00:07:37,360
and we could study that through the lens

199
00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:38,639
of the eye as well

200
00:07:44,230 --> 00:07:41,680
because the beta amyloid proteins

201
00:07:45,110 --> 00:07:44,240
which are the culprits for alzheimer's

202
00:07:46,629 --> 00:07:45,120
disease

203
00:07:48,710 --> 00:07:46,639
or somehow i do not know the

204
00:07:49,830 --> 00:07:48,720
biochemistry of it but somehow are

205
00:07:55,990 --> 00:07:49,840
expressed

206
00:07:59,110 --> 00:07:58,390
ansari continues to study non-invasive

207
00:08:02,390 --> 00:07:59,120
methods

208
00:08:04,230 --> 00:08:02,400
for diagnosing diseases someday

209
00:08:07,350 --> 00:08:04,240
he hopes these methods will protect

210
00:08:11,029 --> 00:08:07,360
astronauts on future missions to mars

211
00:08:12,550 --> 00:08:11,039
the ultraviolet radiation on a regular

212
00:08:15,589 --> 00:08:12,560
day

213
00:08:18,869 --> 00:08:15,599
on mars is about

214
00:08:22,950 --> 00:08:18,879
800 times higher

215
00:08:25,029 --> 00:08:22,960
than a summer day here on earth

216
00:08:26,550 --> 00:08:25,039
which means that if you are not

217
00:08:29,670 --> 00:08:26,560
protecting the astronauts

218
00:08:33,750 --> 00:08:29,680
on mars they are at

219
00:08:37,110 --> 00:08:33,760
very high risk for say skin cancer

220
00:08:38,230 --> 00:08:37,120
and for other things as long as the eye

221
00:08:40,630 --> 00:08:38,240
health is concerned

222
00:08:42,550 --> 00:08:40,640
we know that ultraviolet radiation is

223
00:08:44,710 --> 00:08:42,560
very bad for the eye as well

224
00:08:46,470 --> 00:08:44,720
so for the space applications what we

225
00:08:49,829 --> 00:08:46,480
would like to really know

226
00:08:53,509 --> 00:08:49,839
is that before these astronauts develop

227
00:08:55,750 --> 00:08:53,519
any symptoms and with the development of

228
00:08:57,750 --> 00:08:55,760
new nanotechnology with the development

229
00:08:59,269 --> 00:08:57,760
of new pharmaceutical products coming in

230
00:09:00,389 --> 00:08:59,279
that nasa is working with some other

231
00:09:03,430 --> 00:09:00,399
people

232
00:09:04,150 --> 00:09:03,440
could that be utilized okay that they

233
00:09:08,310 --> 00:09:04,160
are kind of

234
00:09:09,910 --> 00:09:08,320
sitting in the human body as you can

235
00:09:13,030 --> 00:09:09,920
call them kind of robots

236
00:09:15,670 --> 00:09:13,040
miniature robots micro robots of

237
00:09:17,590 --> 00:09:15,680
atomic dimensions and as soon as we

238
00:09:20,829 --> 00:09:17,600
detect that something is happening

239
00:09:22,949 --> 00:09:20,839
they would go and treat that particular

240
00:09:25,190 --> 00:09:22,959
problem

241
00:09:27,829 --> 00:09:25,200
with nasa preparing to send astronauts

242
00:09:30,150 --> 00:09:27,839
to the moon and eventually to mars

243
00:09:31,670 --> 00:09:30,160
ansari's probe could someday make human

244
00:09:34,949 --> 00:09:31,680
exploration of space

245
00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:34,959
a safer endeavor meanwhile