Now there's a job description for you...
Quote: But Dr. Mathis Riehle, a reader in the Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, said...
A reader? Seriously?
A team of scientists and engineers at the University of Glasgow (who are presumably big fans of Dr. Who) are developing a "sonic screwdriver" to help build tissue samples for medicine with a tartan design. Cells that mimic Scotland's most famous designs Cells that mimic Scotland's most famous designs BBC references aside, …
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reader
First entry, definition 5 / second entry, definition 3a / third entry, definition 6.
If this thing can be applied to nerve cells it might be possible to build a unit capable of re-connecting all the nerves in a spinal column. The problem is both the size of the individual nerves and the huge number of connections to be made.
This looks like it could have the capacity to handle both.
Another small step from Sci-Fi to reality, I refer to the body-knitting scene from The Fifth Element.
However the future medical possibilities are interesting - improved healing with less scar tissue, nerve repair, retinal repair, how about bio-mechanical/bio-electronic implants assembled in the lab with no chance of tissue rejection, coupled with nano-tech and stem-cells the myriad uses could do so much for human well-being.