NEW YORK, Sep 13 (News On Japan) - In this year's Ig Nobels, Japanese researchers have won an award for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses, opening a new pathway for ventilators.
On September 12th, Professor Takafumi Takebe and his research group from Tokyo Medical and Dental University were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Physiology for discovering that many mammals can breathe through their rear end.
Takebe and his team focused on certain species, such as loaches, which can absorb oxygen through their intestines via the anus, and advanced their research from there.
Initially, they experimented by directly injecting oxygen gas into the intestines of mammals. However, the amount of absorbed oxygen was minimal, and there was a risk of the intestines rupturing, prompting the need for a different approach.
Since it was an entirely new field of research, there was a lack of support for their activities, along with financial challenges.
However, the spread of COVID-19 raised awareness that conventional methods of supporting patient breathing could not save all lives. This ultimately became a tailwind for their research.
The group began using a special liquid rich in oxygen instead of gas, and they revealed that this method improved the symptoms of mammals suffering from respiratory failure.
While Takebe's "intestinal ventilation method" is not a complete substitute for lung function in patients whose lungs have entirely failed, the team anticipates that when applied to human treatment, it may reduce the burden on the body compared to conventional ventilators and ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) devices.
Clinical trials on humans have already begun, and it is expected that treatment using the "intestinal ventilation method" could be realized in Japan by around 2028.
With this award, Japanese researchers have won the Ig Nobel Prize for 18 consecutive years.
Source: ANN
