According to the Freep, jewelry Designer Leah Heiss has been working with scientists and engineers to blend art and science in order to create collections of therapeutic jewelry and clothing that could beautify items that are daily necessities.



Recent designs include a necklace-ring set for storing and applying insulin patches, a stylized water bottle that filters arsenic, and electronically enhanced clothing capable of transmitting your heartbeat to a loved one.



Heiss, who is also a lecturer of interior design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, is quoted as saying: "My interest is how you can augment things you love and cherish to do something else, give them extra functionalities."



She is currently working with experimental prototypes for developing technologies. She has expressed the hope that her designs will inspire scientists to think creatively and help the general public to learn more about science.



Last year she won a residency with Nanotechnology Victoria, a R&D foundation for the commercialization of nanotechnology. In her position, Heiss has reviewed projects with the aim of creating a design that could help the scientists deliver their products to consumers.



She ultimately settled on two projects - tiny insulin patches for diabetics and a chemical that negates the effect of arsenic.



Heiss created a two-piece jewelry set for transdermal insulin patches, which are currently in development. A silver vial, which can be worn as a necklace or attached to a keychain, carries a supply of the tiny patches and acts as an applicator to press them into the skin of the finger. A matching ring with a moveable panel keeps the patch in place.



The patch is still in clinical trials in Australia and a few other companies around the world are testing similar concepts. When placed on the skin, the patch would provide a continuous low dose of insulin and negate the need for injecting the insulin by needles.



Michelle Critchley, manager of therapeutic delivery at NanoVentures Australia, stated: "You can essentially wear your medication all day in a way that an outside person would not be able to identify that you were having any medical treatment."