Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are using a new low-field MRI system that may expand the capabilities of MRI for patients with implanted devices, patients who require lung imaging, and obese patients. The system, which was developed in a collaboration between Siemens and Ohio State, has a magnetic field strength of [& (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Piezoelectric Scaffold Boosts Cartilage Regeneration
A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a biomaterial scaffold that generates small amounts of electricity when compressed. The piezoelectric material is intended to facilitate cartilage regeneration in joints. Normal movement of a joint in which the scaffold is implanted will create repeated small bursts of electricit (Read more...)
Wearable Helmet for Non-Invasive Optical Brain Imaging
Kernel, a medtech company based in California, has developed the Kernel Flow, a wearable helmet that can perform time domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) imaging of the brain. The system has a smaller footprint, is less expensive and less complex than benchtop TD-fNIRS systems, but has demonstrated similar imaging performance. T (Read more...)
Nanotherapy for Immunosuppression May Lead to Diabetes Treatment
Researchers at Northwestern University developed a nanoparticle delivery system for a common immunosuppressant drug that increases the potential of pancreatic islet transplantation as a viable long-term treatment for Type I diabetes. The technology targets the drug to act on the antigen presenting cells of the immune system, rather than T cells. Th (Read more...)
Automatic Blood Smear Preparation for Reliable Malaria Diagnosis
Researchers at Cambridge and Bath universities in the UK, along with colleagues at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, have created two devices, called autohaem, that assist in creating blood smears, a common technique for diagnosing malaria. A blood smear involves manually smudging a drop of blood across a microscope slide to allow observati (Read more...)
Maestro Laparoscopy Assistance Platform: Interview with Anne Osdoit, CEO of Moon Surgical
Moon Surgical (formerly MastOR), is a medtech startup based in France. The company has developed the Maestro laparoscopy assistance platform, a two-armed robotic surgical assistant that can hold and manipulate standard laparoscopic instruments. The device is intended to be used at the bedside and provides the surgeon with greater flexibility and co (Read more...)
Wearable Air Sampler to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Exposure
Researchers at Yale University created a wearable air sampler clip that can be worn on clothing and which can bind aerosols present in the environment. The clip can later be analyzed to determine the level of SARS-CoV-2 exposure while it was worn. The low-cost, battery-free technology could allow people to identify unsafe indoor environments that [ (Read more...)
Shape-Shifting Microbot to Repair Bones
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden and Okayama University in Japan developed a shape-shifting microrobot that can self-create a bone-like material under the right conditions. The electroactive material responds to low voltage electric current and changes its volume and shape, allowing the researchers to pre-program specific movement (Read more...)
Protein Coating Protects Nanoparticles from Immune Attack
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created a new coating for nanoparticles that can help to protect them from attacks by the immune system. The approach, which uses naturally occurring proteins that can inhibit the complement system, can significantly reduce immune destruction of nanoparticles, meaning that more m (Read more...)
Wearable Sensors Track Hand Use in Amputees
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have developed a system to track hand use in people with a hand prosthesis or patients who have undergone a hand transplant. The technology tracks movement in the hands and arms, and helps to monitor how people use their hands in everyday life. Such data could help to guide […]
Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disor (Read more...)
Optical Biopsy to Spot Tumors Among Healthy Tissue
Researchers at Orel State University in Russia have developed a biopsy system that can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue in many clinical cases. The device is designed to address the difficulties that clinicians may experience when trying to obtain a biopsy of a liver tumor, where it can be difficult to know if the […]
Hairy Nanocrystals Capture Chemo Drugs
Researchers at Penn State working with collaborators have developed a nanomaterial that can ‘mop up’ chemotherapeutics in the bloodstream, helping to reduce off-target effects. The technology is intended for use in situations where a chemotherapeutic can be delivered precisely to the site of a tumor, and not in situations where it is de (Read more...)
Water Vapor Plasma Bonding for Ultrathin and Flexible Electronics
Scientists at RIKEN research institute in Japan have developed a new method to bind gold electrodes to each other within flexible electronics. The technique, which does not require adhesives or high temperatures that can damage delicate electronic components, allows for extremely thin and flexible electronics and could lead to new types of medical (Read more...)
Finger Clip for Blood Pressure Monitoring
At the University of Missouri a team of researchers developed a custom finger clip device that can continuously measure a variety of vitals, including blood pressure. The novel device represents a new way to measure vitals, and contains two commercial photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that operate at two different points on the finger. This approa (Read more...)
Quantum Sensor to Detect SARS-CoV-2 More Accurately
Researchers at MIT have designed a quantum sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2. While the device is still theoretical, the researchers have used mathematical simulations to show its potential, and the data and design indicate that it may be faster, more accurate, and less expensive than the current gold-standard technique, PCR. The system is based on nanod (Read more...)
Pop-Up Sensors Measure Electronic Signals in Cardiac Cells
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a tiny ‘pop-up’ sensor that can measure the electronic signals propagating inside cardiac cells. The technology consists of tiny spike-like protrusions that can penetrate cell membranes without causing damage, and which can detect electrical signals within individual cells (Read more...)
Thought-to-Text Brain-Computer Interface: Interview with Florian Solzbacher, Chairman of Blackrock Neurotech
Blackrock Neurotech, a medical technology company based in Salt Lake City, created a suite of brain-computer interface systems with the goal of empowering patients to have increased independence and quality of life. This latest technology aims to restore written communication in patients who have difficulties in this regard, such as those affected (Read more...)
O2Ring Keeps an Eye on Your Blood Oxygen Level: A Medgadget Review
We have all been living through a life-altering pandemic. As a result, words such as “oxygenation” and “pulse oximetry” have become mainstream and the general public has increased the use of pulse oximeters. This should come as no surprise since hypoxia (i.e., low blood oxygen level) is one of the hallmarks of COVID-19 pneum (Read more...)
Light-Activated PCR Assay
Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany have developed a light-activated form of the enzymes that power the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The assay has gained recent fame among the general public because of its use as a COVID-19 diagnostic tool. The technique could lead to alternatives to current heat-act (Read more...)