Rutgers University researchers have created a desktop system that can automatically take patient blood samples (robotic phlebotomy) and process them without any human intervention. Making such technology available for hospitals and clinics may have significant consequences, as blood draws are the most common clinical procedures. Though they may seem simple from the patient’s perspective, they’re […]
Author: Medgadged
Smart Med Reminder System’s Electronic Vial Caps Improve Compliance
Concordance Healthcare Solutions, a company affiliated with Purdue University, has developed a medication compliance product that reminds users to take their pills and monitors how they are doing. The Smart Med Reminder system includes electronic caps that fit standard prescription drug bottles, a smartphone app that communicates with the caps, and an online cloud platform […]
A Conversation with Blockchain Thought Leader David Houlding, Microsoft Principal Healthcare Program Manager
Continuing our series of conversations following “Healthcare on the Blockchain” event a couple months ago (Day 1; Day 2) in Washington, DC, Medgadget had an opportunity to speak one-on-one with technology thought leader David Houlding. Both a moderator and panelist at the event, David was, at the time, Director of Healthcare Privacy and Security at Intel. […]
Sugar Nanoparticles Reprogram Immune Cells to Help Destroy Tumors
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston have created drug-loaded nanoparticles made from sugar molecules that reprogrammed tumor associated macrophages into an anti-cancer phenotype that, combined with immune checkpoint blockade, caused tumor regression and increased survival in various mouse cancer models. The nanoparticles were made from cyclodextrin (a sugar molecule) cross-linked […]
Exclusive Tour of Materialise, a Leader in 3D Printing of Patient Specific Parts
3D printing technology was originally touted to provide consumers the ability to print customized mugs, plates, and other household items. The reality turned out to be a lot more exciting, at least for us in the medical space, since 3D printing is already being used daily by thousands of doctors to help perform procedures that […]
Human Simulator and 3D Motion Lab Help Spare Bodies of Rugby Tacklers
Tackling in rugby and American football are fun to do and fun to watch, but they often cause different kinds of injuries to bones, muscles, and, most concerning, to the brain. Ball carriers are commonly though to be at the greatest risk, as they’re the targets that require tackling. Yet, it turns out that ball […]
Stem Cell Derived Nerve Cells Improve Breathing in Rats with Spinal Cord Injuries
Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin were able to treat rats that have spinal cord injury with neurons grown in a petri dish. The animals, whose breathing abilities were severely stifled by the injury, showed improvement in their breathing following the therapy. This is an impressive result […]
Apple’s Next Move in Healthcare is Breaking Down Health Record Silos
In an important step forward in the consumerization of healthcare, this week Apple introduced an update to its Health app (iOS 11.3 beta) which allows individuals to access medical records on their iPhone. Based on the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard, the company’s new Health Records API allows patient data from over 500 hospitals and clinics, […]
Sonavex’s EchoMark Soft Tissue Markers Receive FDA 510(k) Clearance
One year ago, we spoke with Sonavex CEO David Narrow about the Baltimore medical startup’s recent round of investment and ongoing development of its EchoMark and EchoSure products. At the time, David mentioned that the company was, “…preparing to submit our regulatory clearance materials.” This week, the company announced that it had secured FDA 510(k) […]
Chip Pairs Bacteria with Antibiotics to Spot Drug Resistance, Points to Best Therapy
Patients presenting with a bacterial infection can be surprisingly challenging to treat if drug resistance is present and/or if sepsis develops. Using the right antibiotic as early as possible, and identifying if the infection is resistant to the drugs, can often make the difference between life and death. Yet, the time it takes currently to […]
Sensor Rich Pitcher’s Mound and Other Electronics Help to Track Causes of Baseball Injuries
The arms of baseball pitchers have to endure massive forces in order launch balls up to 100 miles per hour and injuries are common. A team at Ohio State University is using high tech tools, and the world’s most advanced pitcher mound, to gather a myriad of data points in order to better understand why injuries […]
Litesprite Helps Patients Manage Illnesses Through Gamification
Gamification is gaining recognition as a powerful tool for contexts far removed from gaming itself, and the approach has been used for applications as varied as advertising, to recruiting, to rewards programs. Litesprite hopes to expand gamification in a rather important sector: health. Litesprite’s mobile application, Sinasprite, helps patients proactively manage their chronic illnesses, including […]
Super Sensitive, AI Powered Drill for Safe Access Into Middle Ear
At Brunel University London in the UK, researchers have developed a remarkable surgical drill for drilling into the cochlea. The device is intended to help with placement of cochlear implants, devices that stimulate the cochlear nerve and return to people with profound hearing loss the ability to hear again. The procedure is immensely delicate, as […]
Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Now Using 4K, 3D Robotic Zeiss Microscope
The Department of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is now the proud owner of a rare new ZEISS KINEVO 900 surgical microscope. The robotic-powered device sports 4K resolution and 3D visualization, giving doctors an impressively realistic and detailed view of the surgical scene. The live imagery is displayed both through the eyepieces […]
Health Technology Briefs from the ITF Demo Floor
Medgadget was recently invited to attend the imec Technology Forum (ITF) conference in Antwerp, Belgium. One of the highlights of the conference was the demo floor where imec, which is a non-profit R&D innovation organization, had the opportunity to show off some cool technologies from their research teams, spinoff companies, and partner organization. While the […]
Tiny Battery-Free Implantable Devices Powered Wirelessly Using Radio Frequency Waves
Scientists at MIT have developed a wireless system that can power tiny implantable devices in the body, without the need for batteries. The system relies on radiofrequency waves emitted by an antenna outside the body, which can then power the implants from as far away as one meter and as deep as 10 cm below […]
Experts and Innovators Unpack The Digital Transformation Taking Place in Health Care
Bring to your organization critical takeaways, new ideas, and best practices to expand and scale virtual health. Join Partners Healthcare, Brigham Health Virtual Care, Cleveland Clinic, Cone Health, UPMC, and Intermountain Healthcare at the 10th Annual Virtual Health Care Congress and Expo, July 30 – August 1, 2018, in Boston. View the Agenda PDF A competitive […]
Braille Displays for People with Poor Vision Now Have Own USB Standard
In the modern world of technology, disabilities can limit access to certain technologies simply because there are no standards in place. One such example are Braille displays that only worked on some systems and it wasn’t trivial to figure out which ones to get for what task. The USB Implementers Forum, which works to […]
Researchers Ease Process of Converting Patient Imaging Data Into 3D Printed Objects
Harvard’s Wyss Institute and MIT Media Lab have partnered together to create a way of crunching imaging data from different sources and modalities into a uniform computer file type called “dithered bitmaps”. After conversion, the images can be easily used to 3D print models of organs and other body parts, for example. This is compared to […]
Wristband with a Myriad of Sensors to Improve Lives of Dementia Patients
At the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Berlin, Germany researchers are working on a sensor and software package that would help people developing dementia to slow down the disease progression and improve their and their families’ quality of life. The system, that has already been tried on patients, revolves around a wristband that measures […]