Chemotherapy works differently in children than adults, sometimes in surprising ways. Researchers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed special nanoscale packaging for Dasatinib (aka SPRYCEL), a chemo agent. Working with colleagues at the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu-Barcelona, they showed that using their packaging to deliver the chemo agent into mouse models with pediatric sarcomas, that […]
Author: Medgadged
Blink’s TwitchView Neuromuscular Blockade Monitor Cleared in Europe
Blink Device Company, out of Seattle, Washington, landed the CE Mark in Europe, allowing it to introduce its TwitchView neuromuscular blockade monitor. The system quantifies the depth of a neuromuscular blockade under anesthesia using electromyography (EMG). The system includes a monitor, charging dock, and single use electrode arrays. The arrays can be placed on either hand […]
Artificial Sensory Nerve Made of Flexible Organic Electronics
Scientists at Stanford and Seoul National University managed to build artificial tactile sensory nerves out of flexible organic electronics. The system is able to detect pressures down to 1 kilopascal and to do so in clusters that mimic the sensitivity of natural skin. Using their device the investigators were able to read Braille as would […]
Imec Develops Organ-On-Chip Device to Improve Drug Candidate Screening
The drug development process is a long road that involves not only many years of research and large piles of money, but also a great deal of pre-clinical and clinical testing. Animals used during in vivo testing are not always good human analogues, and humans of course are always at risk for potentially serious side […]
Ultrasound-Powered Nanorobots to Remove Bacteria and Toxins from Blood
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed cell-like nanorobots that can clear bacteria and bacterial toxins from blood. The tiny bots are powered by ultrasound and they could pave the way for nanorobotic systems that can decontaminate biological fluids or even clear infections in the body. Despite being 25 times smaller than […]
Proteins Recruited to Build Synthetic Enamel for Dental Applications
Enamel, the exterior layer of teeth that gives us the strength to eat things tougher than mashed potatoes, doesn’t regenerate once lost. That’s why you shouldn’t be using your teeth as scissors or pliars. But researchers at the Queen Mary University of London have now developed a way to make materials that share many remarkable […]
First Prosthetic to Really Let The User Feel Its Presence
Even the most advanced modern prosthetic devices don’t give the user a proper sense of the orientation of their mechanical appendage. This is in contrast to our native arms and legs that we can move quite accurately without having to look at how they’re doing. A major breakthrough has been announced by researchers at MIT […]
Mauna Kea’s Cellvizio Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy Cleared in U.S. for Neurological Procedures
Mauna Kea‘s (Paris, France) Cellvizio 100 series F400 and F800, with a new Confocal Miniprobe called CranioFle, has been granted FDA clearance to be used in neurological procedures targeting brain and spinal tumors. The confocal laser endomicroscopy system allows clinicians to analyze the cellular structure and characteristics of tissues right in the operating room. The […]
Now Available: Neural Analytics’ Lucid Robotic Ultrasound System for Brain Blood Flow Assessment
Neural Analytics, the Los Angeles based company that won FDA clearance a couple of years ago for its Lucid M1 Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System, now won another clearance, this time for its NeuralBot robotic ultrasound positioner. The two devices work together and when united will be called the Lucid Robotic System. The NeuralBot automatically positions […]
Blind People Can Now Play Car Racing Video Games
Blind people and others with serious visual impairments aren’t known for playing a lot of video games. Yet, a graduate student at Columbia University has developed a system that allows completely blind people to drive racing cars in video games. Called the RAD, or Racing Auditory Display, the system converts different information about what is […]
New Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve to Treat Regurgitation and Stenosis
JC Medical, based in Burlingame, California, has announced that its J-Valve transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve system has been implanted in the first patient to treat aortic regurgitation. Other transcatheter aortic valves available in the U.S. are indicated for aortic stenosis only, but the new device hopes to also treat pure aortic regurgitation and a combination […]
New Way to Inject Light into Microdisk Resonators May Allow New Diagnostics
Microdisks are special tiny resonators that trap light inside themselves and enhance the incoming light for specific applications. They rely on the whispering-gallery optical effect, similar to the sound-based effect of the same name that’s demonstrated at many children’s museums. Microdisks have great potential for assessing the state of individual cells at the point of care, […]
Imec Develops Wireless Eye-Tracking Glasses to Aid in Research of Neurological Disorders
Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, can often present with symptoms of abnormal eye movements. Much research has been done in utilizing eye movement tracking technology to help with the diagnosis of these diseases and the monitoring of their progression. Traditional eye-tracking technology relies heavily on cameras, which, while accurate, are typically large […]
FDA Approves CustomFlex Artificial Iris
The FDA approved the first artificial iris implant for patients with congenital aniridia (absence of an iris) or eye damage, called the CustomFlex from HumanOptics AG, a German firm. The CustomFlex is a flexible silicone membrane that is folded and inserted through a small incision in the eye, then unfolded in place. In a non-randomized […]
3D Printing Cardiac Components for Pediatric Patients: Interview with Prof. Michael Davis, Georgia Tech
Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect globally, affecting almost nine in every 1,000 babies. Tissue engineering, which involves combining regenerative cells, proteins, or drugs with biomaterials, is a promising strategy to treat congenital heart diseases. A particularly exciting development is the use of 3D printers to fabricate custom cardiac components to replace […]
Responsive DBS for Parkinson’s Disease Adapts to Patient’s Changing Needs
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease management has been shown to be quite effective in controlling the symptoms of the disease. Yet, the technology currently available to patients is rudimentary in that the neurostimulation delivered is constant and doesn’t take into account the changing needs of the patient. A small clinical study has shown that […]
Smart, Pressure Sensitive Stool Helps to Improve Posture and Avoid Sitting Too Long
At Germany’s Fraunhofer Institutes for Industrial Engineering and for Silicate Research, a team has developed a smart stool that monitors a person’s sitting posture and the time spent sitting down. The data is used to motivate users to change their body posture or to get up for a much needed walk. The stool communicates with […]
3D Printed Artificial Corneas Seeded with Stem Cells to Alleviate Shortage of Donors
At Newcastle University in the UK researchers have managed to print replacement corneas, potentially alleviating the shortage of donor corneas that exists right now. The artificial corneas are made from a combination of alginate, collagen, and a pinch of human stem cells that are made to differentiate into corneal stromal cells. The mix, which has […]
Software Reads CT and MRI Scans, Guides Surgeons in Liver Resections
Liver resection surgeries are common procedures performed to remove a variety of cysts and cancers, intrinsic as well as metastatic. Liver resections are also done for transplantation purposes. Dangers lurk when removing parts of the liver because the dense and tortuous vasculature within can be hard to comprehend by the surgeon. Poorly placed incisions can […]
Software Reads CT and MRI Scans, Guides Surgeons in Liver Resections
Liver resection surgeries are common procedures performed to remove a variety of cysts and cancers, intrinsic as well as metastatic. Liver resections are also done for transplantation purposes. Dangers lurk when removing parts of the liver because the dense and tortuous vasculature within can be hard to comprehend by the surgeon. Poorly placed incisions can […]