A team of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a so-called “neuronal cookbook” that provides other scientists a set of instruction for how to convert skin cells into different types of brain neurons. The new methodology should allow researchers to generate exactly the type of cells they need and to study them in […]
Author: Medgadged
Allen Integrated Cell Program for Easy but Powerful Analysis of Stem Cells
The Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle, Washington has released Allen Integrated Cell, a piece of software that models the intricate details of human induced pluri-potent stem cells. Specifically, it provides a view of these cells in their pluri-potent state, including the various important organelles that perform unique functions inside the cells. The system includes […]
AcQMap Now Imaging Hearts with Ultrasound and Electricity in U.S.
Acutus Medical of Carlsbad, California, having won FDA clearance for its AcQMap last fall, has announced that the system has been used for the first time in the United States. The system’s novel catheter uses ultrasound and electrical tissue conduction mapping to provide a novel electrophysiologic live view inside the heart. Both the mechanics of the organ […]
Healthcare on the Blockchain, Day 2: Drug Management, Machine Learning, & Private vs. Public Blockchains
Day 2 of IEN’s “Healthcare on the Blockchain” event began with sessions on using blockchain technology for secure verification and changing the architecture of consumer decision making. Morning speakers included David Houlding, Director of Healthcare Privacy & Security at Intel, returning to moderate a session on blockchain security with Jeremy Grant, Managing Director of Technology […]
Healthcare on the Blockchain, Day 1: Tech Primer, Use Cases, & Privacy
Blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize a number of industries from fintech to medtech and everywhere in between. While much of the recent hype around blockchains has more specifically focused on cryptocurrencies, which are built using, but not synonymous with, blockchain, other real-world applications of the underlying technology are beginning to receive more attention. Last […]
Device Helps Disabled Docs Perform Physical Exams
Doctors with disabilities managed to overcome a great deal of challenges to be able to perform their professional duties. The challenges keep on coming, though, because tools that physicians use were almost never designed with disabilities in mind. A couple of folks at the University of Michigan wanted to help out a physician-in-training, that happens […]
Easy Method of Separating Chiral Drug Molecules Discovered
The chiral difference between two molecules often plays a huge role in pharmacology and physiology, even though the two seem nearly identical. The difference, simply that they’re mirror images of each other, turns out to mean, for example, that some molecules of thalidomide cure morning sickness while their chiral twins lead to deformed children being […]
Researchers Use YouTube to Study Dog Bites
The causes of dog bites are poorly understood, but the topic causes quite a bit of emotion on all sides of the issue, be it dog owners, people who are afraid of dogs, or those that believe only certain species are dangerous. Researchers at University of Liverpool wanted to study this issue, so they turned […]
Amazon’s Alexa May Soon Answer Your Healthcare Questions
CNBC is reporting that Amazon has formed a team within its Alexa division, the one responsible for the company’s AI voice assistants, focused on health and wellness. It seems Amazon wants to make its technology applicable for healthcare applications, but a variety of hurdles will be in the way. Details at CNBC: Amazon is building […]
Wearable MRI Detector Allows Imaging of Moving Joints
Researchers at NYU Langone Health have developed a wearable detector glove that allows them to image a moving hand in an MRI scanner. The glove allows for high-quality images of moving joints, whereby tendons and ligaments can be seen moving in relation to bones and muscle, and could be useful in helping to guide surgery. […]
Artificial Intelligence Spots Congenital Long QT Syndrome on ECGs
Clinical researchers at Mayo Clinic, working with AliveCor, the company that essentially introduced mobile electrocardiography (ECG) to the mass market, have published a study abstract demonstrating that artificial intelligence can be used to spot patients with congenital Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). The readings come from lead 1 of a 12-lead clinical grade ECG, which means that […]
Exclusive: BeCare Link’s Innovative App for Multiple Sclerosis Patients
BeCare Link has created a mobile application (“BeCare MS Link” in the Google Play app store) that connects patients to physicians and researchers to provide unprecedented levels of insight into multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. As paraphrased from a MS patient: “Much of MS is what is happening in your head, and you […]
Students Develop Cheap and Portable Cough Assist Device
People with cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and other chronic conditions can have serious difficulty coughing. This creates not only discomfort, but potentially dangerous complications for the lungs and heart. There are cough assist devices on the market that help, but they tent to be pricey, heavy, and require electric power. Now students at Michigan’s Grand […]
MRI Maps of Brain’s Visual Cortex Connectivity Point to Mental Illness
Researchers at Duke University may have identified a way of predicting future (!) onset of mental illness. They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study how various parts of the brain communicate with each other. What the investigators noticed is that those individuals with a poorly functioning visual cortex, that doesn’t seem to talk well […]
Nextstim’s NBT Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Coming to U.S. to Treat Major Depression
Nextstim, based in Helsinki, Finland, is making its NBT Navigated Brain Therapy system available in the U.S. for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. The device is used to deliver transcranial magnetic stimulation to the brain, a therapy that has shown to be effective for certain patients. The system consists of the transcranial magnetic stimulator, stimulation […]
National Kidney Registry Speeds Up Its Organ Matching System
GE is profiling how it, working with VasoHealthcare IT, an imaging consulting firm, helped the National Kidney Registry improve how quickly potential kidney donors are matched. Read on at GE Reports…
Thousands of Tiny Microfluidic Chips Create Perfectly Sized Drug Particles
While a drug’s chemical makeup determines what impact it will have on the body (pharmacodynamics), it is often the shell that it’s encapsulated in that defines how fast the drug will be released, the location of that release, and even how how the release can be triggered externally (pharmacokinetics). Allowing drug designers to tune such […]
Computer Simulations Help Grow Custom Replacement Cultured Heart Valves
Prosthetic heart valve implantations have become common in modern hospitals, but these devices are still far from perfect. Issues with longevity, calcification, and maintenance of a good fit over many years following placement are some of the existing concerns. An entirely different approach, which involves growing new valves from cultured human cells, may overcome many […]
URO-1’s Repris System for Injecting Botox Into Bladder
URO-1, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, got FDA approval for its Repris Bladder Injection System. The product is designed for delivering Botox injections into the bladder as a treatment option for overactive bladder. The device, which is supposed to make such procedures easier on the physicians and more comfortable on the patients, will be unveiled […]
Researchers Show How to Improve Cognitive and Physical Ergonomics of Exoskeletons
Modern exoskeletons, while advanced in their mechanics and electronics, are often very difficult for users to get both physically and cognitively used to. Patients end up thinking more about the exoskeletons that are supposed to help them walk than the walking itself. Researchers at Draper, a non-profit R&D organization, tested how different factors can impact […]