Last month, Medgadget had the opportunity to visit the great state of Texas for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) event. We had a chance to chat with Yoku Méndez, CEO of Jalisco, México-based Soluciones Kenko. Their product is an innovative wearable called ECGlove which is designed to help doctors and paramedics quickly check patients […]
Author: Medgadged
Caffeine-Containing Biocompatible Gels for Drug Delivery
Researchers at MIT have developed a biocompatible polymer gel with potential for drug delivery. The new gel uses caffeine as a gentle and biocompatible catalyst during its manufacture, unlike many other gels that require harsh catalysts or manufacturing conditions that can ruin sensitive biological drugs intended for delivery or pose health risks for patients. The […]
Hair-Sized Fiber-Optic Probe Can Measure Temperatures Deep Inside the Body
Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a tiny fiber-optic probe that can measure temperatures deep inside the body, while imaging structures in the region of interest. The probe, which has a similar thickness to a human hair, could help researchers to investigate the effects of drugs that raise temperatures in specific parts of […]
IBM Watson Artificial Intelligence System for Cancer Care: Interview with Elekta’s Andrew Wilson
Elekta, the big name in radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and oncology informatics that’s based in Sweden, recently partnered with IBM to offer the Watson for Oncology artificial intelligence (AI) platform along with its MOSAIQ Oncology Information System and other cancer care solutions. According to Richard Hausmann, the CEO of Elekta, it is “the first radiation therapy company […]
Siren Diabetic Socks Monitor Temperature of Feet, Detects Early Signs of Injury
Many patients suffering from diabetes and diabetic neuropathy are prone to having foot ulcers that can be remarkably difficult to manage. The best approach is to catch ulcers developing early on and to receive treatment as soon as possible. The Siren Diabetic Socks may be just the thing, as they monitor the temperature of the […]
Defibrillator Pads with Needles to Deliver More Effective Shocks
External defibrillators that shock hearts out of life threatening arrhythmias are pretty brutal devices. They have to deliver a great deal of electrical energy into the skin so that enough of it reaches the heart, sometimes even to the point of burning the person being treated. The skin is a major barrier to the flow […]
Siemens SOMATOM Force Dual Source CT with Auto Patient Positioning Cleared by FDA
Siemens Healthineers won FDA clearance for its SOMATOM Force dual source CT scanner. Just like the recently cleared SOMATOM Edge Plus, this device includes the company’s FAST (Fully Assisting Scanner Technologies) Integrated Workflow that relies on a 3D camera positioned over the patient bed to recognize the head, torso, and other parts of the body. This allows […]
Anti-Microbial Nanotechnology: Interview with Adrian Fellows, Head of R&D at AGA Nanotech
AGA Nanotech, a medtech company based in the UK, has developed nanotechnologies aimed at overcoming antimicrobial resistance, with a view to offering an alternative to conventional antibiotics. The company has collaborated with researchers from University College London to create poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles that can deliver highly oxidative biocides, using a Thermally Induced Phase Separation […]
Electric Monitoring of Gut’s Muscles to Avoid Invasive Procedures
Engineers at University of California San Diego have developed a device for measuring the electric activity of the muscles of the guts in people that are ambulating and throughout the day. The device has 10 electrodes that are placed on the skin over the abdomen similar to how ECG electrodes are attached. It measures the […]
FDA Gives First Clearance for Autonomous Diagnosis of Medical Condition
IDx, a company out of Coralville, Iowa, won FDA de novo clearance to introduce its artificial intelligence-powered IDx-DR diabetic retinopathy detection system. This is the first device cleared in the United States to autonomously diagnose a medical condition without requiring a review by a specially trained clinician. It’s intended to provide an easy screening option […]
EyeGate Non-Invasive System Uses Electricity To Pull Drug Into Eye
EyeGate Pharma, a company out of Waltham, Massachusetts, has developed a novel ocular drug delivery system that doesn’t use needles or any other invasive techniques. The EyeGate II iontophoresis drug delivery system instead relies on electric current to pull an ionizable drug into the eye. This is achieved by placing an electrode on the forehead […]
Medtronic’s Visualase MRI-Guided Neuro Ablation System Cleared in EU
Medtronic won European CE Mark approval to introduce its Visualase MRI-guided minimally invasive laser ablation system for neurosurgical applications. The product allows for monitoring of ablation in real-time, so as to avoid injuring tissues outside the target area. Laser energy is delivered via an applicator only 1.65 mm in width that requires no more than a […]
TransMedics’ Lung Preservation System Approved in U.S. for Double Transplants
TransMedica, based in Andover, Massachusetts, won FDA approval to introduce its Organ Care System (OCS) LUNG for use in standard double lung transplant procedures. The approval was based on the INSPIRE Trial, which the company touts as being the largest lung preservation for transplantation trial ever. Twenty one institutions around the world were involved comparing the […]
CurveBeam’s Compact In-Office Extremity CT Scanners Cleared in EU
CurveBeam, based in Warrington, Pennsylvania, won the European CE Mark for its LineUP and InReach extremity CT systems. Unlike conventional CTs, the devices can be placed in smaller spaces, don’t require special shielding, and can be plugged into a regular power socket. Moreover, the amount of radiation absorbed by the patient is significantly reduced. The […]
Augmented Reality App to Help Parkinson’s Patients Improve Their Walk
Bioengineering students at Rice University have developed a smartphone app that may help people with Parkinson’s disease to improve their walking gait. These patients are combating a common phenomenon known as freezing, in which the legs take random pauses contrary to how the brain wishes them to move. Because previous studies demonstrated that regular, repeating […]
Eye Implant to Halt, Reverse Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Dry age-related macular degeneration is an all too common, untreatable disease that eventually results in blindness. It is caused by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a layer of cells above the retina that supplies it with nutrients, becoming dysfunctional over time. Now there’s significant hope that an implant loaded with RPE cells created from embryonic stem […]
Non-Invasive Skin Patch Sucks Glucose Through Skin, Measures Blood Sugar Levels
Scientists at University of Bath in the UK have developed and successfully tested an electronic patch capable of measuring glucose in the interstitial fluid without actually penetrating the skin. The transdermal patch features a tiny electronic pixel array made either via graphene-based thin-film or screen printing techniques. The patch is able to essentially suck (electroosmotic extraction) […]
Interview with Tal Golesworthy, Inventor of the ExoVasc Aortic Root Support
Tal Golesworthy is the inventor of the ExoVasc, a bespoke implant that supports the aortic root when it has becomes weak and dilated. Tal’s invention was born out of his personal need for the device to support his aorta that was expanding dangerously due to Marfan syndrome. In 2004, Tal was the first patient to […]
Robotic Brace Characterizes Spine Deformities, Dynamically Adjusts Therapy
Engineers at Columbia University have developed a dynamic spine brace, called the Robotic Spine Exoskeleton (RoSE), that can measure the stiffness of the human torso in three dimensions and apply corrective pressure in patients with spine deformities, such as idiopathic scoliosis. Children with spinal deformities typically wear braces to help correct their abnormal spinal curvature. […]
Foldscope Microscope Review: The Foldable, Portable Way to Zoom In On Our World
Imagine taking a walk in your favorite neighborhood when you suddenly spot a bug that looks interesting. If you want to observe it in microscopic detail, all you have to do is whip out your own deluxe foldscope individual kit and take a few quick pictures with your smartphone. And the same works with things […]