Heart attacks cause parts of the heart’s tissue to die, reducing its capacity to eject blood. There’s been recent evidence that the heart does indeed grow new cells after early childhood development, but the source of these new cells has been an intriguing mystery. In order to identify where new cardiomyocytes come from, researchers at […]
Author: Medgadged
HydroPICC Anti-thrombogenic Central Line Catheter Cleared by FDA
Access Vascular, a company based in Bedford, MA that makes a novel material for preventing the clogging up of catheters, won FDA clearance for its HydroPICC catheter. The company’s “bulk-hydrophilic” material is rich in water and carries a neutral surface charge, which helps to prevent proteins and other biomaterials from sticking. According to the company, […]
Highly Compliant, Ultra Sensitive Electronic Skin to Give Prostheses a Sense of Touch
Scientists at Stanford University have created a way to produce thin, stretchable electronic circuits that feature incredibly sensitive pressure sensors. These electronics can one day be wrapped around prosthetic hands to provide a sense of touch or to create wearable electronics for long term body sensing, among many other possible applications. The team’s devices are […]
Injectable Hydrogel Responds to Tumors to Release Chemo and Immunotherapies
Scientists at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University have developed an injectable polymer hydrogel that breaks down in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by tumor cells. During its controlled degradation, the hydrogel releases a chemotherapeutic drug and an immunotherapy to kill surrounding tumor cells. Cancer immunotherapies have shown significant […]
SherpaPak and SherpaPerfusion Donor Heart Transport Coolers Cleared in Europe
Paragonix Technologies, based in Braintree, Massachusetts, won European approval to introduce its SherpaPak and SherpaPerfusion cardiac transport systems. The devices are intended for maintaining hearts while they’re being transported from harvest in preparation for transplantation. The SherpaPak device relies on hypothermic static preservation to transport donor hearts, while the SherpaPerfusion uses hypothermic oxygenated perfusion preservation for the […]
Device Measures Stiffness of Tens of Thousands of Cells to Screen Drugs for Safety (Video)
Force cytometry, or measurement of strength of cells, can be a useful indicator for assessing how specific drugs affect cell function. Rapidly performing thousands of force cytometry tests can help speed up drug testing, particularly for compounds intended to treat blood pressure, stroke, muscular dystrophy, and asthma. Scientists at UCLA and Rutgers University have now […]
3D Printed Clip Turns Smartphone into Powerful Microscope
Modern smartphones feature incredible image sensors that are much better than professional equipment from only a few years ago. They’re great for microscopy and simple attachments in front of the lens can give great views of blood, cells, and other specimens. The only problem is that the sample has to be illuminated and having LEDs […]
Brain Organoids Show Formation of Brain Wrinkles
Our regular readers might have noted that the development of organ-on-a-chip devices has become a popular research trend. Tiny living parts of real human organs can be sustained for long periods of time inside of specially designed chambers that feed the organoids and provide researchers a window to examine them under a microscope. All sorts […]
Placenta-on-a-Chip to Screen for Drug Safety During Pregnancy
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a microfluidic chip that mimics the placental barrier. Their device paves the way for drug screening to determine which drugs can cross the placental barrier, allowing researchers to assess drug safety for pregnant women. Pharmacological treatment for pregnant women can be risky, as some drugs can cross […]
Journal Articles on Your Smartphone with The Case App: Interview with Co-Founder Eric Kowalcyk
Keeping up to date on the latest academic journal articles and publications can be challenging for researchers focused on bringing their own innovations and projects to life. With many different journals publishing articles daily, research article aggregators like PubMed have become the go-to solution. Recognizing the limited bandwidth and increasing mobility of researchers, Case, a […]
Stick-On Flexible Electronics to Track Stroke Recovery
Electronics that keep working even when repeatedly stretched and flexed have improved significantly in the last few years to the point that now they’re finally being introduced into real wearable medical devices. At Northwestern University, John Rogers, the scientist responsible for many achievements in the field of flexible electronics (see flashbacks below), has developed new […]
Knitted Fabric Delivers Laser Light to Treat Skin Conditions
A number of diseases are treated using light therapy. These include acne, actinic keratosis, jaundice, Paget’s disease, and psoriasis. Modern light blankets use arrays of LEDs to produce illumination, but light emitted by LEDs can be quite weak compared to light produced by a laser. Photodynamic therapy light lamps, on the other hand, can create painful […]
Google’s Deep Learning Software Analyzes Retinal Images for Signs of Cardiovascular Risk
Google has been tinkering in the field of medicine over the last few years, including developing a prototype electronic contact lens. The company’s latest health project involves detecting cardiovascular conditions by analyzing the vasculature of the retina. The researchers built a deep learning system that processed data from two datasets containing thousands of patients, each […]
On-Skin Flexible Screen for Displaying Live Health Information
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed an elastic display that can be affixed to the skin to display the waveform of an electrocardiogram, or other health parameters, detected by a skin sensor. When combined with a communication module, the system can transmit the data to a smartphone and the cloud, allowing doctors to […]
Concept Idea for a New da Vinci Surgical System
The da Vinci surgical robotic systems from Intuitive Surgical have become extremely popular among physicians and patients, though there are some controversies surrounding costs of procedures and complications. The system is so inspiring that Amin Akhshi, an industrial product designer, has imagined a future da Vinci system. Akhshi’s design provides easy access to the patient […]
Arterys FDA Clearance for Liver AI and Lung AI Lesion Spotting Software
Arterys, a San Francisco, California firm, won FDA clearance for its Arterys Oncology AI suite. The cleared software aids in finding lesions within CT images of the lungs (Lung AI) and in both CT and MRI when assessing the liver (Liver AI). It uses artificial intelligence methods to segment lesions and nodules, and in evaluations […]
Upconversion Nanoparticles Deliver Light Deep Into Brain to Power Optogenetic Therapies
Optogenetics is a powerful method developed over the past few years that lets scientists use light to activate specific genetically modified neurons within the brain. This technology still has a lot of time left in the lab before it can help to address human diseases, but that reality may be a bit closer thanks to […]
Power Source Inspired by Electric Eels to Energize Medical Implants
Today’s batteries are full of limitations that make it a challenge to use them inside the body to power medical devices. They are rigid and are typically made of toxic materials, are difficult to recharge once implanted, and have a lifetime that requires replacement. Researchers at the University of Fribourg, University of Michigan, and University of […]
Edwards Lifesciences’ New CENTERA Transcatheter Aortic Valve Cleared in Europe
Edwards Lifesciences won European approval to introduce its brand new CENTERA transcatheter aortic valve prosthesis. The self-expanding stent comes attached to the delivery instrument, a major improvement over other valves that have to be squeezed, inserted, and attached to the catheter before they can be used. Moreover, a motor-powered handle helps with releasing the valve […]
AdhereTech’s Smart System Improves Medication Compliance
Taking pills can be easy to forget and factors such as unpleasant side effects can significantly contribute to missed doses. This is especially true for serious diseases with complicated and prolonged regimens, often leading to decreased patient adherence at a time when staying on a drug regimen is especially important. AdhereTech currently helps patients around […]