STS Medical, a company based in Israel, won FDA clearance for its sole product, the S.T.Stent sinus stent. The composite device is indicated for treatment of chronic sinusitis, as part of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS), to help keep the sinus cavity open post surgery. It can also be used to address nose job failures, chronic allergic rhinitis, […]
Author: Medgadged
FDA Clears MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System with Pencil Beam Technology
Mevion Medical Systems, a company specializing in accelerating protons to very high energies, has now received FDA clearance for its new MEVION S250i system for intensity modulated proton therapy. The product features the company’s HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning technology, that involves “energy layer switching” and automated collimation, which produces a narrow beam of protons to […]
Implant Containing Living Pancreatic Cells Controls Blood Sugar Without Insulin Injections
Patients with Type I diabetes have a poorly functioning pancreas that doesn’t produce enough, or any, insulin to metabolize blood glucose. Constant and regular injections are a norm for millions suffering from the disease. But now researchers at Cornell University, working with others from Novo Nordisk and University of Michigan Medical School, have developed an implantable […]
DiffuserCam: Lensless 3D Imaging without Scanning
Three dimensional images can now be created from a single two dimensional image using a new computational imaging technique developed by a research team at the University of California, Berkeley. A hallmark of the new approach is that it does not require a complex, expensive hardware setup, but instead relies on a compact, inexpensive, lensless […]
New and Improved Power Delivery for Implants: Interview with Cambridge Consultants’ John Genova
As technological advances in implant design get more and more impressive, one hurdle seems to persist. How can you efficiently deliver power within the body? Many contemporary implants rely on single-use batteries while others require regular recharging, a process that is generally a frustrating one. Using a bulky charging device, one must synchronize the external […]
Device Delivers Sound and Electric Stimulation to Reduce Tinnitus
At the University of Michigan, scientists have developed a non-invasive technology to treat tinnitus, in most sufferers, by training the brain to “desynchronize” and to begin responding properly to real sounds. Their approach involves stimulating touch sensitive nerves using electrodes attached to the skin, while producing sounds, heard through headphones, that coordinate with the electric […]
Microbeads Significantly Improve Ultrasonic Targeting for Therapy, Research
Ultrasonic therapy, sonogenetics, and ultrasounic modulation are techniques that rely on focused, high precision sound waves to do things like stimulating neural cells to fire, motivating other cells to repair themselves, and killing tumors by damaging their cellular membranes. So-called cavitation bubbles, in which air bubbles rapidly vibrate, are the mechanism through which ultrasound acts […]
Developed: Brain-on-a-Chip Featuring Multiple Cell Types
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a way to create “brain-on-a-chip” devices that can be used to study brain function, how various chemical compounds influence it, and what can be done to protect the brain from toxic chemicals, etc. The technology may help lessen the need for laboratory animals, speed up drug development, […]
Biotricity’s Bioflux Live Cardiac Monitoring System FDA Cleared
Biotricity, a Silicon Valley firm, won FDA clearance for its Bioflux ECG monitoring system. The 3-channel device is used to help spot and identify cardiac arrhythmias. The mobile cardiac telemetry system transmits any likely cardiac events via its built-in 3G/4G cellular connectivity. The triggers can be set and changed remotely by the patient’s cardiologist, allowing […]
Skin Patch Controls Blood Sugar Without Finger Pricks or Injections
Researchers at National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a special patch for Type 2 diabetics that helps to control glucose levels in a novel way. The technology, once fully proven out and optimized, may work for days or even weeks at a time. The patch is made of […]
Proximity Tags Emit Radio Waves to Monitor Heart, Lungs, Blood Pressure
Contact-free measurement of vital signs is already a reality, but with a few important limitations some of which researchers at Cornell University may be able to overcome. Currently used devices typically require the patient to be in close proximity to the sensor, and they’re only able to measure the breathing and heart rates, along with […]
Woman Using Powered Prosthetic With Sense of Touch in Everyday Life
Almerina Mascarello is an Italian woman who is the first person in the world that is using a powered prosthetic hand with a sense of touch for every day tasks. Overall, the technology is a few years old, but many of the components, including power and processing, had to be miniaturized before it was practical […]
DreamPort Sleep Solution for CPAP Therapy Without a Mask: Interview with Inventor, Bleep CEO Stuart Heatherington
Continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) therapy is impressively effective for treating obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to high blood pressure, increased chances of stroke, diabetes, and other health issues. But, while CPAP therapy works really well, it also has an incredibly poor rate of patient compliance. Very few, if any, patients are […]
SANUWAVE dermaPACE System for Diabetic Foot Ulcers Cleared by FDA
SANUWAVE, a company out of Suwanee, Georgia, won FDA clearance to introduce in the U.S. its dermaPACE system for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The system, cleared through the agency’s de novo process intended for new types of medical technologies, delivers acoustic shock waves into wound tissue in order to stimulate healing. The company refers to […]
TeloYears Genetic Test Kit: Product Review
A few months ago, Medgadget spoke with Jason Shelton, CEO of Telomere Diagnostics (TDx) about the new company’s TeloYears genetic test. Compared to other genetic tests, TeloYears assesses an individual’s telomeres, a biomarker that changes with age. TDx’s goal is to provide consumers a new way to quantify their aging progress through detailed insight about […]
Masimo’s New rainbow Lite Sensors with Oxygen Reserve Index
Masimo is unveiling and releasing in Europe its new RD rainbow Lite SET sensors that measure the company’s proprietary Oxygen Reserve Index (ORi) and RPVi, a new and improved Pleth Variability Index (PVi) that relies on multiple wavelengths of light. This is on top of pulse oximetry capabilities. The technology allows for live fluid responsiveness assessment […]
EASYLOG Insulin Pen Injection Monitor Cleared in EU
BIOCORP, a company based in France, won European clearance to introduce its EASYLOG device for easy monitoring of insulin pen injector usage. It fits on most common pen injectors and records the dose delivered, including the product concentration, as well as the time and date of when the injection happened. The device itself doesn’t have […]
Nanowire Brush Captures Extracellular Vesicles in Urine, May Help Screen for Cancer
At Nagoya University in Japan, researchers have developed a nanowire-based device to extract large numbers of microRNA strands found in urine. The technology may provide a way to identify the presence of cancers and other diseases through easy to gather patient samples. Over the past few years, researchers have been focusing on how cells within […]
Novel Microneedle Drug Delivery Patch for Burning Fat
Obesity results from excess white fat storage, making it difficult to treat because the effectiveness of diet, exercise, and systemic anti-obesity agents is limited, and in the latter case may cause serious side effects. As a result, researchers are investigating innovative strategies for localized delivery of fat burning compounds via transdermal patches. Medgadget recently reported on […]
What’s Ahead for Medtech in 2018: An Interview with CNBC’s Christina Farr
CNBC‘s Christina “Chrissy” Farr is one of the industry’s best-known health technology reporters. She’s been the first to break the news on many important health-related announcements from Apple, Amazon, and other firms over the past several years, and Medgadget often refers to her excellent reporting as part of our own coverage. As 2017 was winding down, […]