Researchers have developed microrobots using algae and magnetic particles that can be guided magnetically to sites in the body and tracked, by spotting the algae’s natural luminescence or using an MRI scanner. The investigators hope that swarms of these tiny robots could help with diagnostics and treatment in areas of the body that are curren (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Ingestible Biosensor for Tracking Opioid Use Following Acute Injury
Opioids, such as oxycodone, are routinely prescribed for short-term pain management following pain-inducing injuries. However, their use is associated with the development of tolerance and addiction, due in part to dosage mismanagement by patients. Recently, the FDA approved the use of the first digital pill administered in combination (Read more...)
Soft Robotic Cardiac Assist Device for One-sided Heart Failure
Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital have developed a novel robotic cardiac assist device designed to assist patients with one-sided heart failure. The device combines soft actuators with a rigid brace that penetrates into the heart’s intraventricular septum, to provide gentle but robust pumping assistance to just one side of the h (Read more...)
Kastus Glass and Ceramics Coating Kills Pathogens with Light
While checking out the dozens of medtech companies showing off their stuff at the recent Med in Ireland event in Dublin, we were intrigued to discover Kastus, the inventors of a pretty amazing surface coating technology. The company’s Log4+ coating is made of titanium dioxide co-doped with fluorine and copper, the combination of which results (Read more...)
InterAtrial Shunt Device from Corvia Medical Shows Promising Results in Diastolic Heart Failure
At the recent American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, researchers have announced positive results in a clinical study of the InterAtrial Shunt Device (IASD) from Corvia Medical, which allows blood to travel between the atria of the heart, to safely alleviate the symptoms of diastolic heart failure. Much of the work has been carried out at [ (Read more...)
“OK Google!” Researched for Medical Conversations
Medical transcription is often seen as one of the more mundane tasks that need to be done in the doctor’s office. Yet, it’s vitally important for making sure that medical records are accurate, and that all of the physician’s observations, orders, and conversations with patients is properly documented. Google wanted to see if (Read more...)
Robot Passes China’s Medical Licensing Exam
Earlier this month, a Chinese medical robot named Xiaoyi achieved a passing score of 456 on China’s medical licensing exam. It might not exactly be a score that would make you comfortable entrusting your health to it – a passing score is 360 out of 600. But it’s an impressive result considering the robot scored […]
SureWash Uses Computer Vision to Teach Proper Hand Washing Techniques
While visiting Med in Ireland, the big get-together of Irish companies and all kinds of buyers in the medical device space, we were introduced to the SureWash system. This is an innovative product unlike anything we’ve covered before, the end goal of which is to prevent the spread of infections within clinical facilities. The SureWash [&helli (Read more...)
Abderma, a High Absorbency and Retention Material for Wound Applications
On our visit to Med in Ireland medtech industry event, we had a chance to check out some cool indigenous materials engineering that goes on in Ireland to benefit medtech. Specifically, ATD emolda, a company based outside of Dublin, was showing off its Abderma foam, a product designed for wound management applications. Abderma, a biocompatible [&hel (Read more...)
Medgadget Visits Med in Ireland to Check Out Europe’s Medtech Hub
Ireland was once a poor country. Agriculture was its main output and Guinness its ambassador to the world. Things have drastically changed in the last couple of decades, so much so that Ireland is now the fastest growing economy in Europe and one of the hottest places for medical technology companies to do business. A […]
A Report from the Diabetes Professional Care Conference in London
Now in its third year, DPC2017 offered attendees in London an impressive array of presentations, debates, workshops, and networking opportunities. The two-day event at the Olympia featured contributions from over a hundred world experts covering all aspects of diabetes care, and showcased the emerging technologies underpinning tomorrow’s heal (Read more...)
Genome Editing Primes T-Cells to Attack Cancer
Scientists at Cardiff University in the UK have found a way to enhance the cancer-destroying ability of T-cells through DNA editing. The research team used CRISPR genome editing technique to remove the receptors naturally present on T-cells, and instead replace them with receptors that would recognize specific cancers cells, causing the T-cells to (Read more...)
New Cell Culture Technique For High Speed, Continuous Cell Production
Researchers at Newcastle University in the UK have developed a new cell culture technique that allows scientists to produce enormous quantities of cells using a very small growth area. The key to the method is a “peptide amphiphile” coating that allows cells to grow and then “peel away” and detach from the growth surface, le (Read more...)
A Reminder: Medical Sci-Fi Writing Contest
We are accepting entries in our annual Medical Sci-Fi Writing Contest. You still have time to polish the prose and to twist the story line. Medgadget is looking for science fiction stories that imagine the future of medicine. This future may involve the good and the bad, including fantastic treatments of disease and moral dilemmas […]
Sensus Healthcare’s Technology Uses Low-Energy X-rays Directly on Cancer Cells: Interview with CEO Joe Sardano
Sensus Healthcare is a medical device company that focuses on providing non-invasive and cost-effective treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers and keloids utilizing superficial radiation technology (SRT). Their proprietary, FDA-cleared SRT technology is used to effectively and safely treat oncological and non-oncological skin conditions. The radiat (Read more...)
Weighing Cancer Cells Can Reveal Their Susceptibility to Chemo
At present, there is no way to predict if multiple myeloma will respond to a particular drug cancer therapy, meaning clinicians often have to take a shot in the dark and hope that something works. Researchers at MIT have developed a new method to measure how well multiple myeloma patients will respond to a specific […]
Quantum Dots Attached to Antibodies Seek Out, Light Up Tumors in Bright Technicolor
Quantum dots are tiny nanoparticles made of semiconductors that have unusual optical properties. In medicine, they may be very useful because they emit light when stimulated by electricity or an external light source, making them easy to spot in diagnostic tests. They’re more than ten times brighter than fluorescent dyes commonly used today, (Read more...)
FoodTech: How Engineered Food and Gastronomical Gadgets Affect Your Health
Here on Medgadget, we cover a lot of groundbreaking devices that save lives and improve health. But one often overlooked topic deals with something each and every one of us use every day: food. Food is essential for our survival, and one can say it interacts with our bodies more intimately than any medical product, so […]
EasyScan GO: AI Powered Malaria Parasite Counter
EasyScan GO, an AI powered microscope developed by Chinese manufacturer Motic, has the capability to automatically and accurately quantify malaria parasites in a blood sample. Utilizing machine learning algorithms, the microscope is so efficient that it can identify the amount of parasites present in under 20 minutes. Premiered at the International (Read more...)
EYEMATE Implantable Continuous Intraocular Pressure Monitor Validated in Initial Patients
Implandata, a Hannover, Germany firm, just announced that the first patients has been implanted with its EYEMATE continuous intraocular pressure (IOP) monitor and the technology passed initial validation. Glaucoma, as well as a few other less common eye conditions, require regular IOP measurements in order to properly adjust how much medications to (Read more...)