Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have created a low-cost, portable COVID testing kit intended for use in remote, low-resource regions of the world. They describe the approach as a lab-in-a-backpack, and it makes use of a recycled computer hard-drive as a centrifuge. The test assay relies on loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) rather […]
Author: Medgadged
TearCare System for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Interview with Reay H. Brown, CMO of Sight Sciences
Sight Sciences, a medtech company based in California, specializes in devices to treat glaucoma and dry eye disease. The company has recently announced FDA 510(k) clearance for the TearCare System, a device designed to treat meibomian gland dysfunction. Meibomian glands are present near the rims of our eyelids and they secrete a clear oily substance […]
Anti-COVID Nanobubbles Act as Viral Decoys
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered naturally-occurring extracellular vesicles in the blood that contain the ACE2 protein, which is the cellular target of SARS-CoV-2. The vesicles act as a binding site for viral particles within the body, and prevent them from binding to and infecting cells. Unlike vaccines, therapeutics based on this finding are unlikely […]
Robotic Spinal Replica for Surgical Planning
A team at Florida Atlantic University has developed a 3D-printed replica of a portion of the human spine, based on patient CT data. The patient-specific construct can be attached and articulated by a robotic platform, and a soft magnetic sensor allows the researchers to gauge intervertebral loads as the spine assumes different postures. The model […]
Low-Field MRI for New Imaging Possibilities, Fewer X-rays
Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are using a new low-field MRI system that may expand the capabilities of MRI for patients with implanted devices, patients who require lung imaging, and obese patients. The system, which was developed in a collaboration between Siemens and Ohio State, has a magnetic field strength of […]
Piezoelectric Scaffold Boosts Cartilage Regeneration
A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a biomaterial scaffold that generates small amounts of electricity when compressed. The piezoelectric material is intended to facilitate cartilage regeneration in joints. Normal movement of a joint in which the scaffold is implanted will create repeated small bursts of electricity. The researchers hypothesize that […]
Wearable Helmet for Non-Invasive Optical Brain Imaging
Kernel, a medtech company based in California, has developed the Kernel Flow, a wearable helmet that can perform time domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS) imaging of the brain. The system has a smaller footprint, is less expensive and less complex than benchtop TD-fNIRS systems, but has demonstrated similar imaging performance. The imaging modality measures changes […]
Nanotherapy for Immunosuppression May Lead to Diabetes Treatment
Researchers at Northwestern University developed a nanoparticle delivery system for a common immunosuppressant drug that increases the potential of pancreatic islet transplantation as a viable long-term treatment for Type I diabetes. The technology targets the drug to act on the antigen presenting cells of the immune system, rather than T cells. This results in a […]
Automatic Blood Smear Preparation for Reliable Malaria Diagnosis
Researchers at Cambridge and Bath universities in the UK, along with colleagues at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, have created two devices, called autohaem, that assist in creating blood smears, a common technique for diagnosing malaria. A blood smear involves manually smudging a drop of blood across a microscope slide to allow observation of […]
Maestro Laparoscopy Assistance Platform: Interview with Anne Osdoit, CEO of Moon Surgical
Moon Surgical (formerly MastOR), is a medtech startup based in France. The company has developed the Maestro laparoscopy assistance platform, a two-armed robotic surgical assistant that can hold and manipulate standard laparoscopic instruments. The device is intended to be used at the bedside and provides the surgeon with greater flexibility and control, without the complexity […]
Wearable Air Sampler to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Exposure
Researchers at Yale University created a wearable air sampler clip that can be worn on clothing and which can bind aerosols present in the environment. The clip can later be analyzed to determine the level of SARS-CoV-2 exposure while it was worn. The low-cost, battery-free technology could allow people to identify unsafe indoor environments that […]
Shape-Shifting Microbot to Repair Bones
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden and Okayama University in Japan developed a shape-shifting microrobot that can self-create a bone-like material under the right conditions. The electroactive material responds to low voltage electric current and changes its volume and shape, allowing the researchers to pre-program specific movements and guiding the resulting architecture. The technology could […]
Protein Coating Protects Nanoparticles from Immune Attack
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created a new coating for nanoparticles that can help to protect them from attacks by the immune system. The approach, which uses naturally occurring proteins that can inhibit the complement system, can significantly reduce immune destruction of nanoparticles, meaning that more may reach their target […]
Wearable Sensors Track Hand Use in Amputees
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have developed a system to track hand use in people with a hand prosthesis or patients who have undergone a hand transplant. The technology tracks movement in the hands and arms, and helps to monitor how people use their hands in everyday life. Such data could help to guide […]
Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disorders, certain cancers, and […]
Optical Biopsy to Spot Tumors Among Healthy Tissue
Researchers at Orel State University in Russia have developed a biopsy system that can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue in many clinical cases. The device is designed to address the difficulties that clinicians may experience when trying to obtain a biopsy of a liver tumor, where it can be difficult to know if the […]
Hairy Nanocrystals Capture Chemo Drugs
Researchers at Penn State working with collaborators have developed a nanomaterial that can ‘mop up’ chemotherapeutics in the bloodstream, helping to reduce off-target effects. The technology is intended for use in situations where a chemotherapeutic can be delivered precisely to the site of a tumor, and not in situations where it is delivered systemically. The […]
Water Vapor Plasma Bonding for Ultrathin and Flexible Electronics
Scientists at RIKEN research institute in Japan have developed a new method to bind gold electrodes to each other within flexible electronics. The technique, which does not require adhesives or high temperatures that can damage delicate electronic components, allows for extremely thin and flexible electronics and could lead to new types of medical wearables. The […]
Finger Clip for Blood Pressure Monitoring
At the University of Missouri a team of researchers developed a custom finger clip device that can continuously measure a variety of vitals, including blood pressure. The novel device represents a new way to measure vitals, and contains two commercial photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that operate at two different points on the finger. This approach allows […]
Quantum Sensor to Detect SARS-CoV-2 More Accurately
Researchers at MIT have designed a quantum sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2. While the device is still theoretical, the researchers have used mathematical simulations to show its potential, and the data and design indicate that it may be faster, more accurate, and less expensive than the current gold-standard technique, PCR. The system is based on nanodiamonds […]