Researchers at Columbia University have developed a microscopic implantable chip for physiological monitoring. It has a total volume of less than 0.1 mm3. To put that in perspective, the chip is as small as a dust mite, and can only be viewed using a microscope. The goal of this research was to create devices that […]
Author: Medgadged
GI Genius Polyp Detection System: Interview with Giovanni Di Napoli, President, Gastrointestinal at Medtronic
We recently reported on the de novo FDA clearance received by Medtronic for its GI Genius AI polyp detection system. The product is hugely flexible as it works with any video colonoscope and provides AI powered assistance for clinicians in identifying colorectal polyps during colonoscopies. Medtronic reports that the system has significantly improved polyp detection […]
Brain-Computer Interface Translates Imagined Writing into Typed Text
Researchers in the BrainGate Collaboration (which includes researchers from Brown University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the Providence VA Medical Center, Stanford University, and Case Western Reserve University) have developed a new iteration of their brain-computer interface which allows a spinal injury patient to type text on a computer screen. The patient imagines writing […]
Hydrogel Wound Treatment Kills Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an antibacterial hydrogel that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The material is conceived as a wound dressing, and is composed of antimicrobial peptides which are naturally produced by the immune system. The gel binds the peptides together and protects them, yet allows them to still kill […]
Light-Responsive Hydrogel to Fill Cerebral Aneurysms
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) in Korea have developed a new technique to treat cerebral aneurysms. Described in journal Advanced Materials, the treatment involves using a catheter to deliver an alignate hydrogel that is crosslinked in place within the aneurysm using light. The hydrogel is not degradable and can reside within […]
Soft Sensors for Wireless Monitoring During Labor
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a series of soft sensors that can provide wireless monitoring of pregnant mothers during labor. The sensors are a replacement for the wires and belts typically used for monitoring during labor, and can send data directly to a clinician’s smartphone, opening the possibility of remote monitoring in rural or […]
Mantis Shrimp-Inspired Camera to Detect Tumors During Surgery
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a hexachromatic camera that can assist with tumor imaging during surgical removal. The device is inspired by the mantis shrimp which can perceive twelve colors, compared with just three colors that can be perceived by the human eye. The new camera can visualize tumors in the […]
New Bioprinting Technique to Make Artificial Cartilage Implants
Researchers at the University of Alberta have developed a method to 3D print cartilage-like materials consisting of a collagen hydrogel containing human chondrocytes. The printed structures mimic human nasal cartilage in terms of its mechanical, molecular and histological characteristics. The researchers hope the technology could lead to personalized cartilage implants for skin cancer patients who […]
Sweat Sensor for Non-Invasive Glucose Measurement
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a sweat sensor that measures glucose levels on the skin and converts those readings into accurate blood sugar estimates. As glucose levels in sweat can vary from person to person, the sensor incorporates algorithms that personalize the measurement for each user, requiring finger-prick calibration once […]
Phonon Probe to Image Tissues Ultrasonically at Nanoscale
Visual signs of disease can often be spotted within affected tissues, and advances in histopathology have provided clinicians with powerful diagnostic tools to spot those signs. Microscopes are the cornerstone of this trade, and although they have proven to be extremely useful, they do suffer from some limitations. They are effectively 2D imaging devices that […]
Sugar Coated Brain Implants
Researchers at McGill University in Canada have developed a method to create and deliver brain implants that are a similar in consistency to the brain itself, which is a soft gelatinous tissue. The delicate silicone implants are created using sugar molds and delivered using a sugar needle, and their delicate consistency helps to ensure that […]
Healthcare AI, Limiting Biases, and Gold Standard Data Sets: Exclusive with Vatsal Ghiya, CEO of Shaip
Shaip is an online platform that focuses on healthcare AI data solutions and offers licensed healthcare data designed to help construct AI models. It provides text-based patient medical records and claims data, audio such as physician recordings or patient/doctor conversations, and images and video in the form of X-rays, CT scans, and MRI results. Like most […]
Implantable Hydrogel Helps Neurons Recover After Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often lead to cognitive disabilities and permanent neural tissue damage, for which effective therapies do not exist. The serious cognitive impairments that patients experience and the burden on caretakers can be enormous, necessitating a constant search for treatments that may help. Researchers at University of Georgia have now reported in journal […]
First Brain-Computer Robotic Stroke Rehab System Authorized by FDA
Neurolutions, a company with offices in Santa Cruz, CA and St. Louis, MO, won FDA de novo authorization to introduce its IpsiHand stroke rehab system in the United States. This is the first approval of a brain-computer interface technology for the rehabilitation of stroke patients, and it promises a faster and more complete recovery of […]
Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology FDA Approved
Medtronic has won FDA approval for its Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology. The original Pipeline Flex was the first commercially available flow diverter for brain aneurysms. Shield Technology, a novel surface treatment that now encompasses the device, helps to reduce the tendency of the device itself to produce clots. A few days ago […]
3D Printed Shields Protect Guts During Radiotherapy
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and MIT have developed 3D printed shields to protect the gastrointestinal tract from the side effects of radiotherapy. Using CT scans, the devices can be custom printed to suit each patient’s anatomy. The materials they’re made of contain high atomic number elements that help to shield tissues from gamma […]
Ultrasonic Biopsy Needle for Larger Tissue Samples
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed an ultrasonically actuated needle that can retrieve a large amount of tissue during a biopsy, without the pain and complications associated with using bigger needles. The technique could be very useful when clinicians need to obtain tissue samples for molecular tumor diagnostics, since obtaining high quality samples […]
Ultrasonic Biopsy Needle for Larger Tissue Samples
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed an ultrasonically actuated needle that can retrieve a large amount of tissue during a biopsy, without the pain and complications associated with using bigger needles. The technique could be very useful when clinicians need to obtain tissue samples for molecular tumor diagnostics, since obtaining high quality samples […]
Non-Surgical Solution for Fecal Incontinence: Interview with Miles Rosen, CEO of Pelvalon
Fecal incontinence can be extremely challenging for those who suffer it. The condition can be embarrassing, making it difficult for people to tell others or even their doctor about it, and it is more common than you might think. Fecal incontinence can affect anyone, but a key group of patients includes women during menopause, in […]
New Software Helps Design DNA Nanorobots
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed new software that allows them to rapidly design and simulate DNA nanorobots. Previously, it was challenging to engineer such tiny devices, but now researchers can map out their design in minutes. DNA-based devices have significant promise as medical technologies with potential applications in drug delivery and diagnostics. Researchers […]