Researchers at Caltech have developed a non-invasive functional ultrasound system that can detect brain activity by listening to tiny changes in blood flow within the brain. The system could provide a viable alternative to invasive electrodes that are implanted into the brain for brain machine interfaces, such as those used in prosthetics. So far, (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Lab-Generated Heart Valves Grow Inside Body
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a tissue-engineered heart valve replacement that can grow within a patient. The breakthrough could allow children with congenital heart defects to avoid repeated surgeries to replace heart valves that they have outgrown. To create the valves, the researchers cultured donor cells in a fibrin (Read more...)
Electrodiagnosis of Ocular Diseases Using Sensor-Enabled Contacts
Electroretinography is a common technique for diagnosing and following up on eye conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa. To perform an electroretinography exam, a device is placed against the eye that projects light onto it and measures the resulting electrical signals that are generated by the retina. Commercia (Read more...)
Polymer Technologies for Tissue Repair: Interview with Christophe Bancel, TISSIUM CEO
TISSIUM, a Paris-based medtech firm, has been named a French Tech 120 company for the 2021 program. TISSIUM, previously called Gecko Biomedical, is developing a suite of polymer technologies and associated delivery devices for tissue repair applications. French Tech 120 is a French government driven program designed to support a total of 120 late-s (Read more...)
Medical Robotics and The Future of Surgery: Interview with Tracy Accardi, VP of R&D at Medtronic
Medtronic has been a key player in the minimally invasive surgery space for the last few decades, and has made great strides more recently in robotic surgery with last year’s acquisition of Digital Surgery. As a quick reference point: despite the many benefits of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), only 3% of surgeries around the world are [&hell (Read more...)
Silver-Hydrogel Composite for Bioelectronic Applications
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a silver-hydrogel composite that can conduct electricity, which looks promising for use in a variety of bioelectronics applications. These include skin mounted electrodes for neuromuscular stimulation that may be helpful in treating muscular disorders or other motor issues. Soft materials are (Read more...)
Smart Speaker Monitors Heart Rhythms
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an AI-powered sound system that can detect irregular heartbeats. The system sends inaudible sounds into its close environment and then analyzes the reflected waves to identify individual heartbeats from someone sitting close to it. The technology may be useful in detecting heart rhythm diso (Read more...)
Rapid 3D Printing of Materials with Livings Cells for Organ Replacement
Researchers at University at Buffalo in New York have developed a new technique that allows them to rapidly 3D print hydrogel materials containing viable cells. The researchers hope that their method will pave the way for 3D organ printing in the future. Current limitations include the slow pace of 3D printing, leading to poor viability […]
Improving Structural Heart Disease Care: Interview with Joel Portice, egnite CEO
egnite, a digital healthcare company based in California, offers the CardioCare, an AI-based solution that aims to help clinicians identify and treat patients with structural heart disease. CardioCare is already used in over 50 hospitals in the US. The company reports that structural heart disease can sometimes be undertreated or not identified in (Read more...)
Gold Nanoparticles Inside Contact Lenses Correct Color Blindness
Researchers in the United Arab Emirates have developed contact lenses that can help to correct color blindness. Containing gold nanoparticles, the lenses help to increase red-green contrast in wearers while also functioning as corrective lenses. The particles give the lenses a rose tint, which will hopefully result in wearers having a more positive (Read more...)
Skin-Like Sensor for Fine Control of Prosthetic Arms
Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a soft sensor for sensitive measurement of shear forces applied to its surface. When attached to robotic grippers, the tactile sensing allows for fine control of grasped objects, enabling the robot to perform impressive feats, such as threading a needle and gripping an egg without [&hel (Read more...)
Surgical Robot with Humanoid Arms for Transvaginal Hysterectomies
Memic, a company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won FDA authorization to introduce the first of its kind robotic surgical system that utilizes humanoid-shaped arms to achieve impressive reach and procedural safety. The FDA’s De Novo marketing authorization, which is given out for technologies that don&rsqu (Read more...)
Robots Measure Vitals to Minimize Interactions with COVID Patients
Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada have developed three different robots that can sense and measure patients’ healthcare parameters, including electrocardiograms, oxygen levels, respiration rates, and temperature. One of the robots, comprising a robotic arm, contains electrodes in its fingertips, and can take measurements when i (Read more...)
Microfluidic Smartphone Dongle Detects COVID-19
Researchers at Rice University have developed a microfluidic device that can test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a drop of blood and display its results once plugged into a cell phone. The test runs in under an hour, and works by detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein using antibody-studded magnetic nanobeads. In tests, the device could [&hel (Read more...)
Microfluidics and AI Microscopy for Hemoglobin Measurements
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science and SigTuple Technologies, a company based in Bengaluru, India, have developed a method to inexpensively measure hemoglobin levels in small-volume blood samples. The technique combines a microfluidic chip and an AI-powered microscope. The researchers hope that the technology will help streamline hemogl (Read more...)
Intraoral Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Interview with Akhil Tripathi, CEO of Signifier Medical
Signifier Medical Technologies, a company with headquarters in London, UK and Massachusetts, has created a new treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, and it is the first to be used during waking hours. Unlike conventional sleep apnea devices, the eXciteOSA is designed to be used for short periods during the day and employs electrical stimulation to (Read more...)
Wireless Smart Catheter for Bladder Control: Interview with Matt Monarski, CEO of UroDev Medical
UroDev Medical (formerly Spinal Singularity), a medtech company based in Minneapolis, has developed the IntelliFlow Bladder Management System, a wireless urinary catheter that can be controlled with the touch of a button on a remote control. At present, patients with urinary retention may have to use up to 200 disposable urinary catheters a month. (Read more...)
Clear Cranial Implant Allows Ultrasound Imaging of Brain: Interview with CEO of Longeviti Neuro Solutions
Longeviti Neuro Solutions, a medtech company based in Maryland, has announced that its ClearFit cranial implant has been cleared by the FDA for post-surgery ultrasound imaging. The clear implants are used for cranial reconstruction after brain surgery, and are custom-made for each patient. The company uses patient CT scans and 3D printing to produc (Read more...)
Placental Allografts for Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Interview with Tim Wright, CEO of MiMedx
MiMedx, a medtech company based in Georgia, has developed EpiFix, an off-the-shelf allograft system for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The grafts are made using donated human placental tissues that are obtained from consenting mothers during caesarean section procedures. The tissues then undergo a proprietary processing procedure to clean t (Read more...)
Monitoring Cognitive Performance Using Smart Devices: Interview with Maha Radhakrishnan, CMO, Biogen
Biogen, a medtech company based in Massachusetts, has announced that is partnering with Apple in a research study to determine if it is possible to identify and develop biomarkers of cognitive decline, using data from smart devices, including the iPhone and Apple Watch. Biogen has a neuroscience focus, and the company hopes that it may […]