Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed a nanowire assay that can be used to capture and detect specific extracellular vesicles in a urine sample that indicate the presence of a brain tumor. These extracellular vesicles are naturally excreted in the urine but techniques to capture and analyze them have been complex, requiring diffe (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
3D Bioengineered Skin Grafts Fit Complex Anatomy
Researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center have developed a method to create three-dimensional bioengineered skin grafts. To date, bioengineered skin is typically created in flat sheets. However, these are difficult to fit to complex anatomy, such as the hand, and so these researchers have designed a more sophisticated techniq (Read more...)
Antibacterial Smart Sutures Visible in CT Scans
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed ‘smart stitches’ that can fight bacteria and reveal the location of the sutured area in CT scans. The sutures have been developed to reduce the chances of surgical site infections and also make life a little easier for clinicians, as the material shows up in CT scans, […]
(Read more...)Voice-Activated Sample Prep for Safer Handling
Researchers at Kyung Hee University in South Korea have developed a voice-activated DNA sample pre-treatment device to assist clinicians dealing with outbreaks of infectious disease to stay safer. Dealing with highly infectious patient samples puts clinicians and lab technicians at risk. Minimizing sample handling and exposure is important in reduc (Read more...)
Terahertz Spectroscopy to Assess Severity of Skin Burns
Scientists at Stony Brook University in New York have developed a hand-held scanner that uses terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and neural network data analysis to non-invasively assess the severity of skin burns. At present, it is difficult to visually assess the depth of a burn injury, which could negatively influence treatment outcomes. The dev (Read more...)
Focused Ultrasound Releases Brain Biomarkers
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique that can release difficult-to-access biomarker proteins from the brain. At present, the researchers are focused on releasing tau proteins that are implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. These proteins are typically locked behind speci (Read more...)
Hydrogel Cell Carrier for Fistula Healing
Researchers at Johns Hopkins created an injectable hydrogel carrier vehicle for stem cells that is intended to aid in healing a difficult complication of Crohn’s disease, perianal fistulas. Perianal fistulas are very challenging to treat, but stem cells have shown promise in assisting with this process. However, it is difficult to get the cel (Read more...)
Bottlebrush Particle for Synergistic Drug Combinations
A scientific team at MIT has developed a bottlebrush-shaped nanoparticle that can deliver combinations of drugs for synergistic efficacy. The particles contain a central backbone and demonstrate side-chains that sprout from this backbone, similar to the handle and bristles of a bottlebrush. Several drugs can be mixed in different ratios and combine (Read more...)
Neural Chip Detects, Suppresses Neurological Symptoms
Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have designed an advanced neural chip that can detect and suppress symptoms from a variety of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s and epilepsy. The closed-loop neuromodulation system, which the researchers have called NeuralTree, includes soft impla (Read more...)
Antibacterial Peptide Spray Safe for Use on Wounds
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an antimicrobial spray that is safe to use on wounds and in the body, including as an antimicrobial coating on implantable or in-dwelling devices, such as urinary catheters. The technology is not based on harsh chemical antiseptics or antibiotic drugs that could aggravate tis (Read more...)
Tiny Patch for Cardiac Ultrasound Imaging
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound system for cardiac imaging. The postage stamp-sized patch can be worn on the skin of the chest and uses AI and ultrasound waves to perform advanced imaging of the heart. The technology can even be worn to perform cardiac ultrasound imaging during […]
Pop-Up Electrode for Improved Neural Interfaces
Researchers at Penn State designed a pop-up electrode for brain monitoring and other applications requiring neural interfacing. The pop-up design starts life as a folded two-dimensional structure with a rigid outer coating that makes it easy to insert into the brain. Once in place, the hard coating dissolves, revealing a softer and more flexible ma (Read more...)
Microneedle Bandage for Hemostatic Control
Scientists at Penn State have developed a microneedle bandage that can rapidly stop bleeding. Uncontrolled bleeding following a traumatic injury is a major cause of death in the young, and developing new medical technologies that can rapidly stop bleeding would be highly beneficial. This bandage contains an array of biodegradable and biocompatible (Read more...)
Flexible Sensors Detect Heavy Metals in Sweat
Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, along with collaborators in Germany and Sweden, have developed a flexible sensor that can detect heavy metals in sweat, an easily obtainable bodily fluid. Heavy metals, such as lead or cadmium, can cause serious toxicity if they accumulate in the body, but detecting the concentration of [ (Read more...)
Ultrasound Tornado Rapidly Disrupts Blood Clots
A team of researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an ultrasound transducer that can disrupt blood clots in the brain quickly by creating an ultrasound vortex or ‘tornado’. The transducer is designed to be housed in a catheter that can be advanced through the vasculature until it reaches the site of a blood [&hellip (Read more...)
Nanopore Sensor to Study Protein Aggregation in Neurodegeneration
Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a nanopore sensor to study the aggregation of tau and tubulin protein molecules. These proteins, and specifically their aggregation in the brain, are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This nanopore technology aims to allow researchers to (Read more...)
Smart Walking Stick for Visually Impaired People
Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder have developed a smart walking stick that can assist blind or visually impaired people to navigate their environment, from grocery shopping to finding a seat in a busy café. The system employs cameras to visualize the environment and items within it, such as products in a supermarket, [&he (Read more...)
Balance Boards to Stay Active in the Offfice: Interview with Joel Heath, CEO of FluidStance
Fun and durable, the FluidStance balance board deck can be found at many offices these days as working professionals with desk jobs look for ways to stay active and healthy. Long hours slumped over at a desk means that your muscles remain inactive for long periods of time – a running hypothesis is that long […]
Biobots Use Optogenetic Muscle Actuators for Movement
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed centimeter-scale biobots that combine soft materials, mouse muscle tissue, and wireless electronic components. The tiny devices can be controlled remotely through optogenetics. The muscle within the devices forms an optogenetic actuator and creates movement when exposed to (Read more...)
Artificial Neuron Uses Ions Like the Real Thing
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have developed artificial neurons that demonstrate 15 of the 20 characteristics of biological neural cells and can communicate with natural neurons in the body. The researchers call their device the “conductance-based organic electrochemical neuron,” or c-OECN, and it is based on materi (Read more...)