The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the primary reason that so few medicines exist to treat brain conditions. Drugs that can attack tumors elsewhere usually can’t penetrate the defenses of the BBB, so figuring out how to get through it is important for the development of future drugs and other therapies. There have been attempts to […]
Author: Medgadged
Mid-Infrared Imaging Made Practical for Medicine by Danish Researchers
Different wavelengths of light reveal the world in unique ways, but some are hard to see using the human eye and modern imaging technologies. Mid-infrared light, for example, can be used to look at a variety of biological processes in the body, but it is hard to track when it’s used to film at a […]
Ellavi, a Cheap Uterine Balloon Tamponade for Menstrual Bleeding, Wins EU Clearance
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the most common ways that new mothers do not survive childbirth. Although such severe, uncontrolled bleeding is extremely rare in the developed world, in places such as sub-Saharan Africa it is still pervasive. Ellavi, a uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) developed by Sinapi Biomedical, a company based in South Africa, […]
StethoMe At-Home Stethoscope for Detection of Respiratory Issues in Kids Cleared in Europe
StethoMe, a company headquartered in Poznań, Poland, just won the European CE mark for its eponymous digital stethoscope and accompanying software that analyzes recorded sounds for signs of respiratory problems. StethoMe is intended to be used by parents to check on their kids when there are signs of sickness. Instead of immediately bringing the child […]
WatchPAT One, a Fully Disposable At-Home Sleep Apnea Test, FDA Cleared
Itamar Medical, a firm based in Israel, won FDA clearance for its brand new WatchPAT One system for at-home sleep apnea testing. The system is based on the previously cleared WatchPAT 300 device, but it’s fully disposable and is therefore is not reused between patients, helping to prevent any infections. The WatchPAT One pairs with […]
Sensory Substitution Improves Speech Understanding in Hearing Impaired
Our brains are incredibly adept at adjusting to new challenges, a general concept known as neuroplasticity. Some blind people are known to use echolocation, and now there’s a proof of concept for a similar idea for those that can’t hear well. A group of Israeli and Polish scientists have developed a “sensory substitution device,” which […]
Sensory Substitution Improves Speech Understanding in Hearing Impaired
Our brains are incredibly adept at adjusting to new challenges, a general concept known as neuroplasticity. Some blind people are known to use echolocation, and now there’s a proof of concept for a similar idea for those that can’t hear well. A group of Israeli and Polish scientists have developed a “sensory substitution device,” which […]
New Bioink for 3D Printing and Protein Therapy
Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a 3D-printable hydrogel bioink containing mineral nanoparticles that can deliver protein therapeutics to control cell behavior. The material does not provoke the immune system and the researchers hope that it could be useful in replacing damaged tissues for regenerative medicine. 3D printing is a promising method for creating […]
Nexus Ultrasonic Surgical Platform from Misonix FDA Cleared
Mixonix, a Farmingdale, New York company that specializes in ultrasonic devices for surgical applications such as osteotomies and debridements, won FDA clearance for the new Nexus surgical platform. The Nexus combines the capabilities of Mixonix’s three existing products, namely BoneScalpel, SonicOne and Sonastar, into a single system that can be used to perform tumor resections, […]
Study of People with Extra Fingers Points to New Approaches for Development of Prosthetic Devices
Kids with extra fingers on their hands usually have them removed soon after birth, but some get to keep them into adulthood. This condition, known as polydactyly, is usually looked upon as a disability that has to be studied and addressed. Researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany, Imperial College London, and the Université […]
ReWalk Exo-Suit Gets Green Light in U.S., Europe to Aid Stroke Recovery
ReWalk Robotics, a company with offices in Marlborough, Massachusetts and Yokneam Ilit, Israel, won FDA approval and a CE mark for its ReStore Exo-Suit, clearing the device for sale in the United States and EU countries. The ReStore Exo-Suit had its beginnings at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. It is made of a soft […]
Hydrogel Harvests Nitric Oxide to Stop Damage from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Excess nitric oxide (NO) in the body is involved in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Reducing the amount of NO may lead to a new therapeutic approach for a variety of conditions. Researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea have developed an NO-scavenging nanogel and tested it in mice […]
Patches Made of Heart Tissue Going to Clinical Trials
Stem cell therapies to heal damaged hearts have proven to be lacking so far, probably because simply injecting new cells into afflicted regions isn’t enough. Researchers from Imperial College London have now created patches made of cardiac tissue to sew over damaged areas of the heart. These patches, which can beat on their own to […]
IMPEDE-FX Embolization Plug Cleared in U.S. for Peripheral Arteries
Shape Memory Medical, a company out of Santa Clara, California, won FDA clearance for its IMPEDE-FX Embolization Plug. The new device is to be used as an adjunct to the firm’s IMPEDE Embolization Plug, which is already FDA cleared. The two devices have been developed to cause deliberate obstructions or to reduce blood flow in […]
Body-Worn Electric Generator to Power Medical Implants, Wearable Devices
Many implantable and wearable devices need access to continuously available electrical power. Implants, such as cardiac pacemakers, often have to be exchanged for new ones during surgery because modern batteries have a limited lifetime. Engineers at Rice University have been working on a small and flat generator that is capable of producing significant amounts of […]
New SugarBEAT Needle-Free Continous Glucometer Gets European Green Light
Nemaura Medical, a UK firm, won the CE Mark of approval for its latest SugarBEAT continuous glucose monitor. The device consists of a disposable patch and a rechargeable transmitter. The patch is applied directly to the skin and the transmitter is placed over the patch. There are no needles anywhere within the SugarBEAT, even hidden […]
Tripod Prosthetic Foot for More Stability on Rough Terrain
Researchers at Stanford have developed an unusual tripod-like prosthetic foot equipped with sensors to monitor movement and the surrounding environment. The device provides more stability for users when walking on rough terrain. The research team designed the prototype device using a prosthetic emulation system that allowed them to rapidly modify and optimize their designs, without […]
Radiology Professor Creates Beautiful Art Using MRI Scanner
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can produce a great deal of data about the tissues it images. Controlling how an MRI scans and then analyzing its data in novel ways can lead to interesting perspectives on the human body. Dr. Denis Ducreux, a professor at the University of Paris-Sud and head of the Diagnostic Neuroradiology Department […]
Smart Glove for Prostheses Identifies Objects in Hand
One thing that prosthetic device users hope for is to gain the ability to feel what they’re touching with their hands. There have been some developments in this space (see flashbacks below), but they’re still relatively rudimentary, not very sensitive, and not very good at helping users to identify what it is that they’re touching. […]
Bioabsorbable Wound Dressing with Nanoscale Chitosan to Rapidly Stop Bleeding
Chitosan is a sugar compound derived from the exoskeletons of shrimp, crab, and other shellfish. It is used extensively in medicine, including in dressings, because of its well known hemostatic properties. These properties work at the nanoscale, so delivering tiny bits of chitosan to the site of a wound can help improve how it works […]