Alcyone Lifesciences is a medical technology company based out of Lowell, MA, which specializes in central nervous system (CNS) drug delivery platforms for targeted infusions of the brain or spinal cord. Their Thecaflex DRx System was recently awarded Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA, for spinal infusion of therapeutic medications. Medgadget had the opportunity to […]
Author: Medgadged
Scientists Figure Out How to Merge Single-Cell Datasets for Medical Research
Our cells express a myriad of different genes. So-called “single-cell datasets”, which are profiles of gene expression of a single cell, are very useful in medical research because they explain, in minute detail, ongoing intracellular physiology. But, they can be quite massive and since different labs can use different techniques to create and publish these […]
Technique Combines Tumor Scans with Math Algorithms to Create Comples Tumor Models
Tumors can have a great deal of internal complexity, something which plays a central role in how cancer grow and protects themselves from attack. Understanding the structure of different types of tumors and how they come about may give researchers a way to address tumor growth. Currently, tumor models are fairly basic and don’t really […]
High Strength VICI Venous Stent Approved by FDA to Treat Iliofemoral Obstructive Disease
Boston Scientific won FDA approval for its VICI VENOUS STENT for treating iliofemoral venous obstructive disease, a condition in which the veins in the pelvic region become blocked due to a clot or pressure from nearby anatomy, such as caused by May-Thurner syndrome. Because this stent is expected to be positioned in a place where […]
Scientists Figure Out How to 3D Print Vascular Networks for Printed Organs
The field of tissue engineering has seen a lot of progress, with complex 3D systems being developed that offer strength, contain multiple cell types, and that can even perform a biological function. All this is child’s play if there is no viable vascular network to supply the nutrients to all the cells and to route […]
Focused Ultrasound, Guided by MRI, to Treat Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is related to the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, so any serious attempt at dislodging these plaques may help reverse the progression of the disease. The perennial problem with delivering drug therapies to treat brain conditions is the blood-brain barrier that prevents most molecules from penetrating through its defenses. For example, drugs […]
Xcision GammaPod High Precision Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Cleared in Europe
Xcision, a company out of Columbia, Maryland, won EU regulatory clearance to introduce its GammaPod stereotactic radiotherapy system. The device is used to help treat breast cancer, and the technology within it may help to make treatments faster and more accurate compared to existing radiotherapy systems. The system relies on a special breast cup, within […]
Electronic Contact Lenses Can Now Integrate Micro-Battery to Power Them
Electronic contact lenses have been in development for over a decade by a number of labs around the world. Having electronics integrated into a contact lens may provide medical capabilities, such as measuring intraoccular pressure, analyzing tears for glucose levels, and aiding people with poor vision. While the science of making smart contact lenses has […]
Microsoft and VA Rolling Out Xbox’s with Adaptive Controllers at Rehab Centers
If you’ve been stuck recovering in a hospital for a long period of time, you may know how delightful video games are for killing time. Injured veterans, usually people that don’t enjoy being stuck in one place and like exciting challenges, often don’t get to benefit from video games because of the disabilities that got […]
VitalMinds from Philips to Control Delirium in ICU
Patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) often suffer through delirium, including experiencing disorientation and witnessing hallucinations. Going through delirium seems to negatively affect future outcomes, in addition to being a hindrance to receiving proper medical care while hospitalized. For these reasons acute delirium should be dealt with, but there are few real treatment options. Philips […]
Hologic Releases Trident HD Specimen Radiography System for Breast Tissue Analysis
Hologic is releasing its Trident HD specimen radiography system for use in stereotactic breast biopsies and for verifying tumor margins during breast-conserving surgeries. It has regulatory clearances in the United States and Europe, where it is now being made available. Such devices are typically used within the surgical environment to inspect excised tissues, to make […]
VivaQuant RX-1 Wearable All-in-One Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Unit and Event Monitor FDA Cleared
VivaQuant, a company based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, won FDA clearance for its RX-1 cardiac patient monitor. The device is unique in that it is able to operate as a Mobile Cardiac Telemetry unit or Event Monitor, all while transmitting its readings for remote analysis. The system gives cardiologists the ability to free up […]
Researchers Develop Smart Bioinks to 3D Print Living Tissues
If we’re going to 3D print tissues, organs, and entire body parts, scientists will have to create advanced, highly functional bioinks. Plus, these bioinks will have to withstand being printed and must survive within the harsh interior of the body. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology and University of Stuttgart in Germany, researchers […]
Crumpled Carbon Nanotube Forests to Power Medical Devices
Most implantable and wearable medical devices benefit from having on-board batteries powering them, but because conventional batteries have specific internal geometries, they end up being blocky and not flexible. This limits development of the electronic devices, especially pliable ones, since the human body itself is mostly soft and flexible. While flexible electronics is already a […]
Surgical Robot Autonomously Navigates Inside Heart
Transcatheter heart surgeries, particularly to repair failing valves, are now common in many high-end hospitals. Though the actual replacement procedure is not easy, navigating to the valve site through narrow vasculature and inside the heart is in itself a challenging task. Moreover, pushing guidewires and catheters through the vessels requires fluoroscope imaging, exposing patients and […]
Automated Machine for Pumping Bag Valve Masks
Bag valve masks help paramedics, anesthesiologists, and others to oxygenate the lungs, but being manual devices the operator oftentimes has to do additional tasks, such as provide jaw thrust or use both hands to ensure good seal around the face mask. Engineering students at Rice University made an attachment for ventilator pump bags so that […]
PUMA-G System for Placing Gastronomy Feeding Tubes at Point of Care Cleared by FDA
Percutaneous gastrostomy feeding tubes are placed by making a puncture through the abdominal wall and into the stomach. This requires an operating room and all that that entails, including a surgeon, anesthesia, imaging equipment, and associated clinicians. Now a new system, made by CoapTech, a Baltimore, MD firm, has been cleared by the FDA that […]
Levita Magnetic Surgical System Cleared by FDA for Prostatectomies
Minimally invasive surgical procedures are potentially safer, easier on patients during recovery, and can even reduce the cost burden on hospitals, when compared with conventional open surgeries. There are still serious risks that are involved, in large part arising from the laparoscopy sites that need to be punched in the abdomen through which instruments are […]
Rice Students Develop Non-Invasive Intracranial Pressure Sensor to Monitor Infants
Infants that experience injury or that have hydrocephalus may have swelling or fluid build-up, which can result in a high intracranial pressure (ICP). Because there are serious, life-long consequences that may result, monitoring the ICP may help doctors monitor infants, diagnose hydrocephalus, and help decide when to take interventional measures. The only methods in existence […]
Two-Dimensional Nanodisks Deliver Proteins, Growth Factors to Repair Cartilage
Once cartilage is damaged, there is little that can be done to repair it. Unlike many other tissues, cartilage doesn’t heal well and consequences of injuries and disease can last a lifetime. Now researchers at Texas A&M University have developed an unusual new class of materials that may give cartilage a way of repairing itself. […]