Preceptis Medical, a medtech company based in Minnesota, created the Hummingbird Tympanostomy Tube System. The device allows ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons to insert ear tubes in the comfort of their office. The procedure requires only local anesthetic and is intended to be less distressing for pediatric patients than the conventional approac (Read more...)
Author: Medgadged
Smartphone and Cheap Earbuds for Accessible Newborn Hearing Test
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a low-cost hearing test for newborns. Traditionally, the equipment for such testing is quite expensive. As newborns cannot let us know if they can hear something, the test is based on creating a noise within the ear canal and then listening to the vibrations created by the […]
Improved Membrane Coating for Anti-Cancer Nanoparticles
Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have developed a technique that lets them improve the coating of nanoparticles when using cell membranes. Cell membranes offer a lot of benefits as a coating for synthetic nanoparticles, including shielding from the immune system, prolonged circulation times and improved tumor accumulation. However, c (Read more...)
Electrospun Construct Mimics Elasticity of Blood Vessels
Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have developed an electrospun blood vessel replacement. The material contains tropoelastin, a natural precursor for elastin, a key component of blood vessel walls. Elastin is present in concentric circles in natural blood vessels and provides the elastic properties which allow them to distend sli (Read more...)
Battery-Free Light-Powered Pacemaker Now a Reality
Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a battery-free light-powered pacemaker that uses optogenetic stimulation of cardiomyocytes to achieve heart pacing. With conventional pacemakers, the leads of the device are anchored into the wall of the heart, using invasive hooks or screws. Small electrical shocks are then sent through the e (Read more...)
Symani Microsurgical Robotic System: Interview with Mark Toland, CEO of Medical Microinstruments
Medical Microinstruments, a medtech company with offices in Pisa, Italy and Delaware, USA, has developed the Symani Microsurgical Robot. The robotic system is designed to assist with microsurgical procedures, and it boasts a variety of advanced features to achieve this goal. These include a suite of the world’s smallest wristed surgical instr (Read more...)
Micelle Technology Detects Airborne SARS-CoV-2
At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, researchers have developed micelle technology that can detect minute amounts of SARS-CoV-2 in the air. This new capability could provide invaluable monitoring systems to detect viral contamination in healthcare facilities and beyond. Micelles are somewhat similar to liposomes in that they are both like (Read more...)
Magnetic Bacteria Target Tumors
Scientists at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have unveiled a technique that weaponizes bacterial cells against tumors. The approach involves using bacteria called Magnetospirillum that are naturally magnetic by virtue of the iron oxide particles they contain. The researchers use a rotating magnetic field applied at the tumor location from outside the bo (Read more...)
Furry Soft Robot Helps Patients During Unpleasant Medical Procedures
A team of researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan has developed a fluffy soft robot that patients can interact with to reduce their stress and fear when undergoing painful or uncomfortable medical procedures. For some patients, particularly children, a fear of needles or uncomfortable and painful procedures can make such experiences espec (Read more...)
AI-Enhanced Prostate Cancer Treatment: Interview with Brittany Berry-Pusey, Co-Founder and COO at Avenda Health
Avenda Health, a medtech company based in Santa Monica, California has developed the FocalPoint ablation system, an AI-powered prostate cancer therapy. The system is designed to provide localized prostate cancer treatment and its AI system equips clinicians with a map of a patient’s cancer, along with treatment simulations to help them chose (Read more...)
Impedance Cytometry for Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Scientists at Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have come up with a method to rapidly determine the antibiotic susceptibility of a bacterial sample, such as a patient sample from a non-healing infected wound. The technique is based on impedance cytometry, which involves a high-throughput single cell analysis of the bacterial cells. (Read more...)
Flexible Sensors Measure Fit of Face Masks
Researchers at MIT have developed a sensor system that can provide data on how well a face mask fits to a wearer’s face. The protection offered by a mask is largely dependent on how well it fits the face, but at present most face masks are one-size-fits-all and most wearers are largely unaware if their […]
Flexible Catheter for Brain Access Bioinspired by Wasps
Researchers at Imperial College London in the UK have developed a flexible catheter system that is designed to enable access and treatment of the deep areas of the brain. At present, catheters intended for such applications can suffer from rigidity, making it difficult to access the brain safely and effectively. This latest technology includes a [& (Read more...)
3D Bioprinted Breast Tumors for Immunotherapy Testing
A team of scientists at Penn State has bioprinted breast tumor mimics with significant complexity, including a form of vascularization and the ability to precisely place cells in certain locations within the construct. The scientists used a technique called aspiration-assisted bioprinting to achieve this. With many anti-cancer therapies failing at (Read more...)
Neck Sensor Helps Masked Clinicians Communicate
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea developed an auditory sensor that lets people wearing face masks, such as clinicians, to communicate more easily. The device is essentially a wearable microphone that picks up the vibrations of the skin in the neck that occur when someone talks. The researchers hope that [& (Read more...)
mRNA Therapy Prevents COVID Virus Entering Cells
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new treatment for COVID-19. The technology is based on mRNA, which has also been put to good use in COVID-19 vaccines. However, in this instance, the delivered mRNA encodes for human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), which is the binding site for SARS-CoV-2 on airway cells. The lipid [&h (Read more...)
Wearable EEG Patch Measures Brain Activity
Researchers at Osaka University in Japan engineered a wearable electroencephalography (EEG) device that can measure brain activity, potentially letting clinicians monitor conditions such as depression or dementia. At present, assessing brain activity requires a trip to a facility with bulky and expensive equipment, making long-term monitoring diffi (Read more...)
Low Temperature Graphene Coating for Enhanced Wearables
Researchers at Caltech came up with a technique to coat flexible electronic circuits with graphene to enhance their durability on folding, as well as to improve their resistance to sweat (in the case of graphene-coated gold) and their conductivity. The method could enhance the flexible electronics that are employed in many medical wearables. The ap (Read more...)
Scientists Teach Neurons to Play Pong
Scientists at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, Australia, along with international collaborators, have developed “DishBrain”, which is essentially a collection of neurons in a dish that have demonstrated learning and, incredibly, can play the classic computer game Pong. The findings could create exciting new opportunities to understand the h (Read more...)
Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Test Spots Amyloid β Exosomes in Blood
Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have developed a biomarker test for Alzheimer’s disease that detects amyloid β binding exosomes in a blood sample. While amyloid β plaques in the brain are characteristic of Alzheimer’s, these researchers have previously reported that amyloid β build-up in the brain is associate (Read more...)