Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a microfluidic chip that can rapidly assess blood samples from sickle cell disease patients to help monitor the disease. The technique is much faster and more convenient than traditional optical microscopy assessments. Sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the U.S. (Read more...)
Tag: Diagnostics
Octopus-Inspired Wearable Biosensor Sticks to Wet and Dry Skin
Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea have developed a new waterproof, wearable biosensor that can stick to the skin in a unique way. Their work, recently published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, demonstrates the biosensor adheres to the skin in wet and dry conditions and can monitor [ (Read more...)
System Separates, Sequences Circulating Tumor Cells from Whole Blood
Engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a high speed microfluidic chip that can separate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood and analyze them. The technology, which may make biopsies and other diagnostic tests unnecessary in many cases, is impressive in that it is able to attract highly rare CTCs and to sequence [… (Read more...)
Sweat Sensor Measures Variety of Biochemicals to Help Monitor Exercise, Disease
Our skin excretes a wide array of important biomarkers that may help to track physical exertion, diagnose disease, and track progression of a condition. Exercise, in particular, leads to a significant change in the composition of our sweat, signaling dehydration, lack of electrolytes, or other problems. Scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technolo (Read more...)
Deep Lens Raises $14 million to Improve AI-driven Pathology (Interview)
Deep Lens is an AI-driven digital pathology company based in Ohio. They’re currently working with Worldwide Clinical Trials to fast-track patient enrollment into clinical trials. This week, they announced a successful Series A financing round of $14 million. “Since our inception, we’ve benefited from a tremendous group of investor (Read more...)
Miniaturized Optical Chip Can Identify Individual Biomolecules for Personalized Medicine
Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have developed an optical chip that can identify individual biomolecules in small sample volumes, using an ordinary camera and metasurfaces, an emerging technology in photonics. The researchers hope that their technology could pave the way for diagnostic chips that can identify t (Read more...)
Electronic Wound Monitoring Bandage Tracks Lactate, Oxygen Levels
Healing large and complex wounds requires vigilant monitoring and frequent dressing changes. This generally means pain, might require general anesthesia, and can even be emotionally disturbing to patients. A less invasive method of wound monitoring, that lets the wounds remain undisturbed, is badly needed. As wounds heal, the chemical composition o (Read more...)
Real-Time Implantable Glutamate Sensor To Help with Neurotrauma, Other Conditions
The neurotransmitter glutamate seems to play an important part in a number of psychophysiologic processes. Migraines after spinal cord injuries, for example, are common typically due to a release of high concentrations of glutamate. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases also tend to show higher glutamate levels in patients. Tracking the (Read more...)
Highly Sensitive Point-of-Care Sensor Measures Dopamine in Whole Blood
The concentration of dopamine in a patient’s blood can be an important biomarker for a variety of diseases, including certain cancers, depression, and Parkinson’s. Measuring dopamine in whole blood still requires a laboratory, making it slow and expensive and not always suited for things like screenings. Scientists at the University of (Read more...)
Multi-Parameter Sensors Detect Chemical and Physical Stimuli
Sensors are usually made to detect specific chemical or physical stimuli, making it difficult to create devices that can monitor a variety of different parameters at the same time. Now researchers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed an unusual sensor, built out of conductive ink formed into origami arrays, tha (Read more...)
Handheld Melanoma Sensor Checks Suspect Lesions for Polarization Properties
Melanoma is usually a readily accessible cancer, being on the skin and in full view, but it can be hard to differentiate from benign moles. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed and tested a new device that uses a laser to spot the telltale signs of a melanoma tumor as its light […]
Hyperspectral Imaging Helps Spot Tumor Marking Tags Deep Within Body
Visualizing tumors deep within the body is difficult because light can only penetrate so far through tissues without losing most of the data it carries. Fluorescent markers that can highlight the existence of tumor cells have to be visible in order for them to help with diagnosis, while radioactive markers can be dangerous. MRIs and CT [&helli (Read more...)
Blood Test for Early Stage Cancer Diagnosis: Interview with Dr. Van Etten, CMO of Laboratory for Advanced Medicine
The Laboratory for Advanced Medicine (LAM), a biotechnology company headquartered in the US, offers non-invasive, early stage cancer detection tests that will use the IvyGene Platform. These IvyGene tests are based on detecting genomic DNA shed by cancer cells into the blood stream. By assessing cell-free DNA found in blood samples, the company can (Read more...)
Microrobots Take Minutes to Detect C. diff in Stool Samples
Detecting bacterial infestations within the GI system, particularly using low cost methods, takes so much time that treatment is often administered too late. Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a particular nasty nuisance that kills many frail patients, and even with a hospital lab it can take up to two days to get the results. Researchers (Read more...)
Photoacoustic Imaging Measures Temperature Deep Within Body
When using heat and other forms of radiation to ablate tumors, it is usually difficult to know just how hot the tissues around your target are getting, particularly when working deep within the body. MRI and ultrasound can be useful in many cases, but they have limitations and can produce misleading readings. To have a better […]
TestCard, a $4 Urine Test Read by Your Smartphone
Recently announced as one of the Digital Trends’ Top Tech of CES 2019, TestCard is a UK-based company that allows users to turn their smartphones into a clinical-grade urinalysis kit. The process starts with a postcard-like card mailed directly to the consumer. The card costs about $4 and contains three fold-out urine test strips, each [&hell (Read more...)
New Biosensor Accurately Measures Glucose in Saliva
The iQ Group Global, an Australian consortium, has announced that it developed a biosensor capable of accurately measuring glucose in a person’s saliva. The technology, originally acquired from the University of Newcastle in Australia, uses modified organic thin film transistors, which work in combination with glucose oxidase, to measure (Read more...)
Silicon Photonics Device to Screen for Arterial Stiffness: Interview with Roel Baets and Patrick Segers, Imec and Ghent University
Imec, a research and innovation hub for nanoelectronics and digital technologies based in Belgium, in collaboration with numerous partners, has developed a new medical device to screen for arterial stiffness, a risk-factor for cardiovascular disease. Routine screening of arterial stiffness in a doctor’s office is currently impossible, meaning (Read more...)
Handheld Photonic Device Measures Arterial Stiffness
A collaboration between nine different European research organizations, including the medical device giant Medtronic, has developed a prototype device for quick and easy measurement of arterial stiffness. This is an important development, as arterial stiffness is a biomarker for high blood pressure, but there are no reliable ways of measuring it wi (Read more...)
Painless Microneedle Skin Patch Accurately Senses Glucose
Microneedle patches are a promising way to easily and painlessly deliver a variety of drugs into the body. Yet there’s also a lot of potential to use microneedle patches to sense important biochemicals, glucose being probably the most important target. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden have developed a (Read more...)