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 that this risk-factor is underused in the […]
Tag: Diagnostics
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 without a cardiologist bearing […]
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 prototype glucose sensing […]
Diagnostic Blood Tests in Minutes: Interview with Brianna Wronko, Founder and CEO of Group K Diagnostics
We have all had to wait for test results after a doctor’s visit. In cases where a serious disease is suspected, a prolonged waiting period can be one filled with agonizing worry and anxiety. In certain scenarios, receiving medical test results earlier may even positively impact the treatment course – allowing patients to start therapy […]
Patch with Non-Toxic Battery Monitors ECG, Blood Oxygen, Physical Activity
At CES 2019, imec, a Belgian organization, and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, presented their latest vitals monitoring patch. The disposable device has a monitoring lifetime of over a week, but since the battery is made of non-toxic materials there’s not a big environmental impact. The device has a basic ECG built-in, can […]
Fingernail Sensor and Artificial Intelligence for Monitoring Parkinson’s, Other Diseases
Grip strength, as well as walking speed and gait length, can be indicators of a person’s physical and mental health. A variety of conditions and treatments can be monitored from the grip strength, but such measurements are typically only performed infrequently at the doctor’s office. IBM Research has just developed a sensor that is attached […]
LetsGetChecked Provides Easy At-Home Lab Testing and Consultations
At-home lab tests are growing in popularity. While many companies focus on specific tests, such as genetic testing or specific screenings, LetsGetChecked, a company with offices in New York, Dublin, and Toronto, hopes to be a central hub that allows people to regularly and affordably check a variety of basic lab work. As with most at-home […]
Contrast Agent for Optical Coherence Tomography Improves Imaging of Tissues, Vessels
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technique that allows ophthalmologists to view the eye’s blood vessels, to study the structure of tissues in various clinical and scientific applications. Though this technology is already widely used, there’s been a constant demand to improve its imaging resolution. Researchers at Stanford have just added an interesting ingredient, […]
Smart Contact Lenses are Here: Interview with Prof. Herbert De Smet of Imec
imec, a research and innovation hub for nanoelectronics and digital technologies, has announced a hydrogel-based smart contact lens that incorporates a silicon microchip, integrated LED light, and radiofrequency (RF) antenna for wireless energy transfer. Belgium-based imec claims that the new lens paves the way for integrated sensors or drug delivery capabilities, whereby a contact lens […]
Fluorescent Molecular Sensor to Detect Metastatic Cancer Cells
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have developed a molecular sensor that can spot metastatic cancer cells and measure how likely they’re to spread through the body. “Although there are many ways to detect metastasis once it has occurred, there has been nothing available to ‘see’ or ‘measure’ the potential of a tumor […]
Tackling Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Using Machine Learning: Interview with IQuity CEO, Dr. Chase Spurlock
Losing one’s memories, and therefore one’s identity, must be a terrifying experience. With a global estimate of almost 50 million people living with dementia, predicted to rise to more than 130 million by 2050, the burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia are indisputable. While there are still no approved drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, there […]
Combining Sound and Light Could Help with Early Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a diagnostic method involving photoacoustic imaging, a technique that combines ultrasound and laser light. The development may allow clinicians to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier, helping to save lives. “When ovarian cancer is detected at an early, localized stage – stage 1 or 2 – the five-year […]
Combining Sound and Light Could Help with Early Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a diagnostic method involving photoacoustic imaging, a technique that combines ultrasound and laser light. The development may allow clinicians to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier, helping to save lives. “When ovarian cancer is detected at an early, localized stage – stage 1 or 2 – the five-year […]
23andMe’s Pharmacogenetic Test Approved by FDA
The FDA has just approved 23andMe’s Personal Genomic Service (PGS) Pharmacogenetic Reports. This marks the first direct-to-consumer test for pharmacogenetics of enzyme variants that may affect the way patients break down medications. Consumers collect their saliva into 23andMe’s testing kit, mail it to the company’s labs, and then receive the results via an online portal. […]
Near-Infrared Tech for Minimally Invasive Brain Monitoring: Interview with Philippe Dro, CEO of Luciole Medical
Luciole Medical, a medtech company based in Switzerland, has developed near-infrared sensors that can assess levels of tissue oxygenation as well as cerebral blood flow by measuring oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. The sensors include a skin patch, which measures brain blood flow and oxygen saturation in patients undergoing surgery, and a minimally invasive probe that […]
Microfluidic Chips to Diagnose and Characterize Cancer: Interview with Prof. Fatih Sarioglu, Georgia Tech
Research into microfluidic devices to aid in cancer diagnosis promises huge leaps in making diagnostics easier and faster. Much of this research is focused on chips that can trap circulating tumor cells (CTCs) which are present in blood samples. CTCs are released from a primary tumor and can form metastases in other sites in the […]
Paper-Based Smart Stickers for Implantable and Stick-On Diagnostics and Therapy
Flexible electronics make possible new wearable and implantable medical devices that conform to the body’s complex curvatures. While a great deal of progress has been made to make such technologies a reality, a lot of them are hard to manufacture, suffer from problems such as poor breathability, and don’t perform well inside the body. Now […]
Glow-In-The-Dark Paper Test Rapidly Detects Infectious Diseases
Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands and Keio University in Japan have developed a paper-based diagnostic test, which can be used to rapidly and inexpensively test for a variety of infectious diseases. A clinician can apply a drop of blood to the paper strip and detect the color of the emitted light […]
Stick-On Solar-Powered Heart Monitor Fits on a Finger
Scientists at the Riken, a major Japanese research institute, and University of Tokyo have developed a remarkable ambient light-powered cardiac monitor that looks like a transparent bandage. The underlying technology makes possible other flexible body-worn sensors that don’t need to have an external electric source powering them, including temperature and sweat sensors. Because power is […]
A SMART Idea: Point-of-Care Diagnostic for Sickle Cell Disease and Malaria (Interview)
Sickle cell disease and malaria are perhaps the biggest public health challenges in many parts of Africa. Countless organizations are tackling these two diseases, but quantifying and tracking disease burden remains tough. The team behind SMART (Sickle Cell and Malaria Accurate Remote Testing) hopes that they can help. SMART is a point-of-care test for both […]