Most people undergoing a tumor excision go in knowing that the entirety of the offending tissue may not be removed successfully. Typically, tumors look just like healthy tissue and it takes quite a bit of time between when a sample is sent to the pathology lab and when the results come in. Therefore, repeat surgeries […]
Tag: Diagnostics
Biomarker to Differentiate Between Type 1 Diabetes and Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young
Scientists from MedGenome, Genentech and Madras Institute of Technology in India have spotted a biomarker that may help avoid misdiagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in children. Those with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) have different treatment needs than Type 1 requires, but a genomic analysis like the one done by the researchers can he (Read more...)
Device Provides New Way to Visualize Brain Activity
Researchers at the Rockefeller University have developed a tiny headset that can visualize neurons in the brain turning on and off while a mouse explores its environment, or interacts with other mice. The technique could help scientists to track the interactions between brain cells and learn more about what happens in the brains of people [… (Read more...)
The WAVE Patient Surveillance and Predictive Algorithm Platform: Interview with Mark Koppel, CMO of Excel Medical
Excel Medical, a medtech company based in Jupiter, Florida, has developed the WAVE patient surveillance and predictive algorithm platform. The system monitors patient physiological information, such as vital signs, in healthcare facilities. It then aggregates, integrates and displays this data in a variety of formats, including through smartphones, (Read more...)
The WAVE Patient Surveillance and Predictive Algorithm Platform: Interview with Mark Koppel, CMO of Excel Medical
Excel Medical, a medtech company based in Jupiter, Florida, has developed the WAVE patient surveillance and predictive algorithm platform. The system monitors patient physiological information, such as vital signs, in healthcare facilities. It then aggregates, integrates and displays this data in a variety of formats, including through smartphones, (Read more...)
FDA Approves Test for Spontaneous Preterm Birth
QIAGEN won FDA’s OK to introduce its PartoSure test for estimating the risk of spontaneous preterm birth to be used for women that are experiencing symptoms of preterm labor. The test identifies the presence of placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1), a pretty good indicator that the fetal membrane has suffered a break. The test has alr (Read more...)
Genetically Engineered Tattoo Shows Up if Person Has Cancer
As everyone knows, early diagnosis brings the best chance of fighting cancer. At ETH Zurich, a Swiss technical university, researchers genetically modified skin cells to produce a tattoo that makes itself visible only when the person wearing it has signs of cancer. The technology consists of a “synthetic gene network” that activates the (Read more...)
4Dx Uses Algorithms to Better Visualize Lung Function
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects millions of people in the United States. The main method of diagnosis is the pulmonary function tests (PFTs), in which a patient breathes into a machine that measures pulmonary parameters. The disadvantage, however, is that pulmonary function tests take an “average” of a patient’s lung (Read more...)
Non-Invasive Skin Patch Sucks Glucose Through Skin, Measures Blood Sugar Levels
Scientists at University of Bath in the UK have developed and successfully tested an electronic patch capable of measuring glucose in the interstitial fluid without actually penetrating the skin. The transdermal patch features a tiny electronic pixel array made either via graphene-based thin-film or screen printing techniques. The patch is abl (Read more...)
Sugar-Coated Nanosheets Can Selectively Bind Pathogens
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed sugar-coated ultrathin self-assembling nanosheets that can selectively bind to pathogens, and which have potential to serve as a diagnostic technology or a way to inactivate pathogens. The researchers developed the structures using bioinspired (Read more...)
LexaGene’s New LX6 Rapid Pathogen Detection System: Interview with CEO Dr. Jack Regan
With the ever-growing list of potentially harmful pathogens being discovered, the systems needed to detect different strains need to become more sophisticated as well. Enter LexaGene, a biotechnology company developing automated and sensitive solutions for efficient pathogen detection. LexaGene’s unique microfluidics approach to pathogen dete (Read more...)
Profusa’s Tiny Implantable Sensors Keep Working in Patients Even After Four Years
Tiny, flexible, and biocompatible implantable sensors that are smaller than a grain of rice have been successfully worn for over four years now by human subjects, as was reported by Profusa, a South San Francisco firm, at the just concluded American Chemical Society’s 254th National Meeting. The wireless and battery-free implants are des (Read more...)
Partial Wave Spectroscopy Spots Cells Turning to Cancer
Detecting cancer in the body usually happens when the disease is already well underway to being mortally dangerous. Although there’s a myriad of cancers and ways to detect them, diagnostic tests typically look for biomarkers produced by tumors. And the bigger the tumor, the more biomarkers it releases, so the bigger it is the easier [… (Read more...)
Flexible Sensor Could Replace Frequent Blood Tests with Continuous Sweat Monitoring
Researchers at the University of Glasgow, UK have created a wearable sensor that is capable of measuring sweat pH, which could help patients with chronic conditions avoid the need for finger-prick blood tests. The flexible sensor, which measures around 10×10 mm can stretch with natural movements and elongate by up to 53% without compromising (Read more...)
Nanoplasmonic Sensor Can Count Dividing Cells and Detect Biomolecules
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have developed a nanoplasmonic sensor that can measure cell division over extended periods and detect biomolecules with high sensitivity. The device has potential as a diagnostic test for disease biomarkers, or as a research tool to screen the effects of therapeutic molecules o (Read more...)
Google’s Deep Learning Software Analyzes Retinal Images for Signs of Cardiovascular Risk
Google has been tinkering in the field of medicine over the last few years, including developing a prototype electronic contact lens. The company’s latest health project involves detecting cardiovascular conditions by analyzing the vasculature of the retina. The researchers built a deep learning system that processed data from two datasets co (Read more...)
Paper Towels Seeded with Carbon Nanotubes Work as Disposable Sensors
Cheap, high-quality specialized sensors can be difficult to create for a number of reasons, because of a reliance on expensive materials, complicated functionality, or inherent reliability issues. Researchers at University of Washington have been working on developing mechanical movement sensors that are so cheap that they can be thrown away a (Read more...)
Electronic Skin Heals Thyself While Measuring Pressure, Temperature, Humidity
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed an “electronic skin” that is able to heal itself when damaged, and when no longer needed it can be fully recycled. E-skins can provide new capabilities in the form of medical and athletic devices, as well as mimic tactile and other sensing within advanced prostheses. The (Read more...)
Microfluidic Mixer Combines Fluids without Backflow to Make Advanced Portable Diagnostics Practical
Lab on a chip devices are designed to perform advanced diagnostics and drug testing using small samples of blood and other body fluids. We’ve written about many such devices, including for assessing the effectiveness of chemo and for picking out circulating tumor cells, but microfluidic technologies that rely on capillary or vacuum powered te (Read more...)
Soft, Transparent, and Comfortable Contact Lens Measures Glucose, Intraocular Pressure
A team of researchers in South Korea has developed a soft electronic contact lens capable of measuring glucose and intraocular pressure, a development that may help diabetes and glaucoma patients monitor their conditions. There have been previous attempts by ambitious companies and universities to do so in the past, but the results were not very [& (Read more...)