Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most widely used techniques in biological research and testing, allowing researchers to amplify and identify even small quantities of DNA or RNA. It serves a wide variety of uses, from genetic testing to infectious disease identification to forensics. Thermal cyclers, the machines that run PCR, are a […]
Tag: Diagnostics
Biodegradable Pressure Sensor Doesn’t Need to be Removed After Implantation
Researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a biodegradable pressure sensor that can be implanted in the body and help clinicians to monitor a variety of conditions over extended periods of time. What makes this sensor different from existing ones is that it doesn’t need to be removed and will eventually dissolve in the […]
New Device Combines Different Ophthalmology Equipment Into Single Instrument
Patients receiving comprehensive eye exams have to go from one imaging device to another in order to properly assess their vision. In addition to the hassle, there are costs associated with maintaining and housing multiple pieces of equipment of which only one is usually used at any one time in a typical ophthalmology office. Now […]
Proximity Tags Emit Radio Waves to Monitor Heart, Lungs, Blood Pressure
Contact-free measurement of vital signs is already a reality, but with a few important limitations some of which researchers at Cornell University may be able to overcome. Currently used devices typically require the patient to be in close proximity to the sensor, and they’re only able to measure the breathing and heart rates, along with […]
Sensor Pulls Sweat from Skin to Measure Multiple Biomarkers
Researchers from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and a Swiss company called Xsensio have presented at last week’s International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco a new sweat sensor capable of detecting a number of useful chemical biomarkers, as well as the sweat’ pH level and temperature of the skin. The core of […]
New Imaging Modality Uses Scanning Electric Current to View Heart
Researchers from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan have developed a way of imaging biochemicals in the body using electric current. The technique, named scanning electrochemical microscopy, has already been used to map out hemoglobin throughout a heart of a mouse. Other target molecules can also be used […]
BiliSpec, Tested in Malawi, Diagnoses Jaundice in Children for Cheap
A cheap and easy to use device invented by students at Rice University has shown, in a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that it can detect jaundice from a small blood sample. Currently, lab equipment and disposable cartridges are used to detect jaundice early and accurately, but this is often too […]
3D-Printed Living Bioink Can Form “Living Tattoos”
Researchers at MIT have developed a living bioink for 3D printing that consists of genetically-modified bacteria and a synthetic hydrogel. The material can be printed in a variety of shapes, including as patches or “tattoos” for the skin, and can sense different chemicals, along with changes in pH and temperature. The researchers hope the technique […]
Vibrator Detects Protein Biomarkers of Disease, Already Tried as Concussion Detector
Scientists at Purdue University have developed a novel new way of detecting biomarkers within blood and other bodily fluids, potentially opening the possibility of being able to quickly and easily detect a wide variety of diseases and monitor their progress. The team’s microelectromechanical system (MEMS) relies on vibration to spot a looked-for biomarker within the […]
Body Monitoring Sensors from Shimmer Help Researchers Get Science Done
The Med in Ireland conference that we recently had a chance to visit, featured Shimmer, a successful body-sensing firm out of Dublin. The company also has offices in Cambridge, MA and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They build a variety of modular sensing devices for clinical studies, product development, and anything else that would require to record […]
Ultrathin and Flexible Microfiber Sensor for Healthcare Monitoring and Diagnosis
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed an ultrathin, flexible microfiber sensor that can be worn on or placed next to the skin. The device can provide information on heart rate, blood pressure, and stiffness in blood vessels, and may one day replace bulky blood pressure and heart rate monitors. The technology might […]
Quantum Dots Attached to Antibodies Seek Out, Light Up Tumors in Bright Technicolor
Quantum dots are tiny nanoparticles made of semiconductors that have unusual optical properties. In medicine, they may be very useful because they emit light when stimulated by electricity or an external light source, making them easy to spot in diagnostic tests. They’re more than ten times brighter than fluorescent dyes commonly used today, potentially allowing […]
High Speed Video Precisely Captures Blood Cell Velocity
Researchers at ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, have developed a non-invasive high-speed video capillaroscopy system that can precisely measure the velocity of blood cells flowing through capillaries in the skin around a fingernail. The technique could be useful in assessing cardiovascular conditions. Capillaroscopy systems offer a simple and non-invasive way to assess the size […]
Small, Cheap, Portable Spectrometer for Biological Sample Imaging Anywhere
Optical spectrometers provide a unique view of biological samples. How objects reflect different frequencies of light reveals quite a bit about them, but precise, highly sensitive spectrometers tend to be bulky and expensive. This technical limitation has prevented the use of spectrometry in many potential medical applications, particularly in field medicine and in areas with […]
Researchers Break Fundamental Barrier of Photoacoustic Imaging: Can View Capillaries at Super Resolution
Photoacoustic imaging is a way to look beneath the surface of a biological sample at high resolution. A laser is used to excite tissue, expanding it slightly and generating vibrations within it, which results in sound waves. It images better than ultrasound and at depths greater than optical techniques, revealing some pretty small objects that would be […]
BITalino Body Monitoring Project Kit Gets Cloud Software Upgrade
BITalino is a set of hardware and software ingredients that allow just about anyone to build their own body monitoring devices. We’ve covered the technology in the past (see flashbacks below), which is designed for prototyping, research, and education. Now the folks behind BITalino have made it easier to collect data from different body sensors, […]
An Ingredient Technology Company Powering the World of Wearables: Interview with Valencell VP Ryan Kraudel
At Medgadget, we cover a lot of digital health devices and wearables. Some are developed by startups, while others come from brand name businesses that have branched out into this new and growing market. A common thread among most of the digital health technologies covered is the need to record data through various sensor technologies. However, […]
Swallowable Flexible Sensor to Detect Stomach Movements
Scientists at MIT have developed a flexible sensor that patients can swallow. The sensor sticks to the stomach wall and can relay information about stomach peristalsis. This could help doctors to diagnose disorders that slow down the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract, or monitor food intake in obese patients. The research team wanted […]
Microneedle Patch Gathers Large Samples of Interstitial Fluid
Interstitial fluid, which resembles blood plasma and that is reachable near the surface of the skin, contains many biomarkers, including sodium, potassium, and proteins, associated with normal body function, as well as those related to certain diseases. Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and University of New Mexico have working on a new microneedle patch that can draw large […]
Biosensitive Tatoo Ink Changes Color as Disease Biomarkers Fluctuate
A collaboration between scientists at Harvard and MIT has developed a tattoo ink that can be programmed to change color in response to changes in concentration of different biomarkers. For example, rising glucose levels turn the tattoo from green to brown. Unlike typical body monitoring devices, the team’s “biosensitive ink” has the benefit of not relying […]