Hydrocephalus patients have an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, which needs to be drained away through a ventricular shunt. However, these shunts regularly fail, with potentially life-threatening results. At present, there isn’t an easy way to check that a shunt is still working, and clinicians typically use brain MRI/CT scans to see if […]
Tag: Materials
Body Sensors Printed Directly on Skin at Room Temperature
Biomedical sensors typically perform their best when they’re placed in close proximity to the body. While wearables, such as wrist-worn heart rate monitors, are common these days, they are very limited by where they can be placed on the body, have poor signal quality, and are often uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Now, researchers […]
Cell Culture System Mimics Effects of Lung Motion on Cancer Metastases
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a cell culture system to examine the effects of lung motion on breast cancer metastases. The system uses magnets to provide a stretching force on a 3D culture of breast cancer cells, and the researchers hope that the technology could lead to new insights into metastases and how to […]
X-Rays and Electron Beams Print 3D Soft Objects at High Resolution
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, have developed a new technique to 3D print soft objects, such as hydrogels, at a higher resolution than previously possible. The technique uses X-rays or electron beams to crosslink the gels, helping to create complex structures […]
Intestinal Organoids Mimic Human Gut
Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a mini intestine on a chip that closely mimics the morphology and cellular composition of the small intestine. The device could be useful for advancing personalized medicine, drug screening, and even paving the way for researchers to grow new tissues and organs in […]
Graphene Facemask to Deactivate Coronaviruses and Bacteria
Researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a face mask containing laser-induced graphene that can kill bacteria and has demonstrated potential in deactivating coronaviruses. The graphene layer has antibacterial properties and can generate heat when exposed to sunlight, which may underlie its ability to deactivate coronaviruses. The researchers hope that such masks […]
Artificial Iris Inside Smart Contacts Corrects Vision Disorders
The pupil of the eye allows light to reach the retina, and a number of vision disorders are related to irregularities in the iris that surrounds the pupil. People with aniridia, for example, have some or all of the iris missing, exhibiting a large pupil that results in unfocused vision. Now, a collaboration between Imec, […]
Oxygen-Releasing Bioink to Enhance Cell Survival in 3D Printed Structures
Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation in Los Angeles, California have developed an oxygen-releasing bioink that may be useful in 3D printing bioengineered cell constructs. This can help live cells to survive in limited oxygen environments, such as those that exist inside of 3D printed devices, in the first days after implantation. Developing […]
Laser-Controlled Microrobots Small Enough for Injections
Microrobotics researchers have been working for decades, in a seemingly futile attempt, to keep up with the miniaturization that has been achieved in the field of microelectronics. Although rudimentary microscopic robots have been developed, they have failed to take full advantage of conventional silicon electronics and so are limited in their functionality. Specifically, no one […]
Wearable Ozone Therapy Device for Chronic Wound Treatment
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a wearable device that can administer antibacterial ozone gas to chronic wounds to help disinfect them. The technology could allow people to disinfect chronic wounds at home, and would be helpful in cases where wounds have been colonized by drug-resistant bacteria and aren’t responding to antibiotic therapy. Approximately 6 […]
Soft Electronics for Advanced Heart Catheters
Researchers at George Washington University and Northwestern University have developed a new class of soft devices that can provide new functionality for catheters used in cardiac procedures. The new materials are soft electronics, including stretchable sensors and actuators, that when applied to the surface of a catheter system, could greatly assist in diagnosing and treating […]
Electronic Skin Senses Pain, Temp, Pressure as Fast as Human Dermis
Scientists at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have announced the development of an artificial skin material that can sense pain, temperature, and pressure. It’s remarkable because it replicates how real skin responds to stimuli, which sends appropriate electric signals through neural pathways to the brain. The technology is slated to allow for life-like transmission […]
Exact Models of Aortic Heart Valves Help Prepare for Minimally Invasive Procedures
Complex transcatheter cardiac procedures, such as valve replacements, are often difficult to prepare for. Small anatomical differences can make big impacts on outcomes. Clinicians and researchers have been using models, both virtual and 3D printed, to improve procedural outcomes, design new devices, and to invent new therapeutic techniques. These models generally help professionals to understand […]
Origami Surgical Manipulator to Perform Microsurgeries
Robotic surgical assistants, such as the da Vinci systems from Intuitive Surgical, are now routinely used during laparoscopic procedures to improve operative precision, flexibility, and to manipulate multiple tools at once. Such devices can be quite complex inside and so they tend to be quite large, often taking up much of the space of an […]
Ultrasound Imaging Using Only Piezoelectric Organic LEDs
At North Carolina State University, researchers have performed a remarkable trick, namely producing ultrasound images using nothing but piezoelectric organic light emitting diodes. This may be a big deal, as existing ultrasound devices rely on electronics and image reconstruction algorithms to convert sonic waves captured by transducers into intuitive renderings. Avoiding these altogether may allow […]
Alginate Biomaterial Evades Immune System to Enhance Stem Cell Therapy
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed an immuno-evasive alginate biomaterial hydrogel that can enhance stem cell therapy after myocardial infarction. Stem cells delivered to the heart within the biomaterial survive in greater numbers and for a longer period than cells delivered alone, resulting in a significant enhancement in healing. Stem […]
Wearable Sweat Sensor Made from Microbial Nanocellulose
Researchers in Brazil have developed a wearable sweat sensor made from microbial nanocellulose. The natural polymer provides a breathable interface with the underlying skin and allows sweat to travel through for electrochemical analysis using printed electrodes. The system can measure a wide variety of metabolites and biomarkers present in sweat, and could be useful for […]
Pivoting to PPE – A Plastic Manufacturer’s Response to the Covid Pandemic: Interview with Jay Baker, President, Jonestown Plastics
Businesses across industries have felt and reacted to the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While many have faced challenges to their traditional business models, some have taken those challenges in stride and turned their responses into opportunities for new growth or strategic pivots. Jamestown Plastics, a family-owned, New York-based developer of thermoformed products and […]
Smart Capsule for Sampling Microbiome of GI Tract
The details of what goes on within the GI tract are still largely unknown to medical science. Bacteria come in a huge variety and the microbiome within the gut can be radically different from place to place. To better understand the bacterial composition of the human GI tract, researchers at Purdue University have developed a […]
Drawing Biomedical Electronics Directly Onto Skin
Wearable biomedical devices hold the promise of allowing for continuous, remote patient monitoring in all kinds of settings. A variety of vital signs, including heart rate and its variability, body temperature, and the amount of sweat produced, can be measured. The problem is that a lot of these measurements are not particularly accurate when using […]