Researchers at Yokohama City University and Cincinnati Children’s Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine have developed a large-scale method to produce bioengineered liver tissue from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The technique could provide viable, consistently produced liver transplants, offering hope to patients with liver disease. One of the limitations faced by scientists […]
Tag: Materials
University of Minnesota Researchers Develop a Better 3D-Printed Organ Model
3D-printed organ models have shown a lot of promise in medicine by providing doctors with a tangible representation of an organ being studied. While these models are great at mimicking the size and external appearance of their biological counterparts, otherwise they are typically not very useful. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have now developed […]
Novel Transforming Glue Treats Emergency Battlefield Eye Injuries
According to statistics, war-related eye injuries have steadily increased from a fraction of a percent to as high as 10 to 15 percent in the past few decades. Many of these injuries lead to permanent vision loss due to a lack of nearby medical facilities or the proper tools to treat them. Researchers at the University […]
Scientists Create Living 3D Printer Ink Made of Live Bacteria
Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have reported in journal Science Advances on a way of 3D printing materials infused with live bacteria. The development may lead to devices such as implantable blood filters and bacterial factories that produce biomolecules for drugs and other therapies. A myriad of other applications may find use from this […]
Stratasys Releases Line of Custom Built 3D Printed Anatomy Models
Stratasys, one of the big 3D printing companies, has announced the release of its new BioMimics line of 3D printed human anatomy models. The products are designed to be used in clinical training and to help design and test new medical devices. The company is first releasing bone and heart models, with vascular structures expected […]
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 […]
New Dental Material Can Resist Biofilm Growth And Kills Bacteria
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an antibacterial resin for dental procedures such as cavity fillings. They hope that the material can provide improved fillings that resist tooth decay and last longer. Conventional materials for dental fillings are prone to being covered in plaque, a sticky biofilm that can lead to tooth decay […]
Kastus Glass and Ceramics Coating Kills Pathogens with Light
While checking out the dozens of medtech companies showing off their stuff at the recent Med in Ireland event in Dublin, we were intrigued to discover Kastus, the inventors of a pretty amazing surface coating technology. The company’s Log4+ coating is made of titanium dioxide co-doped with fluorine and copper, the combination of which results […]
Abderma, a High Absorbency and Retention Material for Wound Applications
On our visit to Med in Ireland medtech industry event, we had a chance to check out some cool indigenous materials engineering that goes on in Ireland to benefit medtech. Specifically, ATD emolda, a company based outside of Dublin, was showing off its Abderma foam, a product designed for wound management applications. Abderma, a biocompatible […]
New Cell Culture Technique For High Speed, Continuous Cell Production
Researchers at Newcastle University in the UK have developed a new cell culture technique that allows scientists to produce enormous quantities of cells using a very small growth area. The key to the method is a “peptide amphiphile” coating that allows cells to grow and then “peel away” and detach from the growth surface, leaving […]
High-Strength Artificial Cartilage Made from Kevlar
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Jiangnan University in China have developed a type of artificial cartilage using Kevlar, a synthetic fiber better-known for its use in bullet-proof vests, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a material used in hydrogel cartilage replacements. The new hybrid material combines the strength and water content of natural cartilage, and […]
Quick and Easy Deuteration and Tritiation of Potential Compounds to Speed Drug Development
During the development of many drugs, radioactive markers and so-called stable labels, typically deuterium and tritium respectively, are often used to trace the destination of chemical compounds and their metabolites. This is a pretty easy thing to do in lab animals, once you have enough molecules of the compound you’re testing in which typical hydrogen […]
Spraying Technique Creates Muscle Fibers
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) have developed an electrospraying technique that can incorporate living cells into a 3D synthetic polymer scaffold. The cells can then grow to form elongated fibers, mimicking natural muscular tissue, and the technique brings the possibility of lab-developed organs for transplant patients, such as […]
Reprogrammed Patient-Specific Pig Organs for Human Transplants: Interview with Dr. Jeff Ross, CEO of Miromatrix
The waiting lists for organ transplants are long, and people die daily waiting for transplants that never become available. For those that get a transplant, there is a risk that their immune system could reject it. Using organs from pigs is an alternative to human organs since many are a similar size. However, there is […]
Bioresponsive Hydrogel Can Release Proteins on Cue
Researchers at Penn State have developed a DNA-laced hydrogel that mimics biological systems by releasing a proteins in response to a chemical signal, a technology which could be useful for drug delivery. The system has potential for on-demand release of therapeutic proteins, also known as biologics, to treat a variety of conditions. Hydrogels are composed […]
Building Flexible Electronics from Scratch Using 3D Printers
Scientists from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have created a way to print flexible electronic devices. The development may herald future ubiquity of flexible body-worn products that can monitor various health parameters, provide therapy, and guide users in exercise and rehabilitation routines. The new technique is called Hybrid 3-D […]