Boston Scientific recently announced FDA clearance of the EXALT Model B single-use bronchoscope, intended for bedside procedures in intensive care units or in the operating room. As a single-use device that boasts high quality imaging and suction capabilities, the bronchoscope is ready to go out of the packaging, which means it mitigates the risk o (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Sweat Powered Battery for Wearable Medical Devices
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore created a flexible battery that is powered by sweat. The device could provide a new way to energize medical wearables, some of which already use sweat to detect or monitor disease. The stretchable device incorporates silver flakes that clump together and generate a small electrical curren (Read more...)
Microwave Sensor for Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Researchers at University of British Columbia Okanagan campus have developed an inexpensive and portable microwave sensor that can rapidly detect changes in bacterial growth to assess antibiotic susceptibility. Using a split ring microwave resonator, the device can very sensitively measure bacterial growth in the presence of different concentration (Read more...)
CRISPR-Based Spit Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 and Variants
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute and MIT have developed an inexpensive at-home test for SARS-CoV-2 and several variants, which does not require nasal swabs. The test uses a simple spit sample, and provides results that can be read using a smartphone app within an hour. With access to a 3D printer and commonly available […]
Breath Test Predicts Treatment Regimen for Epilepsy Drugs
Anti-seizure medication must be tailored for individual patients, as the difference between a therapeutic dose and a toxic one is quite small. Now, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland have developed a breath test that can rapidly provide information on the optimal drug treatment approach for epilepsy patients. Their test provides (Read more...)
Low-Cost Nanobodies from Alpacas are Highly Potent Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, engineered mini-antibodies, called nanobodies, against SARS-CoV-2. The team’s nanobodies are stable up to 95 degrees Celsius (203 F) and are cheaper and less complex to produce than conventional antibodies. So far, the nanobodies have shown impressiv (Read more...)
Bladder-on-a-Chip and Bladder Organoids Reveal Dynamics of UTIs
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland developed two complementary benchtop bladder models that could help in understanding the mechanisms behind recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs). The first involves bladder organoids, which allow the researchers to study bacterial-bladder cell interactions (Read more...)
Nanoparticles for Tumor Imaging and Cancer Urine Testing
Scientists at MIT have announced that they developed novel nanoparticles to detect cancer in urine samples. As well as detecting the presence of tumors, the nanoparticles can also accumulate at tumor sites and function as an imaging agent, helping to identify their location. These multifunctional particles could be very useful for routine cancer sc (Read more...)
AI Powered Health Assistant for Seniors: Interview with Ryan Howard, CEO of 100Plus
100Plus, a California medtech company, created a suite of remote patient monitoring technologies. These include a digital weight scale, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, and blood glucose monitor. The company recently launched Ava, an AI powered healthcare assistant that is specifically intended for senior patients who may not be tech savvy or as o (Read more...)
DNA Origami to Trap Viruses Inside Body
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have developed a method to create tiny virus traps that can bind viral particles and render them harmless within the body. The technique relies on DNA origami to create self-assembling hollow nanocapsules, which are lined with molecules that will bind viruses and prevent them from leaving. With a [& (Read more...)
Remote Monitoring for Peritoneal Dialysis: Interview with Aly ElBadry, CEO of CloudCath
CloudCath, a medtech company based in San Francisco, has created the CloudCath system, a remote monitoring technology that provides clinicians with data on the spent dialysate fluid of at-home peritoneal dialysis patients. CloudCath is incorporated into the drain line of peritoneal dialysis systems, and wirelessly transmits data to the cloud, with (Read more...)
Biomaterial-Based Vaccine Against Bacterial Infection
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute have developed a biomaterial-based vaccine technology that could provide prophylactic protection against bacterial infection and septic shock. The technology is delivered as a biomaterial scaffold. Once inside the body, it captures bacterial pathogens and then recruits and activates dendritic cells to initi (Read more...)
Chest Strap System Monitors Severity of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, have developed a system to monitor the severity of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The system includes a commercial chest strap sensor that measures heart rate variability and a paired app that collects, collates, and presents th (Read more...)
Chest Strap System Monitors Severity of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, have developed a system to monitor the severity of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The system includes a commercial chest strap sensor that measures heart rate variability and a paired app that collects, collates, and presents th (Read more...)
Microchip Nanosensor Detects Stress Hormone from Drop of Blood
Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a microchip that can perform real-time measurements of stress hormone levels in a drop of blood. The technology could provide a replacement for bulky and expensive lab tests for such hormones, and allow patients to monitor their stress levels more easily. The chip includes tiny wells that contain ant (Read more...)
Blood-Brain Barrier on a Chip for Neuro Drug Testing
Researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, engineered a blood-brain barrier on a chip using human-derived stem cells. The device closely mimics the blood-brain barrier and allows the researchers to study its function and the effect of drugs without having to use experimental animals. By incorporating sensors, the chi (Read more...)
Sweating E-Skin for Long-Term Health Monitoring
Researchers at MIT have developed an e-skin technology that contains artificial sweat ducts. The ducts prevent sweat accumulation underneath the e-skin, helping to prevent interference with built-in sensors. Incorporating a kirigami-style design, the material conforms to human skin but maintains a high porosity and reduced sweat accumulation. The d (Read more...)
Fluorescent mRNA to Track, Optimize Delivery
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and collaborators created a technique to produce fluorescently labeled mRNA, allowing them to track its entry and distribution into cells. Using such molecules could help scientists develop better ways to deliver mRNA therapeutics into the body, potentially playing a vital role in the new w (Read more...)
Face Mask Detects SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute and MIT have developed a face mask that can detect SARS-CoV-2 in a wearer’s breath. The mask employs freeze dried molecular components including CRISPR-based technology, and a lateral flow assay strip to detect the virus and alert the wearer. To initiate the test, the wearer simply presses a button [& (Read more...)
Microarray Rapidly Identifies Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed a sensitive and inexpensive microarray technology that can rapidly identify antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in blood or serum samples. The test can provide a result in as little as eight minutes, but the researchers believe that this can be further reduced to just [ (Read more...)