Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a tiny lab-on-a-chip that can perform PCR diagnostics in just a few minutes. Usually requiring bulky and expensive lab equipment, PCR is a gold standard diagnostic test for a variety of infectious pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. The new testing device is 1 cm in [& (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Paper-Based Device Rapidly Detects Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Binghamton University have developed a device that can rapidly detect certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The device uses paper as a substrate, and allows a user to rapidly test the effects of specific antibiotics on patient bacterial samples. It measures the effects of antibiotics on the electron transfer bacteria, provi (Read more...)
Interlocking Metals and Polymers for Magnetically Controllable Therapeutic Microrobots
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a technique to create tiny microrobots with interlocking polymer and metal parts that can be controlled using magnetic fields. The magnetic metal components can move within the polymer frame, providing locomotion, and the tiny bots are small enough to traverse blood vessels, potentially functioning as vehicl (Read more...)
Hydrogel Contact Lens Measures Biomarkers in Tears
Researchers at the Terasaki Institute in Los Angeles have developed a prototype of a contact lens that can assist with tear sampling for diagnostic purposes, and to also improve tear flow to potentially prevent dry eye disease. The hydrogel lens contains microchannels through which tears can travel and testing chambers where electrochemical and col (Read more...)
Red Blood Cells Deliver Nanoparticles to Provoke Immune Response to Lung Metastases
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed a way to deliver immune-stimulating agents to lung metastases. Their system involves nanoparticles loaded with an immune-stimulating agent that are attached to red blood cells. When injected into the blood stream, the red blood cells shed the nanoparticles as they squeeze through the narr (Read more...)
Rapid Identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: Interview with Jong Lee, CEO at Day Zero Diagnostics
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern, with some predictions suggesting that routine surgery could be unacceptably risky in a future where many antibiotics have become obsolete. Part of the problem lies in the time it takes clinicians to diagnose an antibiotic-resistant infection. Current techniques involve lab technicians culturing a bacteria (Read more...)
Implantable Biodegradable Sensor Measures Gases Inside The Body
Researchers at Penn State have developed an implantable sensor that can measure levels of NO and NO2 gases in the body, both of which are medically relevant. Consisting of silicon and magnesium, the sensor is flexible and completely biodegradable, and so does not need to be removed after implantation. Measuring levels of NO and NO2 […]
Inhalable Nanobody Therapy Deactivates SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a new antibody-type therapy for SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus for COVID-19. The treatment exploits “nanobodies” – tiny antibody fragments – that are harvested from llama blood. The new nanobody therapy can be used in an inhalable form that may deactivate the virus (Read more...)
Earwax Sampling Device for Easy Cortisol Measurement
Researchers at University College London and King’s College London have developed a device that allows for easy earwax sampling, with the goal that the wax could be a convenient and reliable way to measure cortisol levels. The device can be used by a patient at home to obtain a sample of earwax and is less […]
Microneedle Bandage Detects Malaria in Minutes
Researchers at Rice University have developed a microneedle patch that can rapidly detect the presence of malaria in interstitial fluid. Users can apply the patch to their skin, as you would a bandage, and then obtain a result in as little as 20 minutes. The technology is low-cost and requires no expertise to utilize. Malaria […]
Microfluidic Device to Test Pancreatic Cancer Drugs
Certain varieties of pancreatic cancer exhibit multiple tumor cell subtypes that work, somewhat mysteriously, to quickly become resistant to chemotherapy agents. Researchers at Purdue University have now built a unique microfluidic device that can be used to test a cancer drug on multiple tumor cells subtypes. Using this technology the researchers (Read more...)
Stryker Unveils Wireless Hospital Bed with Smart Monitoring Features
Stryker has announced a new completely wireless hospital bed that sports a number of smart patient monitoring features. The ProCuity, which is actually a series of beds that have somewhat varying capabilities, was developed to minimize patient falls, help clinicians to efficiently monitor those that are bedridden, and to maintain connectivity when (Read more...)
Ultrasound Device to Rapidly Diagnose Sickle Cell Disease
Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a new rapid test for sickle cell disease. Their tiny device is less than the size of a quarter, and can provide a result in as little as one minute. The technology uses ultrasound to heat a protein sample and then measures how it dissolves over time […]
FlowSense Monitors Hydrocephalus Shunts: Exlusive with Anna Lisa Somera, CEO of Rhaeos
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 s (Read more...)
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 (Read more...)
Butterfly Releases iQ+ Mobile Ultrasound for Imaging Anywhere
Butterfly Network, a company out of Guilford, Connecticut, is releasing a new generation of its popular mobile ultrasound device. The new Butterfly iQ+ features better imaging capabilities, improved ergonomics, and longer battery life. Clinicians can utilize the portable, handheld ultrasound in a variety of situations and clinical fields to image t (Read more...)
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 […]
At-Home Clinical ECG: Now and After The Pandemic – Interview with Dr. Ruey-Kang Chang, CEO, QT Medical
Many fields of medicine are undergoing a transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients are kept away from clinics as much as possible. Patients are now regularly visited by their doctors over video calls, are asked to perform certain procedures on their own, and are prescribed medical devices that would normally be used by […]
Abbott’s Tiny Freestyle Libre 3 Cleared in EU
Abbott has received CE Mark approval for the Freestyle Libre 3 continuous glucose monitor, meaning it can now be marketed in Europe. Abbott has substantially changed the design for the first time since the launch of the initial Freestyle Libre. The company claims that the Libre 3 is the thinnest and smallest continuous glucose monitor […]
Discovery of Hepatitis C Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Medgadget would like to congratulate Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice on receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in discovering the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C, a virus that infects liver cells and causes inflammation, certain cancers, and lymphomas, is fairly widespread among certain groups of pe (Read more...)