Sigilon Therapeutics is a Cambridge, MA-based biotech company developing innovative therapeutics by encapsulating cells in a novel coating that renders them invisible to the immune system. The engineered cells contained in the company’s particles can provide long-term continuous therapy for a range of chronic disorders, including hemophilia and diabetes, and eliminate the need for intermittent […]
Tag: Medicine
Medtronic’s Guardian Connect Continuous Glucometer with Predictive Capabilities Approved by FDA
The FDA granted Medtronic its approval for the Guardian Connect continuous glucose monitor. It’s intended for diabetes patients between 14 and 75 years of age that tend to get multiple daily insulin injections. A small wireless device, the Guardian Sensor 3, is attached to the skin, which takes regular blood samples to test for sugar […]
Flexible Sensor Could Replace Frequent Blood Tests with Continuous Sweat Monitoring
Researchers at the University of Glasgow, UK have created a wearable sensor that is capable of measuring sweat pH, which could help patients with chronic conditions avoid the need for finger-prick blood tests. The flexible sensor, which measures around 10×10 mm can stretch with natural movements and elongate by up to 53% without compromising its […]
Drone Lifelines: Interview with Zipline’s Keenan Wyrobek
Keenan Wyrobek is the co-founder of Zipline, a California company designing, building, and deploying drones that deliver life-saving medical supplies and blood to the most remote and difficult to access places on Earth. He has a background in helping develop several tech products and patents in robotics, and is now leading product and engineering for Zipline. […]
MedCline Reflux Relief System: A Medgadget Product Review
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic medical condition that occurs when the acidic stomach contents regularly move backwards into the esophagus, irritating its delicate lining. It is a very common condition, and it is estimated that the disease affects around 20 percent of the U.S. population. Not only do patients with GERD suffer from […]
Pillo Automated Pill Dispenser and Personal Assistant
Things are getting pretty cute in the field of personal health. Case in point is the Pillo, an all-in-one pill dispenser, personal digital assistant, and communication device. It seems to be a mix between an automated pill dispenser, that can prepare the correct dose of multiple drugs on a personalized schedule, an Amazon Alexa-like voice-based […]
Thermal Cameras and Analytics for Patient Monitoring: Interview with Paul Baratta of Axis Communications
Axis Communications, a provider of network video technologies, offers a range of intelligent security solutions. While such technology is traditionally used for security purposes, the company also developed a range of thermal cameras that can be coupled with an analytics system to automatically detect incidents in healthcare facilities, such as patient falls. As the cameras […]
Philips Ingenia Elition 3T MRI Scanner Unveiled
Philips has unveiled a new 3 Tesla MRI scanner, the Ingenia Elition. The device was designed to help speed up all sorts of exams without sacrificing image quality, in certain cases doing so in half the time of competing devices. The system features the firm’s dStream digital broadband tech, as well as Compressed SENSE and 3D […]
3D Jet Writing Creates Highly Porous Polymer Microtissue for Drug Screening
Researchers at Purdue University and University of Michigan have developed a device they call a 3D jet writer, which can print high-resolution polymer microtissues on a small scale, with appropriate pore sizes to allow cancer cell infiltration. The researchers hope that the printed tissues will allow them to study cancer metastasis and conduct drug screens […]
Nanoplasmonic Sensor Can Count Dividing Cells and Detect Biomolecules
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have developed a nanoplasmonic sensor that can measure cell division over extended periods and detect biomolecules with high sensitivity. The device has potential as a diagnostic test for disease biomarkers, or as a research tool to screen the effects of therapeutic molecules on cell […]
The Ivenix Infusion System for Enhanced Delivery: Interview with Stuart Randle, President and CEO of Ivenix
Ivenix, a medtech company based in North Andover, Massachusetts, has developed the Ivenix Infusion System for intravenous drug infusions. More than 90% of hospital patients receive intravenous infusion therapy, yet infusion errors remain a significant challenge. In the U.S. alone, these errors are estimated to cost approximately $2 billion annually. Strikingly, more than 50% of […]
Medtronic’s New MiniMed Mio Advance Infusion Set with an Invisible Needle
Medtronic is introducing a new infusion set that addresses some of the challenges of using current products, including the fear of the needle. Many diabetics have to take insulin infusions, which can be unpleasant and difficult for individuals to perform on themselves. The new Medtronic MiniMed Mio Advance can be operated with one hand and […]
Acoustic Shear Poration Technique to Deliver Genetic Material into Cells
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new technique to deliver genetic material into cells. Called Acoustic Shear Poration (ASP), the method combines ultrasound waves and focused mechanical force to create pores in the cell membrane, allowing genetic material to enter the cell. Gene therapy holds enormous promise, but getting DNA and […]
HydroPICC Anti-thrombogenic Central Line Catheter Cleared by FDA
Access Vascular, a company based in Bedford, MA that makes a novel material for preventing the clogging up of catheters, won FDA clearance for its HydroPICC catheter. The company’s “bulk-hydrophilic” material is rich in water and carries a neutral surface charge, which helps to prevent proteins and other biomaterials from sticking. According to the company, […]
Highly Compliant, Ultra Sensitive Electronic Skin to Give Prostheses a Sense of Touch
Scientists at Stanford University have created a way to produce thin, stretchable electronic circuits that feature incredibly sensitive pressure sensors. These electronics can one day be wrapped around prosthetic hands to provide a sense of touch or to create wearable electronics for long term body sensing, among many other possible applications. The team’s devices are […]
Device Measures Stiffness of Tens of Thousands of Cells to Screen Drugs for Safety (Video)
Force cytometry, or measurement of strength of cells, can be a useful indicator for assessing how specific drugs affect cell function. Rapidly performing thousands of force cytometry tests can help speed up drug testing, particularly for compounds intended to treat blood pressure, stroke, muscular dystrophy, and asthma. Scientists at UCLA and Rutgers University have now […]
Journal Articles on Your Smartphone with The Case App: Interview with Co-Founder Eric Kowalcyk
Keeping up to date on the latest academic journal articles and publications can be challenging for researchers focused on bringing their own innovations and projects to life. With many different journals publishing articles daily, research article aggregators like PubMed have become the go-to solution. Recognizing the limited bandwidth and increasing mobility of researchers, Case, a […]
Stick-On Flexible Electronics to Track Stroke Recovery
Electronics that keep working even when repeatedly stretched and flexed have improved significantly in the last few years to the point that now they’re finally being introduced into real wearable medical devices. At Northwestern University, John Rogers, the scientist responsible for many achievements in the field of flexible electronics (see flashbacks below), has developed new […]
On-Skin Flexible Screen for Displaying Live Health Information
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed an elastic display that can be affixed to the skin to display the waveform of an electrocardiogram, or other health parameters, detected by a skin sensor. When combined with a communication module, the system can transmit the data to a smartphone and the cloud, allowing doctors to […]
AdhereTech’s Smart System Improves Medication Compliance
Taking pills can be easy to forget and factors such as unpleasant side effects can significantly contribute to missed doses. This is especially true for serious diseases with complicated and prolonged regimens, often leading to decreased patient adherence at a time when staying on a drug regimen is especially important. AdhereTech currently helps patients around […]