Researchers at the University of Washington developed a new COVID testing technology that can provide accurate results in as little as 30 minutes. The technology intends to be a bridge between PCR tests, which are accurate but slow, and antigen tests, which are rapid but suffer from reduced accuracy. The system provides results straight to [&hellip (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Cheap and Portable COVID-19 Test Lab
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have created a low-cost, portable COVID testing kit intended for use in remote, low-resource regions of the world. They describe the approach as a lab-in-a-backpack, and it makes use of a recycled computer hard-drive as a centrifuge. The test assay relies on loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP (Read more...)
Anti-COVID Nanobubbles Act as Viral Decoys
Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered naturally-occurring extracellular vesicles in the blood that contain the ACE2 protein, which is the cellular target of SARS-CoV-2. The vesicles act as a binding site for viral particles within the body, and prevent them from binding to and infecting cells. Unlike vaccines, therapeutics based on (Read more...)
Nanotherapy for Immunosuppression May Lead to Diabetes Treatment
Researchers at Northwestern University developed a nanoparticle delivery system for a common immunosuppressant drug that increases the potential of pancreatic islet transplantation as a viable long-term treatment for Type I diabetes. The technology targets the drug to act on the antigen presenting cells of the immune system, rather than T cells. Th (Read more...)
Wearable Air Sampler to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Exposure
Researchers at Yale University created a wearable air sampler clip that can be worn on clothing and which can bind aerosols present in the environment. The clip can later be analyzed to determine the level of SARS-CoV-2 exposure while it was worn. The low-cost, battery-free technology could allow people to identify unsafe indoor environments that [ (Read more...)
Protein Coating Protects Nanoparticles from Immune Attack
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created a new coating for nanoparticles that can help to protect them from attacks by the immune system. The approach, which uses naturally occurring proteins that can inhibit the complement system, can significantly reduce immune destruction of nanoparticles, meaning that more m (Read more...)
Hairy Nanocrystals Capture Chemo Drugs
Researchers at Penn State working with collaborators have developed a nanomaterial that can ‘mop up’ chemotherapeutics in the bloodstream, helping to reduce off-target effects. The technology is intended for use in situations where a chemotherapeutic can be delivered precisely to the site of a tumor, and not in situations where it is de (Read more...)
Finger Clip for Blood Pressure Monitoring
At the University of Missouri a team of researchers developed a custom finger clip device that can continuously measure a variety of vitals, including blood pressure. The novel device represents a new way to measure vitals, and contains two commercial photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors that operate at two different points on the finger. This approa (Read more...)
Quantum Sensor to Detect SARS-CoV-2 More Accurately
Researchers at MIT have designed a quantum sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2. While the device is still theoretical, the researchers have used mathematical simulations to show its potential, and the data and design indicate that it may be faster, more accurate, and less expensive than the current gold-standard technique, PCR. The system is based on nanod (Read more...)
New Wearable Detects Respiratory Exacerbations: Interview with Dr. Maria Artunduaga, CEO of Respira Labs
Respira Labs, a medtech company based in California, created the Sylvee sensor, an adhesive patch that the user wears on their lower rib cage, and which monitors respiratory health. The device works through acoustic resonance, whereby it emits sound into the chest cavity and analyzes the echoed vibrations. The measured data provide information on l (Read more...)
Therapeutic Fusion Protein Inhibits SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed a new protein therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2. Unlike previously developed antibody therapies and vaccines, the virus is very unlikely to be able to circumvent this latest technology through mutation, as it is based on the viral target site in the body, the ACE2 receptor. Th (Read more...)
Nanotransfection Device for Tissue Reprogramming In Situ
Genetic modification offers huge potential in treating a wide variety of conditions, but the devil is in the details. Previously explored methods to deliver genes into cells, such as using viral vectors, have been connected with safety issues. As such, the potential of gene therapy has not yet been fully realized. Technological advances may offer [ (Read more...)
Self-Assembling Coating Protects Bacteria for Therapeutic Delivery
Scientists are beginning to appreciate the importance of the gut microbiome in health and disease, and administering microbes that can enhance our health or prevent disease is the next logical step. However, bacteria are delicate and require protection. Researchers at MIT have now engineered a method to coat bacteria so that they are protected from (Read more...)
Flu Virus-Inspired Nanoparticles for mRNA Delivery
Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed a new delivery technique for mRNA. The method involves flu virus-inspired nanoparticles that can escape endosomes, the acidic vesicles that engulf and destroy materials that attempt to enter cells. The nanoparticles contain a protein receptor that allows them to unlock the endosomes an (Read more...)
Quick Test for Antibody Efficacy Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants
At Duke University a team of scientists developed a test that rapidly provides data on how effective antibodies are at neutralizing different COVID-19 variants. The test could be very handy in determining the immunity of a specific patient against various variants, or in deciding on the best monoclonal antibody therapy to use. The researchers have (Read more...)
Chewing Gum Neutralizes SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a chewing gum that can bind to SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva, potentially helping to reduce viral transmission. The gum contains the protein ACE2 that can attach to the viral spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. By binding directly to the viral particles, it can prevent them from being transmitted [&h (Read more...)
Microfluidic Photoreactor for Neonatal Jaundice
Researchers at the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a microfluidic photoreactor that is intended to treat severe cases of neonatal jaundice. Jaundice is caused by an excess of a pigment called bilirubin, which can be difficult to excrete due to underlying conditions in many neonates. In severe cases, newborns may need m (Read more...)
Airway Chip as Benchtop Model of Cystic Fibrosis
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute created a microfluidic chip that mimics the airway of patients with cystic fibrosis. By including lung airway cells from cystic fibrosis patients within the device, the team was able to reproduce many of the hallmarks of the disease, including a thick mucus layer, inflammation, and bacterial growth. The (Read more...)
Laser Kills Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria for Wound and Blood Decontamination
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an ultrashort-pulse laser that can kill multidrug-resistant bacteria and their spores, and without damaging human cells. The laser works by vibrating and breaking protein structures within the bacterial cell, resulting in biochemical disruption and eventual death. Th (Read more...)
3D Blood Vessel Map Reveals Location of Stem Cells
Scientists at Johns Hopkins used a combination of molecular labeling and imaging techniques to create a three-dimensional map of the blood vessels in the mouse skull. Their approach also reveals niches where stem cell populations lurk, which could help researchers to understand how blood vessels and cells behave in various states of disease or inju (Read more...)