Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China, working with outside collaborators, have developed shape-shifting microrobots that are designed to be guided to a target area in the body using magnets, and then release a drug cargo in response to the local environment. The application that the researchers have pursued involves gu (Read more...)
Tag: Medicine
Imaging Technique Generates 3D Images of Bacteria for Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Researchers at the University of Connecticut have developed a highly sensitive imaging sensor that can rapidly and accurately monitor bacterial growth. The technique involves shining laser light through a bacterial sample and taking images at multiple orientations, before reconstructing the diffracted light patterns, to produce a 3D image of the ba (Read more...)
Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Lasers and Gold Nanoparticles
Delivering drugs to the brain remains a challenge due to the blood-brain barrier, a specialized endothelial layer that is highly selective in what it permits into the neural tissue beyond. At the University of Texas at Dallas, researchers have developed a technique that allows therapeutics to cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially allowing for (Read more...)
Cold Cap Therapy for Chemo Patients: Interview with Kate Dilligan, CEO of Cooler Heads Care
Cooler Heads Care, a medtech company based in San Diego, created Amma, a cold cap therapy device that aims to help chemotherapy patients to preserve their hair. Hair loss is a very common side-effect of chemo, and poses a significant psychological challenge for patients who are already struggling with their diagnosis and treatment. Simply cooling [ (Read more...)
Wireless Blood Pressure and Hemodynamic Monitoring: Interview with Jeff Pompeo, CEO, Caretaker Medical
Caretaker Medical, a company based in Virginia, developed the VitalStream wireless patient monitor, and the company recently announced that the device has received FDA clearance. The technology is intended to improve on traditional blood pressure cuffs that provide only a snap-shot of blood pressure data, while being an alternative, in many cases, (Read more...)
Chip for Investigation of Coronavirus Intestinal Infection
At Harvard’s Wyss Institute researchers used an intestine-on-a-chip to study the way a coronavirus infects the intestines, and the influence of various drugs and immune cells on this process. The intestine chip revealed that remdesivir, a drug that received FDA emergency use authorization for COVID-19 treatment, actually damaged the intestina (Read more...)
Multistep Lateral Flow Devices Perform Advanced Assays
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a lateral flow test platform that can perform advanced assays that would otherwise require a laboratory. By controlling the flow of liquid through the lateral flow test, the research team designed it so that it can perform advanced multistep assays that do not require sophisticated lab equipment and signif (Read more...)
Cactus Spine-Inspired Sweat Collection Technology
A team of researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology in South Korea created a passive sweat collection device that is inspired by cactus spines. The device is intended as a means to collect sweat for biomedical analysis; for instance, to measure glucose levels in patients with diabetes. Having the ability to operate […]
(Read more...)Electrochemical Test Measures Antibiotic Resistance
Researchers at Washington State University have developed an electrochemical test that can rapidly identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in patient samples. The technology can provide a result in less than 90 minutes, and is based on measuring the electrochemical activity of the bacteria after they are exposed to antibiotics. The data reveal the m (Read more...)
Breath Test Developed for COVID-19
Researchers at Ohio State University managed to develop a breath test for COVID-19 that can spot the infection within seconds. The basis for the test is a unique ‘breath print’ of COVID-19 that the researchers have identified, and this includes a specific combination of oxygen, nitric oxide, and ammonia in the breath. At this stage [&he (Read more...)
COVID-19 Vaccine Patch Does Not Require Cold Chain Transport
Researchers at the University of Queensland and Vaxxas, a medtech company, announced the development of a high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) that can deliver a COVID-19 vaccine through the skin without the need for needles. While such minimally invasive vaccine technology is to be welcomed, the major breakthrough is the temperature stability of (Read more...)
Carbon Nanotube Sensor Detects SARS-CoV-2 Within 5 Minutes
Scientists at MIT announced the development of a rapid COVID-19 test that can detect the virus in a saliva sample in as little as five minutes. The technology does not require antibodies or other expensive reagents typically associated with protein detection, and is instead based on carbon nanotubes. The nano-structures are encased in a web [&helli (Read more...)
DNA Aptamers for Rapid COVID-19 Testing: Interview with Steven Goh, CEO of Achiko and Dr. Michael Edel, Inventor of AptameX
Achiko, a company based in Switzerland, has developed AptameX, a saliva-based rapid COVID-19 test. The technology is based on DNA aptamers that are bound to gold nanoparticles. On binding with a viral protein the gold nanoparticles are released, causing a measurable color change. The test takes approximately 15 minutes in total, with the user spend (Read more...)
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Suppress Oral Biofilms
Collaborators from University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University have tested a ‘”nanozyme” system designed to reduce dental plaque. The technology consists of iron oxide nanoparticles that are applied to tooth enamel before a follow-up rinse of hydrogen peroxide. The nanoparticles act as an “enzyme” to activate the (Read more...)
Antibiotic Combined with Neutrophil Attractant
Researchers at Monash University in Australia and Harvard University have developed a new treatment for infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To achieve this, they attached a chemoattractant to an antibiotic drug molecule, meaning that it attracts neutrophils to the site of an infection and primes them to kill the bacteria. The two-pr (Read more...)
Vaccine Delivery Device Inspired by BBQ Lighter
A team at Georgia Tech tinkered together a battery-free electroporation device to deliver DNA vaccines, which is inspired by BBQ lighters. The details of the workings of the vaccine injector are described in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The electric ‘spark’ that ignites the gas flowing from a BBQ gas lighter has been (Read more...)
Wearable, Non-Invasive Sensor Measures Glucose in Sweat
Scientists at Penn State University developed a wearable glucose monitor that can non-invasively measure glucose levels within sweat in real time. The low-cost sensor consists of laser-induced graphene and a nickel-gold alloy that can detect the very low levels of glucose in sweat without the use of enzymes. The sensor contains a microfluidic chamb (Read more...)
Improving Medication Compliance with Connected Pill Bottles and More: Interview with Chris O’Brien, CEO at AdhereTech
AdhereTech, a medtech company based in New York City, has developed the Aidia Smart Bottle (previously known as the Smart Pill Bottle), a connected pill bottle that helps to increase medication compliance using lights, audio alerts, and text message reminders. The bottle will remind patients to take their medication and remind them if they have [&h (Read more...)
Telemedicine to Monitor At-Risk COVID-19 Patients at Home
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed a telemedicine system for high-risk COVID-19 patients who are isolating at home. The system consists of an ear sensor that monitors a variety of physiological parameters, including heart rate, respiration, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. The project also involves c (Read more...)
Customized, Battery-Free Wearables Made to Fit Perfectly
At the University of Arizona a team of engineers have developed 3D-printed wearable devices that are custom made for each user. The personalized fit means that they do not require adhesives to stay in place. The technology can be used to monitor a variety of physiological parameters, including body temperature and muscle deformation during physical (Read more...)