A team at University of California San Diego invented a way to make steerable catheters that can more precisely navigate the tortuous architecture of the brain vasculature. The device was bioinspired by delicate structures found in nature, including flagella and insect legs, and uses principles from soft robotics to create a hydraulic steering syst (Read more...)
Tag: Neurosurgery
Tiny Neural Sensors for Brain Computer Interfaces
Researchers at Brown University have developed wireless micro-implants that can function as a network of neural sensors and stimulators in the brain. The research team has dubbed their creation “neurograins,” which are intended to be implanted in the brain in large numbers. When inside, they can transmit data to an external communicatio (Read more...)
Neuromodulation for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: Interview with Martha Morrell, M.D., CMO of NeuroPace
NeuroPace, a medtech company based in California, has developed the RNS system, an implantable neuromodulation device for focal drug-resistant epilepsy. The system continuously monitors brain activity and then responds appropriately to target the seizure source in the brain for personalized seizure prevention. The company reports that the stimulati (Read more...)
Wireless Light Implant for Optogenetics Without Skull Damage
Researchers at the University of Arizona have overcome a major limitation of optogenetics with their wireless and battery-free implant that can shine light through the skull. The small device, which is implanted under the skin, could provide a light source for optogenetics that doesn’t require damage to the skull or brain. While optogenetics (Read more...)
Oscillating Magnetic Field Shrinks Glioblastoma Tumor
At the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, researchers have developed a device that generates a magnetic field and used it to successfully shrink a glioblastoma tumor in a patient volunteer. The device is worn on the head each day during treatment, and uses an oscillating magnetic field to disrupt biochemical processes in cancer cells. While (Read more...)
In Silico Clinical Trial Replicates Results of Traditional Trials
Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK have conducted a virtual ‘clinical trial’, using parameters from a real patient population and in silico modeling, to investigate the use of a flow diverter device in brain aneurysms. The virtual trial successfully predicted the results of real trials in humans, suggesting that the approa (Read more...)
Highly Maneuverable Magnetically Controlled Miniature Robots
Researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have developed miniature robots that are highly maneuverable, and can rapidly move in six degrees of freedom. These tiny devices are magnetic and can be controlled using an electromagnetic coil system that precisely manipulates the direction and strength of magnetic fields. The researchers (Read more...)
Non-Invasive Deep Brain Stimulation Using Ultrasound and Genetic Modification
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique they call sonothermogenetics, which combines ultrasound and genetic modification to achieve non-invasive neural control in deep brain regions. The technique involves using viral vectors to introduce genetic material encoding for ion channels to specific neurons in the brai (Read more...)
Brain Stimulation Lets User Feel Robotic Arm
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated that providing direct sensory feedback into the brain dramatically enhanced an impaired patient’s control of a robotic arm. The arm was operated through a brain-computer interface, but the system also included brain implants in an area of the brain responsible for sensory feedback. (Read more...)
Brain-Computer Interface Translates Imagined Writing into Typed Text
Researchers in the BrainGate Collaboration (which includes researchers from Brown University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the Providence VA Medical Center, Stanford University, and Case Western Reserve University) have developed a new iteration of their brain-computer interface which allows a spinal injury patient to typ (Read more...)
Light-Responsive Hydrogel to Fill Cerebral Aneurysms
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) in Korea have developed a new technique to treat cerebral aneurysms. Described in journal Advanced Materials, the treatment involves using a catheter to deliver an alignate hydrogel that is crosslinked in place within the aneurysm using light. The hydrogel is not degradable and (Read more...)
Mantis Shrimp-Inspired Camera to Detect Tumors During Surgery
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a hexachromatic camera that can assist with tumor imaging during surgical removal. The device is inspired by the mantis shrimp which can perceive twelve colors, compared with just three colors that can be perceived by the human eye. The new camera can visualize tumors in the (Read more...)
Sugar Coated Brain Implants
Researchers at McGill University in Canada have developed a method to create and deliver brain implants that are a similar in consistency to the brain itself, which is a soft gelatinous tissue. The delicate silicone implants are created using sugar molds and delivered using a sugar needle, and their delicate consistency helps to ensure that [&helli (Read more...)
Implantable Hydrogel Helps Neurons Recover After Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often lead to cognitive disabilities and permanent neural tissue damage, for which effective therapies do not exist. The serious cognitive impairments that patients experience and the burden on caretakers can be enormous, necessitating a constant search for treatments that may help. Researchers at University of Georgi (Read more...)
Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology FDA Approved
Medtronic has won FDA approval for its Pipeline Flex Embolization Device with Shield Technology. The original Pipeline Flex was the first commercially available flow diverter for brain aneurysms. Shield Technology, a novel surface treatment that now encompasses the device, helps to reduce the tendency of the device itself to produce clots. A few da (Read more...)
Implantable Pump Delivers Chemotherapy to Brain Tumors
Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, and the Medical University of Graz, Austria have developed an electrical pump that can precisely deliver chemotherapeutic drugs into the brain. The technology is conceived as being implantable into brain tumor resection sites to deliver localized chemotherapy over extended periods. It is hoped that (Read more...)
3D Printed Microfluidic Bioreactor for Brain Organoid Culture
Researchers at MIT and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed a 3D-printed microfluidic bioreactor that can be used to culture and study brain organoids. The tiny self-organizing nodules of brain tissue are very useful in studying neurological disease and the effects of drugs. However, the bioreactors used to grow brain organoids (Read more...)
Medical Robotics and The Future of Surgery: Interview with Tracy Accardi, VP of R&D at Medtronic
Medtronic has been a key player in the minimally invasive surgery space for the last few decades, and has made great strides more recently in robotic surgery with last year’s acquisition of Digital Surgery. As a quick reference point: despite the many benefits of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), only 3% of surgeries around the world are [&hell (Read more...)
Clear Cranial Implant Allows Ultrasound Imaging of Brain: Interview with CEO of Longeviti Neuro Solutions
Longeviti Neuro Solutions, a medtech company based in Maryland, has announced that its ClearFit cranial implant has been cleared by the FDA for post-surgery ultrasound imaging. The clear implants are used for cranial reconstruction after brain surgery, and are custom-made for each patient. The company uses patient CT scans and 3D printing to produc (Read more...)
Vercise Genus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s FDA Approved
Boston Scientific has landed FDA clearance for its Vercise Genus Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System. This is the fourth generation of the company’s DBS devices, which are designed to have a longer battery life, improved targeting to reduce symptoms, and make programming and management easier. Vercise Genus devices are available in recha (Read more...)