Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a sophisticated microfluidic system that incorporates tissue from up to eight different organ systems. The technology is unprecedented in allowing researchers to study complex interactions between different organs during disease. Moreover, it also allows for more comprehensive drug testing that (Read more...)
Tag: northwestern
Sensor Monitors Transplanted Organs for Signs of Rejection
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a sensor that can monitor transplanted organs for signs of rejection. Patients who receive transplants require immunosuppressive medication to ensure that their body does not reject the transplanted tissue, but this can still happen, sometimes years after the initial transplant. Current methods (Read more...)
Wireless Patch Monitors, Paces Heart and then Biodegrades
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a cardiac monitoring device that is intended for use in patients who have suffered a cardiac event. The soft and flexible patch can be affixed to the outside of the heart during a routine procedure, but does not require a second procedure to remove the device later, as it […]
Wearable Device Senses When Vocal Fatigue Sets in
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a wearable that can detect when someone is talking or singing, and tallies this information up to provide a warning when the wearer might be at risk of vocal fatigue. Overusing your voice in a short space of time can lead to vocal fatigue and even injury. This technology […]
Soft Bioresorbable Implant Controls Pain by Cooling Nerves
A team of engineers at Northwestern University led by John Rogers, the person responsible for many advances in flexible electronics, created a drug-free implant that can control pain by cooling nerves. The soft implant is intended to be wrapped around a nerve during surgical procedures that would typically involve opioid-based analgesia afterwards. (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...)