Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science developed an advanced organ-on-a-chip system that incorporates heart, bone, liver, and skin tissue in independent niches that are linked with simulated vascular flows. The system even includes immune cells that circulate within the simulated vasculature. The technology rep (Read more...)
Tag: Pathology
3D Microscope Quickly Reveals Features in Living Tissues
A team at Columbia University created a 3D microscope that can be used to image living tissues. The technology can help clinicians identify features in tissues without the need for histology or biopsies, and could be invaluable during surgical procedures. One application involves a surgeon using the scope to identify the boundaries of a tumor [&hel (Read more...)
Magnetic Tentacle Robot Travels Deep into Lungs
Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK have created a magnetic “tentacle robot” that is just 2 mm in diameter, which they hope will be able to navigate through some of the smallest airways in our lungs. At present, a bronchoscope is used to investigate the lungs, but this cannot pass into very […]
Lymphoid Follicle Chip Models Complex Immune Responses
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute have created a microfluidic chip that contains lymphoid follicle-like structures, allowing them to model complex immune responses to various pathogens and vaccines. The breakthrough could let scientists to more comprehensively probe the complex workings of the immune system. Lymphoid follicles are found in (Read more...)
Automatic Blood Smear Preparation for Reliable Malaria Diagnosis
Researchers at Cambridge and Bath universities in the UK, along with colleagues at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, have created two devices, called autohaem, that assist in creating blood smears, a common technique for diagnosing malaria. A blood smear involves manually smudging a drop of blood across a microscope slide to allow observati (Read more...)
Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disor (Read more...)
Optical Biopsy to Spot Tumors Among Healthy Tissue
Researchers at Orel State University in Russia have developed a biopsy system that can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue in many clinical cases. The device is designed to address the difficulties that clinicians may experience when trying to obtain a biopsy of a liver tumor, where it can be difficult to know if the […]
Pop-Up Sensors Measure Electronic Signals in Cardiac Cells
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed a tiny ‘pop-up’ sensor that can measure the electronic signals propagating inside cardiac cells. The technology consists of tiny spike-like protrusions that can penetrate cell membranes without causing damage, and which can detect electrical signals within individual cells (Read more...)
Soft X-Ray Tomography for Quick 3D Imaging of Cell Organelles
Researchers at Heidelberg University in Germany used an imaging technique called soft X-ray tomography to obtain highly detailed 3D images of the interior of cells, including changes that occur when the cell is infected with SARS-CoV-2. The approach can provide a high-resolution 3D image in minutes, which is much faster than other microscopy techni (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...)
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...)
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...)
3D Microscopy of Whole Organs with Micrometer Detail
A team of scientists at Umeå University in Sweden came up with a way to create complex 3D maps of whole organs in incredible detail. The approach involves embedding a whole organ in agarose, a stiff gel matrix, and then using this support matrix to section the tissue into cm3 chunks. These chunks are the […]
Optical Fiber Imaging for Next-Generation Endoscopes
Researchers at the University of Exeter in England have developed a technique to image tissues through an ultrathin optical fiber, potentially allowing for high-resolution imaging of single cells within the body. The optical fibers are as thin as a human hair, and could lead to tiny endoscopes that can be inserted into human tissues to […]
Electrochemical Device Detects SARS‑CoV‑2 Spike Protein in 1 Second
Researchers at the University of Florida and the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan have developed a microfluidic device that can detect the SARS‑CoV‑2 spike protein in a saliva sample within one second. The electrochemical device employs antibodies against the spike protein to detect the virus, and could allow for ultra-rapid COV (Read more...)
Phonon Probe to Image Tissues Ultrasonically at Nanoscale
Visual signs of disease can often be spotted within affected tissues, and advances in histopathology have provided clinicians with powerful diagnostic tools to spot those signs. Microscopes are the cornerstone of this trade, and although they have proven to be extremely useful, they do suffer from some limitations. They are effectively 2D imaging d (Read more...)
Ultrasonic Biopsy Needle for Larger Tissue Samples
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed an ultrasonically actuated needle that can retrieve a large amount of tissue during a biopsy, without the pain and complications associated with using bigger needles. The technique could be very useful when clinicians need to obtain tissue samples for molecular tumor diagnostics, since obtai (Read more...)
Ultrasonic Biopsy Needle for Larger Tissue Samples
Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed an ultrasonically actuated needle that can retrieve a large amount of tissue during a biopsy, without the pain and complications associated with using bigger needles. The technique could be very useful when clinicians need to obtain tissue samples for molecular tumor diagnostics, since obtai (Read more...)
Microneedle Patch with Fluorescent Nanolabels Detects Antibodies in Skin
Researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis have developed a microneedle patch that can help to detect small amounts of antibodies in interstitial fluid. The painless technology could provide an alternative to blood draws for antibody tests, such as those used in the COVID-19 response. The new technology overcomes a bottleneck with many m (Read more...)
Siemens epoc NXS Host Mobile Computer Cleared to Help Point of Care Blood Testing
Siemens Healthineers won both EU and US regulatory approval to introduce its epoc NXS Host mobile computer for the epoc Blood Analysis System. The Android smartphone provides an app-based intuitive interface that replaces the older interface that had over two dozen physical buttons and a relatively low resolution screen. The accompanying app is des (Read more...)