Philips is releasing a computer tablet designed to provide easy access to patient information in various emergency environments without a difficult implementation. The Medical Tablet, as it is called, can connect wired or wirelessly to hospital systems, whether the tablet itself is there or not. Thanks to integration with Philips IntelliVue XDS sof (Read more...)
Tag: Public Health
Synthetic Antibody Prevents COVID Virus Replication
Although a few types of COVID-19 vaccines have begun to be distributed around the world, a unique technology, developed at University of California, San Francisco, may offer an even more direct way to prevent the coronavirus from multiplying within the body. The UCSF team created a synthetic antibody that prevents SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes (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...)
Face Mask Sensor to Detect COVID-19
Our breath holds a multitude of biomarkers, including potentially those indicating the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Those infected with the virus are prone to exhale proteases, enzymes that speed up the breakdown of proteins, related to the new virus. This has led researchers at University of California, San Diego to (Read more...)
Cooling Vest Helps COVID Clinicians with Heat Stress
Researchers from the Radboud University Medical Center in The Netherlands have trialed cooling vests, originally designed for elite athletes, in nursing staff who have to put in long shifts in COVID-19 wards wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). While essential, the protective equipment can lead to significant discomfort in the form of (Read more...)
10 Second COVID Antibody Test on a Chip
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a microfluidic chip that can provide rapid COVID-19 antibody tests. The electrochemical test can detect very low concentrations of antibodies in blood samples, and transmits the results to a smartphone. The test could help to measure patient responses to vaccines and determine if they have be (Read more...)
BIOMONITOR IIIm Injectable Cardiac Monitor Can Now Look for Signs of Fever
BIOTRONIK won FDA clearance for the Vital Data Sensor, a body temperature component within the BIOMONITOR IIIm injectable cardiac monitor (ICM). The ICM is designed to help cardiologists detect and diagnose cardiac arrhythmias remotely, but thanks to the Vital Data Sensor the implant now has an additional role in monitoring for signs of fever. This (Read more...)
Smart Ring Monitors Body Temperature, May Spot COVID Fever Early
A team of researchers, including those at the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, San Diego, has tested the potential of a smart ring, that can collect health data, including temperature and heart rate, to detect fever associated with COVID-19. In a proof-of-concept study, the researchers showed that the ring, deve (Read more...)
Saliva COVID Test Uses Smartphone for Results in 15 Minutes
Scientists at Tulane University have reported a new COVID-19 saliva test that uses a smartphone to provide results in as little as 15 minutes. Similar to technology from UC Berkeley that we reported on last week, the new test uses CRISPR technology and does not involve polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that, though accurate, is slow […]
Paper Test for Quick Diagnosis of COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a paper-based electrochemical diagnostic test for COVID-19 that can provide a result in just five minutes. The inexpensive test relies on the conductive properties of graphene and gold, and contains gold nanoparticles covered in sensitive nucleic acid probes that can bind to RNA from the SARS (Read more...)
CRISPR Test Uses Cell Phone Camera to Detect SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 that uses an enzyme to cleave viral RNA, initiating a fluorescent signal that can be detected using a smartphone camera, and which can provide a quantitative measurement of the level of viral particles in the sample. The test produce a result in as little […]
Rapid PCR Chip for Infectious Disease Diagnostics
Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a tiny lab-on-a-chip that can perform PCR diagnostics in just a few minutes. Usually requiring bulky and expensive lab equipment, PCR is a gold standard diagnostic test for a variety of infectious pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. The new testing device is 1 cm in [& (Read more...)
Paper-Based Device Rapidly Detects Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Binghamton University have developed a device that can rapidly detect certain types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The device uses paper as a substrate, and allows a user to rapidly test the effects of specific antibiotics on patient bacterial samples. It measures the effects of antibiotics on the electron transfer bacteria, provi (Read more...)
Rapid Identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: Interview with Jong Lee, CEO at Day Zero Diagnostics
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern, with some predictions suggesting that routine surgery could be unacceptably risky in a future where many antibiotics have become obsolete. Part of the problem lies in the time it takes clinicians to diagnose an antibiotic-resistant infection. Current techniques involve lab technicians culturing a bacteria (Read more...)
Elastomeric Respirator Mask Senses Fit and Filter Saturation
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a new respirator, conceived as an improvement on standard N95 masks. The transparent respirator contains sensors that allow users to know if the mask is fitting snugly and alerts them when the filters need to be replaced. The mask, called the t (Read more...)
Inhalable Nanobody Therapy Deactivates SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a new antibody-type therapy for SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus for COVID-19. The treatment exploits “nanobodies” – tiny antibody fragments – that are harvested from llama blood. The new nanobody therapy can be used in an inhalable form that may deactivate the virus (Read more...)
Microneedle Bandage Detects Malaria in Minutes
Researchers at Rice University have developed a microneedle patch that can rapidly detect the presence of malaria in interstitial fluid. Users can apply the patch to their skin, as you would a bandage, and then obtain a result in as little as 20 minutes. The technology is low-cost and requires no expertise to utilize. Malaria […]
Ultrasound Device to Rapidly Diagnose Sickle Cell Disease
Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a new rapid test for sickle cell disease. Their tiny device is less than the size of a quarter, and can provide a result in as little as one minute. The technology uses ultrasound to heat a protein sample and then measures how it dissolves over time […]
Sensor Rapidly Detects SARS-CoV-2, Antibodies, and Inflammatory Markers
Researchers at Caltech have developed a low-cost multiplex test that can rapidly provide three different types of data on COVID-19. The test can detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, antibodies against the virus (potentially indicating a level of immunity), and inflammatory markers that could indicate the severity of COVID-19. Using blood or saliva, t (Read more...)
Sensor Rapidly Detects SARS-CoV-2, Antibodies, and Inflammatory Markers
Researchers at Caltech have developed a low-cost multiplex test that can rapidly provide three different types of data on COVID-19. The test can detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2, antibodies against the virus (potentially indicating a level of immunity), and inflammatory markers that could indicate the severity of COVID-19. Using blood or saliva, t (Read more...)