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 hope that their technology could pave […]
Tag: surgery
Reverse 3D Printing to Make Tiny Medical Implants
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a new 3D printing technique that allows them to create incredibly small and complex biomedical implants. The approach involves printing glue molds that can then be filled with biomaterial filler. Once the mold is dissolved away, the biomaterial structure remains. Excitingly, the technique uses standard 3D printers, […]
Tiny Implantable Ultrasound Chip for Physiological Monitoring
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a microscopic implantable chip for physiological monitoring. It has a total volume of less than 0.1 mm3. To put that in perspective, the chip is as small as a dust mite, and can only be viewed using a microscope. The goal of this research was to create devices that […]
Hydrogel Wound Treatment Kills Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed an antibacterial hydrogel that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The material is conceived as a wound dressing, and is composed of antimicrobial peptides which are naturally produced by the immune system. The gel binds the peptides together and protects them, yet allows them to still kill […]
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 […]
New Bioprinting Technique to Make Artificial Cartilage Implants
Researchers at the University of Alberta have developed a method to 3D print cartilage-like materials consisting of a collagen hydrogel containing human chondrocytes. The printed structures mimic human nasal cartilage in terms of its mechanical, molecular and histological characteristics. The researchers hope the technology could lead to personalized cartilage implants for skin cancer patients who […]
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 obtaining high quality samples […]
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 obtaining high quality samples […]
Wireless Sensor Measures Deep Tissue Oxygen Levels
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed an ultrasound-powered implantable sensor that can measure oxygen levels in tissues deep within the body and transmit these data to an external device. The technology could be useful in monitoring transplant viability or oxygen exposure in preterm infants. It also has potential to be adapted to […]
Heart Patch Helps Grow New Vessels Post Myocardial Infarct
Researchers at the Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) in South Korea have developed a hydrogel patch system that allows for sophisticated sequential release of growth factors that stimulate angiogenesis. The sequential cascade of growth factors mimics the natural process in the body and the researchers hope that the technology could provide regenerative efficacy […]
Rapid Compression Device to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis
Researchers at Penn Medicine have developed a wearable sleeve that provides rapid pulsatile compression, and aims to mimic the compression our calf muscles experience during walking. The technology, being commercialized by Osciflex, a spin out from Penn Medicine, is intended to prevent deep vein thrombosis in patients who are bed-bound for long periods of time. […]
Tendon-Inspired Sutures Protect Fragile Tissues
Researchers at McGill University in Canada have developed bioinspired sutures that mimic the structure of human tendons. The gel-covered sutures are slippery and tough, reducing the damage caused by conventional sutures when used on soft tissues. Interestingly, the gel surface of the sutures may allow for advanced applications such as drug delivery, infection prevention, or […]
Mussel Protein Bioglue to Seal Fistulas Inside Body
Researchers at Pohang University of Science & Technology in Korea have developed a bioglue, containing a mussel adhesive protein and hyaluronic acid, that can seal fistulas within the body. It works even on fistulas present in particularly challenging areas, such as the wall of the bladder. The researchers delivered the glue using a thin syringe, […]
Polymer Technologies for Tissue Repair: Interview with Christophe Bancel, TISSIUM CEO
TISSIUM, a Paris-based medtech firm, has been named a French Tech 120 company for the 2021 program. TISSIUM, previously called Gecko Biomedical, is developing a suite of polymer technologies and associated delivery devices for tissue repair applications. French Tech 120 is a French government driven program designed to support a total of 120 late-stage startups […]
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 […]
Rapid 3D Printing of Materials with Livings Cells for Organ Replacement
Researchers at University at Buffalo in New York have developed a new technique that allows them to rapidly 3D print hydrogel materials containing viable cells. The researchers hope that their method will pave the way for 3D organ printing in the future. Current limitations include the slow pace of 3D printing, leading to poor viability […]
Surgical Robot with Humanoid Arms for Transvaginal Hysterectomies
Memic, a company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won FDA authorization to introduce the first of its kind robotic surgical system that utilizes humanoid-shaped arms to achieve impressive reach and procedural safety. The FDA’s De Novo marketing authorization, which is given out for technologies that don’t have a prior analogue, […]
Microfluidics and AI Microscopy for Hemoglobin Measurements
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science and SigTuple Technologies, a company based in Bengaluru, India, have developed a method to inexpensively measure hemoglobin levels in small-volume blood samples. The technique combines a microfluidic chip and an AI-powered microscope. The researchers hope that the technology will help streamline hemoglobin measurements and make things easier for […]
Placental Allografts for Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Interview with Tim Wright, CEO of MiMedx
MiMedx, a medtech company based in Georgia, has developed EpiFix, an off-the-shelf allograft system for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The grafts are made using donated human placental tissues that are obtained from consenting mothers during caesarean section procedures. The tissues then undergo a proprietary processing procedure to clean them and eventually produce a […]
SENSEI Robotic Gamma Probe Cancer Detector Cleared in Europe
Lightpoint Medical, a company based near London, England, has won the EU CE Mark for its SENSEI robotic gamma probe. The device is the first of its kind, allowing physicians to insert it through a cavity or a standard laparoscopic port and look for lymph nodes and lymphatic system metastasis, when paired with an injectable […]