Cardiology
Researchers at Boston University engineered a heart chamber on a chip that can beat by itself. The technology relies on cardiomyocytes generated from induced pluripotent stem cells and small acrylic valves that allow the fluid pumped by the chamber to come and go. A large-scale replica of the scaffold that supports the heart tissue. The chamber is supported by a thin acrylic scaffold that aims to mimic the mechanical properties of a real heart chamber, and the cardiomyocytes can compress it while beating. The researchers hope that the platform will...
Leg Sleeve for Neurological Mobility Issues: Interview with Jeremiah Robison, Cionic CEO
April 28th, 2022 by Conn Hastings
Cionic, a medtech company based in San Francisco, created the Neural Sleeve, a wearable that is designed to enhance movement for those with mobility issues. The company describes its device as a bionic garment, and it has recently been cleared by the FDA for use in those with neurological conditions that can impair mobility, such as Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis. Walking is an essential activity that many of us take for granted, but for those with mobility issues it can be a taxing process, with the potential for trips...Read More
Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan created molecular robots that can employ swarm behaviors to move and release small cargoes. The robots can be controlled using light, and they consist of biological components, including DNA, microtubules, which are a cytoskeletal component, and kinesin, which is a motor protein that interacts with microtubule filaments. The technology could have significant potential as a drug delivery mechanism, and may lead to a variety of future nanotechnological medical applications. While the technology is currently in its infancy, if the researchers can make the technique...Read More
A team at Georgia State University have developed an “electronic eye” that can provide color vision for microrobots. While the technology should be useful for medical robots, it could also make possible color perception technology for the visually impaired and could act as a component of artificial eyes. The technology relies on a stack of van der Waals semiconductors to sense red, green, and blue light. Stacking the semi-conductors allowed the researchers to decrease the size of the artificial vision system. While still in its infancy, the technology could pave...Read More
CollabCare and Hucu.ai Partner to Improve Communication for Older Adults and Families
April 25th, 2022 by Medgadget Editors
Digital health solutions have helped to democratize access for underserved individuals and communities. With both increasing maturity and adoption across generations, the ability for these technologies to address the challenges faced by older adults and aging populations continues to be an area of interest. Examples of this interest include TechStars’ recent launch of its Future of Longevity Accelerator and AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative. Within the startup ecosystem, numerous new solutions have been launched specifically targeting ‘agetech’ and aging-in-place use cases. Two of these companies, CollabCare, an Australian-based digital health company, and...Read More
Researchers at Oregon State University developed a nanoparticle system that can aid with the removal of endometrial lesions in a minimally invasive fashion. In endometriosis, endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus, causing pain and affecting fertility. Surgery to remove these lesions is often unsuccessful and repeat surgeries are often required. The research team’s nanoparticle technology can aid in minimally invasively destroying such lesions. The iron oxide nanoparticles can be delivered intravenously and are targeted to accumulate in endometrial lesions, and also handily act as an MRI contrast agent. By...Read More
Wireless Data Transfer for Implanted Devices Using Ionic Communication
April 25th, 2022 by Conn Hastings
Researchers at the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for implanted devices to communicate with the outside world that exploits the ions that are naturally present in our tissues. Ion-rich tissues store potential energy, and in this paradigm an implanted device would alter this stored energy with alternating electrical pulses. Electrodes placed on nearby skin can then measure these changes in energy and analyze them to obtain the clinical data. The method is rapid and requires low power. Implantable devices need to communicate...Read More
Scientists at Penn State developed a method to print a ‘bone’ construct during a surgical procedure. The technique is intended to allow surgeons to rapidly fill bony defects that would not easily heal by themselves, and the researchers have turbo-charged the technique by including genes that promote bone formation. Consequently, they describe the resulting printed bioconstruct as a “gene-activated matrix”. The genes include platelet derived-growth factor (PDGF-B), which stimulates nearby cells to invade and proliferate within the construct, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2), which stimulates bone formation. The technique could...Read More
Telerobotic System Uses Magnets to Perform Endovascular Procedures
April 20th, 2022 by Conn Hastings
Researchers at MIT have developed a telerobotic surgical system that allows a surgeon to remotely treat patients who are suffering a stroke or aneurysm. The system could be very useful, as achieving treatment as soon as possible after a stroke is crucial, but the endovascular surgeons who specialize in treating such patients may not be present at smaller clinics or remote hospitals. This system would allow them to provide treatment even if they are located in a different hospital. The robot uses a magnet to guide a wire through the...Read More
Researchers at the University of Reading in the UK created a rapid multiplex immunoassay for the detection of Dengue fever. The technology, which the researchers call the Cygnus system, aims to provide improved sensitivity compared with lateral flow tests and improved convenience and speed compared with conventional lab tests. As a point-of-care device, the system is operable in the field and the results can be recorded and shared using a smartphone. The device can also perform ten tests at once and can identify which of the four Dengue virus types...Read More
Made in the USA, the DNA Jazz Band Vibe joins a newer class of sports medicine-related healing therapies that include photobiomodulation. Photobiomodulation is a form of light therapy that uses specific wavelengths of red light and near-infrared light to help stimulate, heal, regenerate, and protect cells. However, this product goes beyond light therapy by including two additional proprietary modes of micro-vibration and magnetic stimulation. Think about the importance of vitamin D and the sun in our lives. Sunlight contains a broad spectrum of light, all the way from UV to...Read More
Researchers at the University of British Columbia, and collaborators, created a nasal spray that can block the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells in the nasal cavity, potentially offering protection and treatment for COVID-19. Excitingly, in lab tests, the spray appears to work against all known variants of the virus, including the Omicron variant, which shows some resistance to our existing vaccines. The spray dramatically increased survival in a mouse model of severe COVID-19, highlighting its potential as both a treatment and a prophylactic. The spray contains a drug that inhibits...Read More
Medicine
Wearable Uses Microneedles to Track Metabolism
A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego created a wearable device that uses a disposable microneedle patch to continuously sample and...
May 16th, 2022
Advanced Multi-Organ Chip for Personalized Medicine
Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science developed an advanced organ-on-a-chip system that incorporates heart, bone, liver, and...
May 11th, 2022
Wearable Sweat Sensor Warns of Impending Cytokine Storm
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas, in collaboration with a company called EnLiSense, developed a wearable electrochemical sweat sensor that can...
May 5th, 2022
Cardiology
Smart Stent Monitors Hemodynamics
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a smart stent that can monitor hemodynamic parameters. The wireless and battery-free device can...
May 18th, 2022
Heart Chamber on a Chip
Researchers at Boston University engineered a heart chamber on a chip that can beat by itself. The technology relies on cardiomyocytes generated from induced...
April 28th, 2022
Wireless Data Transfer for Implanted Devices Using Ionic Communication
Researchers at the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for implanted devices to communicate with the outside...
April 25th, 2022
Surgery
Glucose Fuel Cell to Power Medical Implants
Scientists at MIT created a glucose fuel cell that is small and powerful enough to conceivably power medical implants using the sugar present in our blood. The...
May 18th, 2022
Cryoablation for Treatment of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: Interview with Ric Cote, CEO of Channel Medsystems
Channel Medsystems, a medtech company based in California, created the Cerene cryotherapy device for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding. Heavy menstrual...
May 2nd, 2022
Wireless Implant for Anti-Cancer Photodynamic Therapy
Researchers at Texas A&M University created a wireless device that aims to illuminate and destroy residual tumor cells left after cancer resection. The device...
April 28th, 2022
Emergency Medicine
Wearable Sweat Sensor Warns of Impending Cytokine Storm
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas, in collaboration with a company called EnLiSense, developed a wearable electrochemical sweat sensor that can...
May 5th, 2022
Hemostasis on Contact: Interview with Joe Landolina, CEO of Cresilon
Cresilon, a New York-based medtech company, specializes in developing hemostatic technology. Its co-founder and CEO, Joe Landolina, created a plant-based hemostatic...
April 12th, 2022
Swoop Portable MRI: Interview with David Scott, President and CEO of Hyperfine
Hyperfine, a company based in St Guilford, Connecticut, created Swoop, a portable MRI scanner. The device received FDA approval as the first bedside MRI scanner in...
October 1st, 2021
Radiology
Smart Stent Monitors Hemodynamics
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a smart stent that can monitor hemodynamic parameters. The wireless and battery-free device can...
May 18th, 2022
Wireless Implant for Anti-Cancer Photodynamic Therapy
Researchers at Texas A&M University created a wireless device that aims to illuminate and destroy residual tumor cells left after cancer resection. The device...
April 28th, 2022
Excitable Nanoparticles Destroy Endometriosis Lesions
Researchers at Oregon State University developed a nanoparticle system that can aid with the removal of endometrial lesions in a minimally invasive fashion. In...
April 25th, 2022
Anesthesiology
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...
March 25th, 2022
Finger Clip for Blood Pressure Monitoring
At the University of Missouri a team of researchers developed a custom finger clip device that can continuously measure a variety of vitals, including blood...
January 5th, 2022
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...
April 19th, 2021
