IUPUI biologists are growing ‘mini retinas’ in the lab from stem cells to mimic the growth of the human retina. The researchers hope to use the research to restore sight when critical connections between the eye and the brain are damaged. These models also allow the researchers to better understand how cells in the retina…
Surface Coatings Repel Everything But the Target
‘Shrink Ray’ Alters Size and Shape of Cellular Material
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have developed a laser-based ray device that can change the size and shape of a block of gel-like material that has human or bacterial cells growing on it, an innovation that could help scientists understand how to someday grow replacement tissues and organs for implants. “To understand,…
Nerve-on-a-Chip Platform Makes Neuroprosthetics More Effective
Neuroprosthetics – implants containing multi-contact electrodes that can substitute certain nerve functionalities – have the potential to work wonders. They may be able to restore amputees’ sense of touch, help the paralyzed walk again by stimulating their spinal cords and silence the nerve activity of people suffering from chronic pain. Stimulating nerves at the right…
Engineered Enzyme Eliminates Nicotine Addiction in Preclinical Tests
Computer Model for Designing Protein Sequences Optimized to Bind to Drug Targets
Designing synthetic proteins that can act as drugs for cancer or other diseases can be a tedious process: It generally involves creating a library of millions of proteins, then screening the library to find proteins that bind the correct target. MIT biologists have now come up with a more refined approach in which they use…
Biomaterials With ‘Frankenstein Proteins’ Help Heal Tissue
Biomedical engineers from Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis have demonstrated that, by injecting an artificial protein made from a solution of ordered and disordered segments, a solid scaffold forms in response to body heat, and in a few weeks seamlessly integrates into tissue. The ability to combine these segments into proteins with…
Researchers Develop Microscope to Track Light Energy Flow in Photosynthetic Cells
University of Michigan researchers have developed a powerful microscope that can map how light energy migrates in photosynthetic bacteria on timescales of one-quadrillionth of a second. The microscope could help researchers develop more efficient organic photovoltaic materials, a type of solar cell that could provide cheaper energy than silicon-based solar cells. In photosynthetic plants and…
Researchers Demonstrate First Example of a Bioelectronic Medicine
Researchers at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine have developed the first example of a bioelectronic medicine: an implantable, biodegradable wireless device that speeds nerve regeneration and improves the healing of a damaged nerve. The collaborators — materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern and neurosurgeons at Washington University — developed a device that…
How to Make a Lab-on-a-Chip Clear and Biocompatible
Microfluidic devices can take standard medical lab procedures and condenses each down to a microchip that can balance on top of a water bottle lid. A team from Michigan Technological University, studying chemical engineering, electrical engineering and materials science, streamline the design of microfluidic devices to be see-through to observe their inner workings. Using hair-thin…
Eye Discovery to Pave Way for More Successful Corneal Transplants
R&D Special Focus: Healthcare Tech
Taking Biotechnology to the Next Level With Automation
Technology and Therapy Help Individuals With Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries Take Steps
Of four research participants living with traumatic, motor complete spinal cord injury, two are able to walk over ground with epidural stimulation following epidural stimulation paired with daily locomotor training. In addition, all four participants achieved independent standing and trunk stability when using the stimulation and maintaining their mental focus. The study was conducted at…
Biotech Device Could Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Without the Side Effects
A tiny, electronic device could provide relief to those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who want to forego traditional treatment options that are often expensive and can lead to debilitating side effects. SetPoint Medical, a California-based clinical-stage biomedical technology company, is currently conducting a pilot trial using their new microregulator, an implanted device the size…
Aspect Biosystems and JSR Enter Liver Tissue Collaboration
Aspect Biosystems, a privately held biotechnology company focused on commercializing cutting-edge bioprinting technologies, will collaborate with JSR Corporation, a materials supplier in a variety of technology driven markets, to develop human liver tissue. Through this collaboration, Aspect’s proprietary Lab-on-a-Printer 3D bioprinting platform and JSR’s advanced materials technology will be used to develop vascularized human liver lobules. “Joining forces…
NUS Researchers Invent New Test Kit for Quick, Accurate and Low-Cost Screening of Diseases
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a portable, easy-to-use device for quick and accurate screening of diseases. This versatile technology platform called enVision (enzyme-assisted nanocomplexes for visual identification of nucleic acids) can be designed to detect a wide range of diseases – from emerging infectious diseases (e.g.…
Electron Microscopy Provides New View of Tiny Virus With Therapeutic Potential
The imaging method called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) allows researchers to visualize the shapes of biological molecules with an unprecedented level of detail. Now, a team led by researchers from the Salk Institute and the University of Florida is reporting how they used cryo-EM to show the structure of a version of a virus called an…
Smart Bandage Monitors Wound Healing, Delivers Drugs
Researchers are working on a “smart” bandage that will actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds and deliver drug treatments to improve healing. The new prototype bioelectronics bandage, created by researchers at Tufts University, features integrated pH and temperatures sensors that electronically trigger drug release when it senses that wounds are not healing properly. Sameer…
‘Safe’ UV Light May Prevent Infections in Catheters, Cardiac Drivelines
A specific wavelength of ultraviolet light, now delivered through light-diffusing optical fibers, is highly effective at killing drug-resistant bacteria in cell cultures, according to a new study led by David J. Brenner, PhD, a professor of radiation biophysics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The technology is designed to prevent infections around…
Depressed Patients See Quality of Life Improve With Nerve Stimulation
Biosensor Allows Real-Time Oxygen Monitoring for ‘Organs-On-A-Chip’
A new biosensor allows researchers to track oxygen levels in real time in “organ-on-a-chip” systems, making it possible to ensure that such systems more closely mimic the function of real organs. This is essential if organs-on-a-chip hope to achieve their potential in applications such as drug and toxicity testing. The organ-on-a-chip concept has garnered significant…
A GPS For Inside Your Body
Artificial Placenta Created in the Laboratory
The placenta has an essential and highly complex task: it must ensure the exchange of important substances between the mother and her unborn child, whilst simultaneously blocking other substances from passing through. Until now, it has not been fully understood what the permeability of the placenta depends on – after all, it is incredibly difficult…
New Bioelectronics Mesh Could Monitor Electrical Activity of the Heart
A new, soft and stretchable bioelectronics mesh is able to record the electrical activity of human heart and muscles, a discovery that could be implemented for pain relief, rehabilitation and prosthetic motor control. Researchers from the Center for Nanoparticle Research, within the Institute for Basic Science, have created the wearable, implantable device that measures electrophysiological…