Scientists from TU Wien in Austria and Keio University in Japan have developed a scalable method to create artificial blood vessels in microfluidic chips. The researchers say that the advance could improve how researchers model organ behavior and test new drugs by enabling perfusable vascular networks that mimic real human tissue. Organs-on-a-chip have gained traction…
Researchers use tiny crystals to deliver long-lasting drugs
Engineers at MIT say that, by injecting certain drugs as a suspension of tiny crystals, they can deliver them in higher doses with less pain. The approach could help deliver long-lasting contraceptives or other drugs that require delivery for extended periods of time. Because the drugs disperse in a suspension before injection, they can be…
This week in research: A space launch, breathing eyes, glaciers melting, and more
Could a new telescope unearth cosmic recipes for life? Can a cell patch rescue fading eyesight? And what’s with bubbles “galloping” in a lab? This week’s research roundup probes the surprising frontiers of astronomy, medicine, archaeology, and more — raising as many questions as it answers. Read on for highlights that challenge familiar assumptions and…
Mayo Clinic has more AI partnerships, including with Microsoft
Mayo Clinic recently announced separate collaborations with Microsoft Research and Cerebras Systems related to generative artificial intelligence. The goal of the partnerships is to use generative AI to personalize patient care better, significantly accelerate diagnostic time and improve accuracy, Mayo Clinic said in its Jan. 14 news release. The Rochester, Minnesota–based health provider — consistently…
Paralyzed man flies virtual drone with thought-controlled finger movements
In a demonstration of “mind over matter,” a 69-year-old man with C4 AIS C spinal cord injury — whose remaining movement was largely restricted to low-amplitude muscle twitching — has piloted a virtual quadcopter merely by thinking about moving his paralyzed fingers. This achievement stems from an intracortical brain-computer interface (iBCI) primarily developed and tested…
AI tools excel at medical board exams but stumble in real-world conversations, new study finds
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, have received acclaim for their potential to reduce clinician workloads. These tools can collect patient histories, triage cases, and even offer preliminary diagnoses. Referred to as large language models, these technologies are already employed by patients who depend on them to interpret symptoms and comprehend medical test results.…
Who is Acquandas? Its thin film manufacturing goes beyond Synchron
Acquandas is a thin-film device manufacturer that’s now partially owned by brain-computer interface developer Synchron. Rodrigo Lima de Miranda founded Acquandas in 2012 based on microsystem technology he developed for his doctoral thesis, where he was trying to develop a shape memory material made with thin-film deposition. The Kiel, Germany-based contract manufacturer now uses the…
Cerenovus President Mark Dickinson on the future of stroke care
Cerenovus President Mark Dickinson forecasts the innovative technologies that will advance stroke care in the coming years. It’s getting harder to beat aspiration systems for fast and simple thrombectomies to remove blood clots that are blocking oxygen from a stroke patient’s brain. That’s according to Cerenovus Worldwide President Mark Dickinson, who discussed the future of…
MIT researchers use 3D printing to produce self-heating microfluidic devices
Researchers at MIT used 3D printing to create self-heating microfluidic devices, highlighting the potential for this technique in future applications. Microfluidics have uses in detecting diseases within tiny samples of blood or fluids, like in COVID-19 test kits. The team at MIT believes the technique could someday help rapidly create cheap but accurate disease detection…
Medtronic execs: renal denervation for AFib could be on the horizon
Medtronic renal denervation leaders Jason Weidman and Sean Salmon discuss RDN’s potential to help patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). As if treating an epidemic-level condition like hypertension wasn’t enough, renal denervation (RDN) also shows potential for atrial fibrillation (AFib) and other conditions related to high blood pressure. In interviews with Medical Design & Outsourcing, Medtronic…
Brain-computer interface gives patient with ALS control of home devices
Researchers say they observed the successful translation of brain signals into computer commands with a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant. A team at Johns Hopkins surgically implanted the BCI on the brain of an ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patient. They published their results, which showed the accurate translation of computer commands from brain activity, in Advanced Science.…
Researchers develop therapy for implant metal poisoning
Researchers say they found a way to protect people from heavy metal poisoning as a result of toxicity from cobalt implants. Cobalt was widely used for hip and knee joint replacements due to strength and durability, but this led to cases of heavy metal poisoning. Toxicity can arise from cobalt and other metals if they…
What Medtronic learned on its long road to RDN approval
It took Medtronic nearly 13 years to win FDA approval for renal denervation (RDN) since buying Ardian and its hypertension-treating technology. Jason Weidman, the Medtronic SVP who is also president of coronary and RDN, has a more personal measure of the long road to approval for the world’s largest medical device manufacturer. “The first meeting…
Researchers develop first wearable for continuous monitoring of body sounds
Northwestern University researchers have developed wearable devices for continuously monitoring the sounds made by a patient’s body, such as breathing, heartbeats and digestion. The soft devices stick to a patient’s skin and use two high-performance, digital microphones to listen to sounds inside and outside the body. One of the microphones faces inside the patient, while…
Donaldson opens new life sciences technical center
NEWS RELEASE: Donaldson Company Invests in New Life Sciences Technical Center Research Triangle Park, a North Carolina technology and biotech hub, is Donaldson’s choice for the latest expansion of its life sciences footprint MINNEAPOLIS — Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), a leading worldwide provider of innovative filtration products and solutions, announced its commitment to broadening…
Shunt device startup wants to break barriers in nitinol and heart sensing
Medical devices have yet to tap nitinol’s shape memory properties, but that’s just one breakthrough Adona Medical hopes to achieve with its adjustable, bi-atrial-sensing heart shunt. Adona Medical co-founder and CEO Brian Fahey’s presentation on his shunt device startup’s aspirations elicited palpable interest from the cardiologists in the room at CSI Frankfurt. “You plan to…
3D-printed COVID-19 breath test takes two breaths and one minute
A 3D-printed COVID-19 breath test delivers results within 60 seconds from just one or two breaths, according to Washington University in St. Louis researchers. It’s the same team that recently developed an air monitor that can detect the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus in the air within minutes. Researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the…
Robotic hand uses low-cost touch sensors instead of vision
Engineers at the University of California San Diego developed a new approach allowing a robotic hand to rotate objects solely through touch. The UCSD method enables a robotic hand to do so without relying on vision. Using their technique, the engineers built a hand that can smoothly rotate a range of objects, including small toys…
Radiated, ‘humanized’ mice offer insights into implant rejection
Researchers at Johns Hopkins say they discovered an advanced “humanized” mouse model that helps predict the immune system’s reaction to medical implants. The team set out to evaluate why human bodies frequently reject implanted biomaterials, Few ways currently exist to predict this or to prevent it from happening, the researchers said. Joshua Doloff led the…
Why hearing aids might slow cognitive decline in older adults
Results from a clinical trial indicated that hearing aids may play a part in reducing long-term cognitive decline for older adults. According to the University of South Florida, it was the largest randomized, controlled clinical trial testing the efficacy of hearing aids for reducing long-term cognitive decline in older adults. ACHIEVE evaluated patients between ages…
Four-armed surgical robotics system taps a surgeon’s feet for controls
By Brianna Wessling at The Robot Report Researchers at EPFL, a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, have developed a four-armed surgical robotics system that allows surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgeries by controlling two of the robotic arms using haptic foot interfaces. The results were published in The International Journal of Robotics Research. The research was…
Researchers say this polymer can mimic human muscle in medical devices and robotics
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University said they developed a new ferroelectric polymer that could convert electrical energy into mechanical strain. Such a polymer could offer potential for applications in medical devices, advanced robotics and precision positioning systems. The team says that mechanical strain represents an important property for an actuator. Traditionally, these actuator materials were…
MIT engineers say they can control signals from the brain to the gut
Engineers at MIT say they developed a new technology that can control neural circuits connecting the gut and the brain. Using fibers embedded with sensors, plus light sources for optogenetic stimulation, the researchers demonstrated this control in mice. The study showed that they could induce feelings of fullness or reward-seeking behavior by manipulating cells of…
These magnetically controlled video capsules could provide an endoscopy alternative
Researchers at George Washington University recently tested a method for remotely driving a miniature video capsule into problem areas of the stomach. Medical technology company AnX Robotica created the capsule endoscopy system used in the study, called NaviCam. The company also funded the research. Physicians can direct the capsule to potential problem areas to visualize…
80-cent device prototype uses smartphone to monitor blood pressure
University of California San Diego engineers have prototyped an inexpensive device that clips onto a smartphone to monitor a user’s blood pressure. The 3D-printed device uses the smartphone’s camera and flash paired with an algorithm on an app to take systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. “We’ve created an inexpensive solution to lower the barrier…