Medical
Latest advancements in stroke thrombectomy aspiration
Penumbra has announced US commercial availability of the Penumbra System’s most advanced technology: Penumbra JET 7 and Penumbra JET D Reperfusion Catheters powered by the Penumbra ENGINE aspiration source. All are part of the fully integrated Penumbra System that utilises aspiration-based mechanical thrombectomy for stroke revascularisation.
Electronic device implanted in the brain could stop seizures
Researchers have successfully demonstrated how an electronic device implanted directly into the brain can detect, stop and even prevent epileptic seizures. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines and INSERM in France, implanted the device into the brains of mice, and when the first signals of a seizure were detected, delivered a native brain chemical which stopped the seizure ...
Nanoparticle swarms to deliver medical therapies across body
A new way to control the collective movement of nano-robots has been developed by a research team led by Prof. Li ZHANG, Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The team has studied and implemented swarm behaviors on nano-robots, allowing controlled morphological changes and splitting.
Biomarker analysis for the largest cohort study in Latin America
Nightingale Health will perform large-scale metabolic profiling of the Mexico City Prospective Study cohort by analysing the biomarker profiles of blood samples from a cohort of 150,000 study participants. Contracted by the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, Nightingale will provide novel biomarker data to accelerate research into the chronic disease risk of Hispanic populations.
Nanoparticles targets kidney disease for drug delivery
Since kidneys are the filtering agents in our body, they are keen to get rid of small particles that they sense do not belong. And if the kidney does not filter out a particle, excreting it through urine, it may be eliminated by the liver, which uses macrophages to search for and get rid of foreign bodies. Researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, along with colleagues from the Keck School of Medicine at USC, have engineered pept...
Blood-borne cancer detection receives gold-plated boost
UNSW researchers have discovered a new way to detect ultralow levels of microRNA in a blood sample which could make diagnosis of cancer and other illnesses quicker and more efficient. The research team used nanoparticles to latch on to the targeted microRNAs (miRNAs) which enabled them to be easily extracted. One of the main benefits was that it was effective even when the miRNA was in minuscule amounts in the blood sample. Previously, a muc...
Effective data management for the hospitals of tomorrow
According to a recent report compiled by four leading UK organisations, patient and pharmaceutical data has ‘the potential to significantly transform healthcare’. It makes sense therefore that the huge amount of data available to today’s healthcare providers is captured and utilised effectively.
Wireless brain implant to enable latest therapies
Small, wireless and networked describes more than the latest household gadget. At Draper, medical implants are slimming down and getting connected, too. Draper’s latest system is tiny in size, but is poised to make a big impact in treating disease through its networked abilities. A driving factor in the new implant design is the growing awareness that disease often involves complex interactions between multiple systems in the body...
Fully 3D printed prototype for ‘bionic eye’
A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, fully 3D printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface. This discovery marks a significant step toward creating a 'bionic eye' that could someday help blind people see or sighted people see better. The research is published in Advanced Materials, a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering materials science. The author also holds the patent for 3D...
Endovascular aortic repair receives approval in the US
W. L. Gore & Associates has announced FDA 510(k) clearance, approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, and receipt of CE Mark for the innovative GORE Molding & Occlusion Balloon, a compliant polyurethane balloon catheter designed in close collaboration with clinicians to assist in the expansion of self-expanding stent grafts or to temporarily occlude large-diameter vessels.