Medical
Radiotracer makes diagnosing prostate cancer easier
Researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a new radiotracer to diagnose prostate cancer and conducted a successful Phase I clinical trial. Phase I trials are typically conducted with a small group of people in order to establish safety and identify any possible side effects. Prostate cancer is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide and is especially difficult to diagnose.
Automated pathology system aids cancer immunotherapies research
PerkinElmer is releasing a new automated quantitative pathology system, the Vectra Polaris. It was developed to help study how cancer immunotherapies are affecting their targets and nearby tissues. The machine is able to detect multiple immunohistochemical stains simultaneously thanks to multispectral imaging using seven colors, allowing for more complicated studies that identify interesting correlations.
Therapy for burns heals with patients’ own stem cells
RenovaCare, a company based in New York City, is seeking FDA approval for the SkinGun, a device to treat burns using a patient’s own stem cells. Significant portions of skin can be destroyed in burn injuries, meaning that regenerative therapy is required to restore or replace the injured tissue. Current treatments for burns involve skin grafting, where healthy skin is removed from the patient and then cultured in a laboratory, sometimes for...
Personalisable and energy efficient CRTs
BIOTRONIK is releasing a new line of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) implants, the Ilivia series, that are designed to improve patient response to the therapy and make it customisable for individual needs. The devices are compatible under MRI and feature the company’s MRI AutoDetect capability that automatically switches the devices to a special safe mode during an MRI scan.
Can a combination of treatments help eradicate HIV?
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has received a $2.5 million grant from Gilead Sciences, a California-based biopharmaceutical company, to see if two so-far separately-used AIDS treatments are even more effective when used as a pair.
Breath monitor device is capable of detecting flu
Perena Gouma, a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlington, has published an article in the journal Sensors that describes her invention of a hand-held breath monitor that can potentially detect the flu virus. The article explains in-depth how the single-exhale sensing device works and the research involved in its creation, which was funded by the National Science Foundation through ...
Brain-computer interface allows locked-in people to communicate
A brain-computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionise the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a paper publishing in PLOS Biology. Counter to expectations, the participants in the study reported being "happy", despite their extreme condition. The research was conducted by a multinational team, led by Professor Niels Birbaumer, at the Wyss Center for ...
Acoustofluidic chip helps detect disease
Scientists at Duke University have developed a way of concentrating nanoparticles inside a small device using only sound waves. This achievement may help introduce portable diagnostics that rely on attaching nanoparticles to biomarkers such as proteins and measuring how many find their targets. Nanoparticles tagged with fluorescent markers to make them easier to see are concentrated in a column by a new acoustic whirlpool device.
Cell counting system aids diagnosis of meningitis
French researchers from Grenoble Alpes University and Aix-Marseille University have developed an automated lens-free microscopy technique for counting and telling apart red and white blood cells within cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid, gathered through a spinal tap, should be clear and have few, if any, blood cells within it. Patients with meningitis, due to inflammation and disruption of the membranes enveloping the brain, have white blo...
Artificial skin can sense temperature changes
A team of engineers and scientists at Caltech and ETH Zurich have developed an artificial skin capable of detecting temperature changes using a mechanism similar to the one used by the organ that allows pit vipers to sense their prey. The material could be grafted onto prosthetic limbs to restore temperature sensing in amputees. It could also be applied to first-aid bandages to alert health professionals of a temperature increase—...