Medical
Biomedical 'skin-like bandage' is durable and long lasting
A skin-like biomedical technology that uses a mesh of conducting nanowires and a thin layer of elastic polymer might bring electronic bandages that monitor biosignals for medical applications and provide therapeutic stimulation through the skin. The biomedical device mimics the human skin's elastic properties and sensory capabilities.
3D video with intelligent software monitors sleep disorders
The usual method of recording periodic leg movements in sleep for people with sleep disorders is to use electromyography (EMG), an electrophysiological method used in neurological diagnosis that measures muscle activity. However, the cables that this method requires can interfere with the patient's sleep and electrodes can become detached, thereby compromising the quality of the data.
Tiny electronic device monitors heart and recognises speech
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and Northwestern University have developed a tiny, soft and wearable acoustic sensor that measures vibrations in the human body, allowing them to monitor human heart health and recognise spoken words.
Material inhibits bacteria without penicillin
The mesoporous material Upsalite is shown to inhibit growth of bacteria associated with acne and hospital acquired infections. In a study published in ACS Omega, researchers at Uppsala University have shown that the mesoporous magnesium carbonate Upsalite exerts strong bacteriostatic effect on Staphylococcus epidermidis. Staphylococcus epidermidisis an opportunistic bacterium that that has received the most attention for causing hospita...
Smart insulin-pen cap enables dosage data tracking
MIT spinout Common Sensing aims to solve the nation’s diabetes-management issues by going digital. The startup’s smart insulin-pen cap logs insulin intake data on an app and in the cloud, to help patients better manage their regimen. Moreover, the cap gives doctors a detailed view into patients’ insulin habits and how they affect blood-glucose levels, for more targeted care. Invented by co-founders James White ’10, SM...
Capsule achieves long-term drug delivery
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a drug capsule that remains in the stomach for up to two weeks after being swallowed, gradually releasing its drug payload. This type of drug delivery could replace inconvenient regimens that require repeated doses, which would help to overcome one of the major obstacles to treating and potentially eliminating diseases such as malaria.
Light ventilator offers patients greater mobility
By reducing the weight of its life-saving ventilators, EOVE has improved the market, with the help and contribution from ASCO. EOVE designs, manufactures, and markets medical and surgical devices used during home care. Launched in 2015, the EO-150 weighs just 1.8kg, which the manufacturer claims is the lightest ventilator on the market and allows patients greater mobility.
Protein array can pinpoint cancer biomarker
A Purdue University biochemist has developed a novel method for detecting certain types of proteins that serve as indicators for cancer and other diseases. Glycoproteins are formed when sugars attach to and modify a protein. In some cases, a combination of glycoproteins present in a sample of blood or urine could be an indicator of disease or cancer. But those glycoproteins can be elusive.
Device lets women do part of breast reconstruction at home
This might be the ultimate do-it-yourself project: Doctors are testing a device that would let women do part of their own breast reconstruction at home. It's aimed at not only making treatment more comfortable and convenient, but also giving women a sense of control—something cancer often takes away. More than 100,000 women each year in the United States have surgery to remove a cancerous breast, and many of them choose reconstruc...
Project investigates tissue-engineered arteries for transplant
The prospect of creating artery “banks” available for cardiovascular surgery, bypassing the need to harvest vessels from the patient, could transform treatment of many common heart and vascular ailments. But it’s a big leap from concept to reality. The Morgridge Institute for Research and the University of Wisconsin–Madison will address both the engineering and biomedical hurdles in this process through a five ye...