Surface Coating Rapidly Kills Pathogens, Lasts Months
A team at the University of Michigan has developed a coating for frequently touched surfaces that can rapidly kill a wide array of pathogens, including MRSA and SARS-CoV-2. The technology incorporates polyurethane that contains crosslinked compounds.....»»
Pneumatic Assistive Device for People with Disabilities
Researchers at Rice University have developed a pneumatic assistive device for people with disabilities. The technology includes an air pump that is mounted in the wearer’s shoe, providing pneumatic power with each step. This power is stored in a w.....»»
Microparticle Vaccine Provides Boosters Automatically
Researchers at MIT have created a microparticle vaccine that can provide booster doses automatically. The hollow microparticles resemble a coffee cup with a lid, and are made using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), otherwise known as PLGA. The polymer b.....»»
Brain-Computer Interfaces at Home: Interview with Dr. Solzbacher of Blackrock Neurotech
Blackrock Neurotech, a medtech company based in Salt Lake City, has pioneered an array of brain-computer interface technologies. Medgadget last spoke with Blackrock Neurotech a year ago about their thought-to-text brain computer interface, but since.....»»
Optical Tweezers Turn Neutrophils into Microrobots
The possibility of using our own cells to perform medical tasks within the body is tantalizing, as it would avoid the immune responses that can occur with synthetic objects. Researchers at Jinan University in China have now developed a method to cont.....»»
Biosynthetic Trilayered Ventricle Pumps Blood
Biomedical engineers at the University of Toronto have developed a method to create a small-scale biosynthetic left ventricle that can pump blood within a bioreactor. While the construct is too small to act as replacement for a human heart, it could.....»»
Dissociating Tissue into Single Cells Using Electric Fields
A team of scientists at Brown University has developed a technique that allows them to rapidly dissociate a tissue sample into individual cells. The approach involves placing a tissue sample, such as a tumor biopsy, between two electrodes. Electric f.....»»
Nanoparticle Vaccine for Many SARS-Like Coronaviruses
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology, better known as Caltech, have developed a nanoparticle vaccine that appears to confer broad protection against SARS-like betacoronaviruses. This includes SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the current p.....»»
Surgical Dressing Helps Kill Melanoma, Regenerate Healthy Cells
Scientists at the University of Nottingham in the UK have created a surgical dressing that is specifically designed to facilitate and enhance photothermal therapy following melanoma resection. The dressing allows for near-infrared photothermal therap.....»»
Artificial Ventricle Mimics Helical Muscle Fibers
Researchers at Harvard developed a technique that lets them recreate the helical arrangement of cardiac muscle fibers within the heart ventricles in a bioengineered construct. The breakthrough could pave the way for artificial bioengineered hearts. T.....»»
Smart Textiles Recognize Body Movements
Engineers at MIT have developed smart textiles that can detect and recognize body movements. The garments fit snugly, and contain a network of pressure sensors that can detect movement, and in conjunction with machine learning approaches, the technol.....»»
TORdx LUNG Test for Donor Lung Assessment: Interview with Eric Brouwer, Chief Scientific Officer at SQI Diagnostics
SQI Diagnostics, a medtech company based in Canada, is developing the TORdx LUNG Test. The technology is intended to assist clinicians in assessing donor lungs in their suitability for transplantation. At present, clinicians typically assess donor lu.....»»
Artificial Muscles are Stronger and More Flexible than Real Muscle
Engineers at the University of California Los Angeles created artificial muscles that are stronger and more flexible than the real thing. The new material is an example of a dielectric elastomer, which is an electroactive polymer that can change its.....»»
Improving Transplant Survival with Organ Preservation Tech: Interview with Dr. Anderson, CEO of Paragonix
Paragonix Technologies, a medtech company based in Massachusetts, created the SherpaPak, an FDA organ transportation device that is intended to keep donor organs safe and viable on their journey to a transplant recipient. As the viability of a donor.....»»
Typhoid Detection Technique Improves Diagnostic Sensitivity
A team at the University of California Davis Health working with international collaborators have developed a new technique to detect typhoid and estimate its incidence in populations over time. The approach requires only a drop of blood from a finge.....»»
AI-Powered Robot Accelerates Medical Research
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research in Japan have developed an AI-powered robotic system that can perform laboratory experiments in regenerative medicine, learn from the results, and perform iterative rounds of experiment.....»»
Pneumatic Prosthesis to Reduce Pressure and Irritation for Amputees
At the University of Waterloo in Canada, researchers have developed a microfluidic-based pneumatic system that adjusts the pressure within the socket of a lower limb prosthesis. The aim is to achieve the ideal pressure and adjust the fit of the prost.....»»
Carbon Monoxide-Loaded Foam as Inflammatory Disease Treatment
Researchers at MIT have created a carbon monoxide-loaded foam intended for therapeutic use against inflammatory disease. While the gas is toxic if inhaled in large quantities, in small doses it has potent anti-inflammatory effects. However, deliverin.....»»
Soft Bioresorbable Implant Controls Pain by Cooling Nerves
A team of engineers at Northwestern University led by John Rogers, the person responsible for many advances in flexible electronics, created a drug-free implant that can control pain by cooling nerves. The soft implant is intended to be wrapped aroun.....»»
Self-Powered Implant Tracks Spinal Fusion Healing
Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh created a self-powered implant that can track spinal healing while also providing mechanical support. The device can be 3D printed so that it fits a given patient perfectly and the mechanical properties can a.....»»