MedTech News
.................... by Andrew Celentano
A potential universal flu shot? Intranasal EV vaccine protected mice from H5N1, H7N9
A novel vaccine platform has been developed to induce broad, protective immunity against numerous influenza virus infections, showing promise as an effective mucosal vaccine strategy, according to a study published by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
Research moves closer to ‘smart’ sensors in knee replacements
If you have a knee replacement, imagine pointing your phone at your knee and pulling up an app that tells you how much stress the artificial joint is experiencing. Knowing the activities that cause the biggest problems—which can lead to a second replacement surgery—would be invaluable. Research led by Binghamton University is closer to making this technology a reality.
An injectable particle could make surgery safer for infants
Biomedical researchers have designed an injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. In an animal model, the engineered microgel reduced bleeding by at least 50%. The paper, “Hemostatic B-Knob Triggered MicroGels (BK-TriGs) to Address Bleeding in Neonates,” is published in the journal Science Advances.
Supercomputer simulations reveal early red blood cell damage in blood pumps
For patients with heart failure, blood pumps can be lifesaving. But the very forces that sustain circulation can also harm it, damaging red blood cells through hemolysis and compromising the body’s oxygen supply. Now, supercomputer simulations are revealing how red blood cells deform under stress, offering new insights that could lead to safer, more effective blood pump designs.
Scalable sensors lower the cost of studying genetic disorders
Researchers have demonstrated a new class of low-cost, scalable sensors that can be used to monitor electrical activity in human cerebral organoids. Because electrical signals are key to understanding brain function, this advancement facilitates research into both neurodevelopment and genetic disorders such as Angelman syndrome.
AI-powered portable eye scanner expands access to low-cost community screening
Imagine being able to assess how healthy the front of our eyes are not only in hospitals, but also in remote eye-screening camps, elderly-care facilities, pharmacies, or even train stations. That is the future a research team led by Professor Toru Nakazawa at the Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University is working toward with a newly developed portable AI-powered scanning slit-light device. This convenient device hopes to make ophthalmic care more accessible, so patients can be assessed any place and any time. The findings are published in Scientific Reports.
A redesigned endoscope offers a new way to look for early signs of ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer remains the deadliest gynecologic cancer, largely because it is rarely found early. Symptoms are often vague, and existing screening approaches—such as blood tests and transvaginal ultrasound—can miss the disease at stages when treatment is most effective. In recent years, research has reshaped understanding of how many aggressive ovarian cancers begin, pointing not to the ovary itself, but to the fallopian tubes. That shift has created a need for tools that can safely examine these narrow structures for early changes linked to cancer.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation can target a deep brain region without surgery or medication
Neuroscientists at University of Iowa Health Care have demonstrated for the first time that noninvasive brain stimulation can alter the activity of a critical deep brain region involved in emotion and memory. Moreover, the study shows that personalizing the stimulation site using a patient’s unique brain connectivity pathway can increase the neuromodulation effect.