MedTech News
.................... by Andrew Celentano

New mechanism may help predict and improve macrophage-targeted cancer immunotherapy
Immunotherapy that targets tumor-associated macrophages, a type of immune cell in the tumor microenvironment, works only if the cells have a functional system of molecules that enables them to respond to the treatment.

Placental transport mechanism could guide safer biologic medicines during pregnancy
Biologic medicines have transformed the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, migraine, inflammatory disorders and many other conditions. Yet their growing use among women of reproductive age constitutes a major clinical challenge because therapeutic IgG antibodies are actively transported across the placenta to the developing fetus. Evidence supporting the safe use of such therapeutics during pregnancy remains limited.

Distalmotion receives FDA 510(k) clearance for Dexter robotic system
The clearance authorises the use of Dexter in ventral hernia repairs, a common US outpatient procedure.

Deep brain stimulation strengthens reward signals after one 20-minute session, study finds
A study from Emory University School of Medicine suggests that a single 20-minute session of noninvasive deep brain stimulation, paired with mindful breathing, may strengthen the brain’s response to reward and reduce anxiety.

Injectable hydrogel system prolongs joint retention in osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability worldwide. Current intra-articular standards of care, such as analgesics, corticosteroids and viscosupplements, provide only transient symptomatic relief and do not reliably modify disease progression

Slowing Aging of the Ovaries
Ovaries are one of the first organs to age, and their decline shapes women’s health decades later

Scientists uncover ‘hidden switch’ that helps cancer cells hide from the immune system
Researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps cancer cells evade detection by the body’s immune system.

Electric fields offer new hope against aggressive brain cancer
More than a decade ago, Dr. Matthew Hebb was treating patients with Parkinson’s disease using deep brain stimulation by implanting tiny electrodes into the brain and delivering electrical signals to control tremors. He wondered if the same basic technology could be used against brain cancer.