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

Women experience less pain during IUD insertion using a new method
A simple method involving local anesthesia in the uterus can reduce pain during IUD insertion, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal JAMA. The method also increased the proportion of women who found the procedure tolerable. The results may encourage more women to choose an IUD as a contraceptive method.

Continuous glucose monitors may reveal hidden heart risk patterns in adults without diabetes
Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are the clinical gold standards for screening blood sugar levels, yet they provide only static snapshots that fail to reflect the highly dynamic and heterogeneous nature of metabolic impairment. However, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is reshaping our understanding of these levels. While the medical community already has begun capitalizing on CGM for diabetes management, a new study has the potential to change current clinical practices for cardiovascular disease risk stratification in individuals without diabetes.

Tumor profiling reveals enzyme as a candidate target in aggressive brain cancer
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have identified candidate treatment targets and potential prognostic markers for high-grade glioma, an aggressive brain cancer, in children, adolescents and young adults.

A new AI-powered test offers more accurate prediction of breast cancer recurrence risk
A new study published in the journal npj Breast Cancer demonstrates that an artificial intelligence (AI) model offers more accurate predictions of recurrence risk in patients with early-stage breast cancer than the widely used 21-gene Recurrence Score. This research, conducted by a team from the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) and Caris Life Sciences, specifically targets hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2-negative disease, the most common subtype of breast cancer, which accounts for about half of all breast cancer cases in the United States.

Cancer biologists bring in the B-cell reinforcements for immunotherapy
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, according to a 2026 Cancer Research Institute report. Cancer biologists are keenly aware of this statistic, as it drives innovations that revolutionize cancer care—innovations like immunotherapy. Immunotherapy fights cancer using the body’s own immune system, often by boosting the performance of specialized adaptive immune cells called T cells.

Making invisible cancers visible: A new route to turn ‘cold’ tumors ‘hot’
One of the biggest challenges in cancer immunotherapy may not be that immune cells are too weak, but that some tumors give them too little to see. New research from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists reveals how cancers carrying mutations in the p53 tumor-suppressor protein can hide those mutations from T cells and suggests a therapeutic countermeasure: Change what the cancer displays on its surface so the immune system can recognize the tumor.

Aptitude Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance of Next-Generation Metrix® COVID Test
GOLETA, Calif., Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aptitude today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the next-generation Metrix® COVID Test, marking the company’s first FDA 510(k) clearance and the continued expansion of the Metrix molecular diagnostics platform. Development was supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

New AI technique could make minimally invasive surgeries safer and more precise
This patient-specific method, called xvr, helps doctors use X-rays for surgical navigation in fields such as orthopedics and neurosurgery.