Infections on implantsJoint replacements, pacemakers and catheters are prone to biofilms, bacterial sheets that can cause hard-to-treat, antibiotic-resistant infections. A University of Michigan Engineering team built an implantable platform, DARTS (dynamically actuated reconfigurable topographical surface), that reduced bacterial burden and improved tissue response in mice, according to the university's October 27 news release. The study appeared in Advanced Functional Materials.Two mechanisms...
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Health & Medical Innovation
A Mesh Grown Into Heart Cells Turns Heartbeats Into Power
Power from the body itselfImplants run on batteries that eventually die. Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst grew living human heart tissue around a mesh of tiny generators, and each heartbeat bent the generators enough to produce an electrical pulse, Earth.com reported on October 23. The team's calculation puts the output at more than ten times the energy for the device's size compared with earlier implanted harvesters. None of it has been tried in a body.DesignThe mesh is abo...
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MIT’s LUCID Implant Uses Ultrasound to Spread Drugs in the Brain
The problemGlioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor; MIT News notes a little more than 10,000 cases are diagnosed in the US each year and patients survive 12 to 15 months on average. Surgeons struggle to remove every cancer cell, so tumors often recur. Implantable wafers and gels can release drugs locally, but they rely on passive diffusion.What MIT builtResearchers led by Canan Dagdeviren created LUCID, the Long-term Ultrasound-enhanced Convective Injection Device, described in a paper in the...
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A 3D-Printed Brain Implant Cools Seizure Activity in Rats
One printed device, three jobsResearchers at the University of Sheffield and TU Dresden have printed a brain implant that records electrical activity and cools a patch of cortex, all as one continuous structure, according to a Tech Times report on October 29. The work was published in Advanced Science in September 2026. The aim is an alternative approach for drug-resistant focal epilepsy, which affects roughly 15 million people worldwide per the report.How it is builtUsing direct ink writing, a...
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Penn State’s Printable Hydrogel Targets Multitasking Wearables
A gel that sticks where others slipMost wearable health monitors capture one signal at a time, and they struggle with hair, sweat and movement. A team led by Penn State has developed an ultrasoft, adhesive, printable hydrogel designed to conform to dry, wet, moving and hairy skin, Medical Product Outsourcing reported on October 30. The work was published in Science Advances.What is in itThe researchers call it RTLR gel, a name that refers to its radically tuned setting time and two forms of gra...
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NTNU’s Color-Changing Patch Reads Pulse Without Electronics
A rainbow patch that reads your heartbeatResearchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have built a small transparent patch that looks like the back of a CD and, paired with an ordinary smartphone camera, can measure pulse and blood vessel stiffness. Medical Design & Development, which republished the university's story on October 30, calls it the first of its kind. The patch is silicone rubber with no electronics or cables.How it worksOne side carries a nanoscale pat...
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HemaApp: The App that Measures Hemoglobin with a Smartphone
University of Washington computer scientists and electrical engineers have come together to develop HemaApp: an application that uses a smartphone camera to estimate hemoglobin concentrations.
Anemia, a blood condition exacerbated by malnutrition or parasitic disease, is a common health problem in the developing world that is often undiagnosed. Currently, in order to detect hemoglobin levels, most health care providers either use an invasive technique (i.e. a needle) or expensive machines tha...
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HipGrid: The latest non-invasive measurement system for Hip Replacement
Invented by orthopedic surgeons, HipGrid™ is one of the latest non-invasive measurement systems for hip replacement. This measurement system surgeons is used during operations to access the implant position and restoration of anatomic alignment of the patient. With the help of this technology, they can visualize and quantify where the implants are positioned in relation to key anatomical landmarks while operating.
Patients rely on their surgeons' ability to ensure proper positioning and align...
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The Assisi Loop: Non-invasive pain relief treatment for pets
The Assisi Loop provides non-invasive pain relief therapy for pets, an alternative to conventional drug-based treatments.
Assisi Animal Health is a science-based company specializing in offering clinical therapeutic solutions to veterinarians or by veterinary prescription to pet owners.
As of today, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the primary therapy mode for treating pain in animals. Yet they account for the largest number of adverse drug reactions as reported to the FDA. To add...
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