Wyss Center Neurotech Challenge - Can you connect the human brain with digital world? The Wyss Center, a not-for-profit neurotechnology organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, has today launched a global neurotech innovation challenge to connect the human brain with the digital world. The Challenge seeks the most disruptive new technologies for brain stimulation and neural signal recording. The goal is to develop technology with a clinical application that could help p...

Team of engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint’s normal wear and tear. Researchers from Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and the University of Duisburg-Essen Germany found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustio...

MOCAHEART MOCAheart is the all-in-one smart heart tracker that measures heart rate, blood oxygen, and  pulse wave velocity with a quick scan of your thumbs.   https://youtu.be/1oh68PWSOzk MOCAheart is the ultimate companion for your health. After a quick 25-second scan of both thumbs, you’ll receive measurements of your heart rate, blood oxygen, and pulse wave velocity directly to your smartphone, along with lifestyle tips that will help you improve your health outcomes. Founded by ...

Clarius Mobile Health, a digital healthcare company, has introduced a new ultrasound scanner designed for veterinarians who treat household pets.  The Clarius C7 Wireless Ultrasound Scanner pairs with iOS and Android devices to enable quick scans. "Clarius is a point and shoot ultrasound scanner that is easy to learn and use by veterinarians," said Gail Nichols, a sonographer who specializes in veterinary ultrasound.  "I have never seen such beautiful and accurate images from any other handhe...

Interactions between an animal cell and its environment, a fibrous network called the extracellular matrix, play a critical role in cell function, including growth and migration. But less understood is the mechanical force that governs those interactions. A multidisciplinary team of Cornell engineers and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania have devised a method for measuring the force a cell -- in this case, a breast cancer cell -- exerts on its fibrous surroundings. Understanding ...

Northwestern University research team has developed a first-of-its-kind soft, flexible microfluidic device that easily adheres to the skin and measures the wearer’s sweat to show how his or her body is responding to exercise. A little larger than a quarter and about the same thickness, the simple, low-cost device analyzes key biomarkers to help a person decide quickly if any adjustments, such as drinking more water or replenishing electrolytes, need to be made or if something is medically awr...

Very preterm infants -- those born before 29 weeks of pregnancy -- appear to have a bigger risk of high blood pressure in young adulthood, two small, preliminary Canadian studies suggest. In one study, researchers found that the risk for high blood pressure was tied to smaller-than-normal kidneys at birth. A second study by the same researchers found a link between high blood pressure and impaired function in the cells that line blood vessels. "These studies highlight how important it is for t...

Researchers in Singapore have artificially generated new mouse blood and immune cells from skin cells. This is a significant first step towards the eventual goal: the engineering of new human blood cells from skin cells or other artificial sources. One of the major challenges of regenerative medicine is to manufacture new blood and immune cells for patients in need. This development could lead to a robust source of new blood or immune cells becoming available to treat patients with immune dis...

Researchers from Caltech and UCLA have developed a new approach to removing cellular damage that accumulates with age. The technique can potentially help slow or reverse an important cause of aging. Led by Nikolay Kandul, senior postdoctoral scholar in biology and biological engineering in the laboratory of Professor of Biology Bruce Hay, the team developed a technique to remove mutated DNA from mitochondria, the small organelles that produce most of the chemical energy within a cell. A paper...

Studies have shown that the United States has one of the highest incidences of fatal anaphylaxis in the world. For anaphylaxis treatment in community settings, epinephrine intramuscular injection using an auto-injector, e.g. EpiPen®, in the thigh is universally recommended. Despite this, many people at risk of anaphylaxis in community settings do not carry their prescribed auto-injectors consistently and hesitate to use them when anaphylaxis occurs. Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji, B. Pharm., Ph.D., ass...

New research shows that excess weight increases the risk that a benign blood disorder will progress into multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood. The study, by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Carrying extra weight increases a person's risk that a benign blood disorder will develop into multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. This is particularly true for older, African-American men. Being overweight...

Propeller Health offers solutions, such as Bluetooth-connected inhaler sensors and patient apps, to help enhance compliance and treatment outcomes for respiratory patients, such as those with asthma or COPD. The system monitors how often patients take their medication and can send alerts to caregivers if the disease is considered poorly controlled. FDA approved the Propeller platform for use with GSK’s Ellipta inhaler.” David Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder of Propeller said, “Inclusion of GSK...

Beans are a versatile, inexpensive staple that can boost essential nutrients in a diet, especially for people in low-resource areas where food options are limited. To get the most out of these legumes, new research suggests choosing fast-cooking dry beans could be the way to go. A study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that fast-cooking beans retained more protein, iron and other minerals than “slower” dry beans. According to the World Health Organization about 2 billi...

A group coordinated by the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste has built a three-dimensional computer model of the human genome. The shape of DNA (as well as its sequence) significantly affects biological processes and is therefore crucial for understanding its function. This new study has provided a first three-dimensional, approximate but realistic, identikit of the human genome. Thanks to the characteristics of the new method, the structural reconstruction based on...

Viaspan was the trademark under which the University of Wisconsin cold storage solution was sold. Currently, UW solution is sold under the ViaSpan trademark and several other trademarks. UW solution was the first solution thoughtfully designed for use in organ. Currently in the U.S. there are over 100,000 patients awaiting kidney or liver transplants with transplant rates of only 20% for kidney and 38% for liver. There is clearly a need to improve both preservation of the organs and to expand...

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered a new pathway in the brain that can be manipulated to alleviate depression. The pathway offers a promising new target for developing a drug that could be effective in individuals for whom other antidepressants have failed. New antidepressant options are important because a significant number of patients don’t adequately improve with currently available antidepressant drugs. The lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder is between 10 to 2...

A new helper in the fight against cancer and other diseases of the gut may be genetically altered bacteria that release medicines to tumors or the gut. Now, a new study performed using mice demonstrates how doctors might one day better regulate those therapeutic microbes by engineering them to respond to temperature. For instance, if engineered bacteria were administered to a patient with a disease, doctors could, in theory, instruct the bacteria to release medicine to just the site of intere...

Turn your smartphone into a gold-standard DNA analysis tool. No lab necessary. Biomeme's platform transforms your smartphone into a mobile lab for advanced DNA diagnostics and real-time disease surveillance. The system includes a docking station for real-time PCR, a mobile app to control the system and analyze results, and targeted test kits for preparing samples and identifying pathogens or diseases by their specific DNA or RNA signatures. The cutting edge platform performs to the gold stand...

Dario is a personalized, pocket-sized, all-in-one glucose meter coupled with a robust real time mobile app to manage diabetes quickly, efficiently and accurately. The Dario Smart Meter lets you test blood glucose levels in seconds, directly on your smartphone. Once connected to your mobile device, easily track, monitor and manage diabetes with a simple to use mobile app – when you need it, where you need it! The Dario mobile app delivers accurate results in real-time and actionab...

Red means "Green light, go for it!" Green means: "hmm, better not!" Like an upside down traffic light in our brain, color helps us decide whether or not to eat something. This, according to a study at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste and recently published in the journal Scientific Reports stating that vision is the main sense we use to guide us in food choices. To evaluate calorie intake, we rely on a "color code." Non-human primates evaluate food quality base...

Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, and variety is as important as quantity. No single fruit or vegetable provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy. Eat plenty everyday. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check. Eat a variety of types and c...

Digi Honeycomb is a subscription-based food temperature monitoring solution that requires no capital expense. All that's required is placing wireless sensors wherever you want to monitor food temperature and plugging in our communications gateway. Launch our easy-to-configure application to instantly access your temperature records 24/7 on your cell phone or tablet anywhere in the world. https://youtu.be/dqwbOno4Ge0 Digi Honeycomb™ is a subscription-based service comprised of hand-held probe...

Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which often thicken over time. The condition typically starts in childhood with changing severity over the years.In children under one year of age much of the body may be affected. As people get older, the back of the knees and front of the elbows are the most common areas affected. In adults th...

Using clinical and genomic databases, a team of scientists including a Northwestern Medicine investigator developed and validated the first molecular signature that can predict responses to radiotherapy for patients with prostate cancer, according to a recently published paper in Lancet Oncology. “This work is an exciting step toward the integration of genomic data into the real life, decision-making process for our patients,” said Edward Schaeffer, MD, PhD, chair of Urology. Schaeffer is als...

The research is a step toward the development of a system that might help in rehabilitating people who have suffered spinal cord injuries. An international team of scientists has used a wireless “brain-spinal interface” to bypass spinal cord injuries in a pair of rhesus macaques, restoring intentional walking movement to a temporarily paralyzed leg. The researchers, who describe their work in the journal Nature, say this is the first time a neural prosthetic has been used to restore walking m...

Vacuum-Operated Auto Retractable Safety Syringe - 2010 Award Winner The purpose of this safety syringe is to prevent needle stick injuries. The Vacuumed Auto Retractable Safety Syringe is a patented disposable syringe that is designed for one-handed operation and incorporates vacuum-operated automatic retractable technology. It is the ONLY Syringe that uses vacuum force (instead of spring) to retract the used needle into the barrel of the syringe after an injection is administered. Th...

Physical forces like blood pressure and the shear stress of flowing blood are important parameters for the tension of blood vessels. Scientists have been looking for a measurement sensor for many years that enables the translation of mechanical stimuli into a molecular response, which then regulates the tension in blood vessels. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now discovered just such a sensor in the inner layer of the blood vessel wall: t...

BioTrace Medical, Inc. today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the company’s Tempo® Lead, an innovative temporary pacing lead designed for use in procedures in which temporary pacing is indicated, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and electrophysiology (EP) procedures. BioTrace Medical’s Tempo® Lead incorporates innovations designed for secure and stable cardiac pacing with the goal of reducing complications and allowing patients to a...