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Briefs: Medical
Lateral Displacement Device for Blood Cell Separation
Device has side microchannels where the particles are separated and collected. Separation of particles based on size is one of the essential components in biochemical analysis, environmental assays, and industrial and biomedical applications. Filtration is one of the most frequently used...
Briefs: Medical
When DARPA launched the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program in 2006, the state of upper-limb prosthetic technology was far behind lower-limb technology. Advancing upper-limb technology was judged...
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Briefs: Medical
Scientists at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies have developed a new technique, they say, to selectively activate brain, heart, muscle, and other cells using ultrasonic waves. Called sonogenetics,...
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Briefs: Medical
Doctors battling cancer, which kills nearly eight million people each year globally, have many powerful weapons, including various forms of chemotherapy and radiation. But, what they lack is a...
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Briefs: Medical
A vascular surgeon, Patrick Kelly, MD, of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, SD, had designed a stent graft and knew that his patients with thoracoabdominal aneurysms were doing better with it, but he...
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From the Editor: Regulations/Standards
Crowdfunding and the Danger of Unapproved Devices
Crowdfunding is being used every day to raise money for various causes and to aid in the launch of new products. Spurred on by themes such as “Be the change you want to see in the world,” donors feel virtuous for helping to fund a child’s medical bills or helping a non-profit to provide clean...
INSIDER: Medical
Artificial Skin Registers and Transmits Sensation
A plastic skin-like material created by Stanford University detects pressure and delivers a Morse code-like signal directly to a living brain cell. The development could add a sense of touch to prosthetic limbs.
INSIDER: Medical
New Memory Foam for Prosthetic Parts
Cornell University researchers have developed a lightweight, stretchable material that has potential for use in prosthetic body parts, artificial organs, and soft robotics. Air and liquid can be pumped through connected pores, allowing the material to change its length by up to 300 percent.
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Laser-Based Imaging Could Ensure Safer Brain Surgery
A stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscope currently being tested at the University of Michigan allows surgeons to quickly spot the difference between tumor tissue and normal brain tissue. Since June, the SRS microscope has imaged more than 60 patient samples from the operating room.
Industry News: Medical
October 2015 Month-End Industry News
Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Anti-Corrosive Coating Strengthens Steel
A new surface coating developed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences make steel stronger, safer, and more durable. The new anti-corrosive and anti-fouling surface material, made from rough nanoporous tungsten oxide, repels any kind of liquid, even after...
INSIDER: Medical
Virtual Models Improve Aortic Aneurysm Treatment
Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have developed virtual models that can be used in angiography rooms to address aortic aneurysms and help medical professionals visualize the area being treated. To provide more personalized treatments, the new software...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
UV-Light Robot Reduces Hospital Infection Rates
New research from Penn Medicine infection control specialists found that ultraviolet (UV) robots helped reduce the rates of transmission of the common bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile. The robots flash UV lights across a hospital room to lock onto DNA of organisms and kill them.
INSIDER: Regulations/Standards
FDA Issues Draft Guidance for Animal Studies for Medical Devices
On October 14, the FDA issued a draft guidance document to assist industry in designing evaluation strategies for, and reporting the results of, animal studies for medical devices. The studies utilized for the assessment of these devices typically provide initial evidence of device...
INSIDER: Medical
Scientist Creates Bio-Inspired Robotic Finger
Inspired by both nature and biology, a Florida Atlantic University scientist has built a lifelike robotic finger. The design required shape memory alloy (SMA), a three-dimensional CAD model of a human finger, a 3D printer, and a unique thermal training technique.
Industry News: Medical
October 2015 Mid-Month Industry News
Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.
INSIDER: Medical
New Algorithm Tunes Powered Prosthetics
Biomedical engineering researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have built software that allows powered prosthetics to tune themselves automatically. The development lowers costs and makes the devices more functionally useful.
INSIDER: Medical
Brain Implant Re-Encodes Memories
Researchers at the University of Southern California and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss. The prosthesis includes a small array of electrodes implanted into the brain.
INSIDER: Medical
Prosthetic Heart Valve Restores Blood Flow
VeloX, a prosthetic heart valve developed by National University of Singapore researchers, can be implanted through a small incision for the treatment of a serious heart valve disorder called mitral regurgitation. The device is particularly beneficial to patients who are of high surgical risk or are...
INSIDER: Medical
3D-Printed Guide Regrows Complex Nerves
Nerve damage is often permanent, and according to the Mayo clinic, regrowth of nerves is very rare. A 3D-printed guide built by University of Minnesota researchers regrows both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury.
INSIDER: Medical
Engineers Develop Non-Toxic Flame Retardant
Inspired by a naturally occurring material found in marine mussels, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace toxic commercial additives. The engineers' use of synthetic polydopamaine could prove valuable for a number of health-related applications,...
INSIDER: Medical
Low-Cost Patch Monitors Vital Signs
Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin produced inexpensive wearable patches that continuously monitor the body’s vital signs. Their repeatable, “cut-and-paste” method cuts manufacturing time from several days to only 20 minutes.
Briefs: Medical
Visualization technology for medical usage has advanced rapidly, from analog to digital to high definition to 3D and now 4K. High-quality displays will continue to be invaluable medical tools,...
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Briefs: Medical
According to a new NIH-funded study, five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate steplike movements using a new technology that non-invasively delivers electrical...
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Briefs: Medical
A team of computer scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) say that they have created a 3D printer that uses machine vision and 3D scanning to self-correct and directly...
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Briefs: Medical
Physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital report that four children with life-threatening cerebrovascular malformations posing surgical challenges have benefited from surgeons having 3D-printed models...
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Briefs: Medical
A team of scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, has demonstrated the first calibration system for positron emission tomography (PET)...
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From the Editor: Regulations/Standards
There’s an App for That?
Recently, an online discussion board broached the subject of FDA approval for a diagnostic app that might be able to predict when a patient’s condition would relapse. The question postulated whether there was a way to circumvent FDA approval by launching the app in another country and making it available online. And, if...
Features: Materials
The world population is growing, globalization has resulted in a higher standard of living in many countries, and people are living longer. With increased living standards and choices people...
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Ask the Expert

Ralph Bright on the Power of Power Cords
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Understanding power system components and how to connect them correctly is critical to meeting regulatory requirements and designing successful electrical products for worldwide markets. Interpower’s Ralph Bright defines these requirements and explains how to know which cord to select for your application.

Inside Story

Inside Story: Trends in Packaging and Sterilization
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Eurofins Medical Device Testing (MDT) provides a full scope of testing services. In this interview, Eurofins’ experts, Sunny Modi, PhD, Director of Package Testing; and Elizabeth Sydnor, Director of Microbiology; answer common questions on medical device packaging and sterilization.

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