A variety of silicon-fabricated devices is used in medical applications such as drug and cell delivery, and DNA and protein separation and analysis. In applications such as drug delivery from implantable devices, the silicon device structure must have superior precision. In...

The FDA recently announced an initiative to improve reusable medical device reprocessing, the process of cleaning and disinfecting a device for use with more than one patient. Improper reprocessing of reusable medical devices can lead to Health care-Associated Infections (HAIs). Medical Design Briefs will explore this...

Time and again, gaming technology has proven its ability to benefit our lives in ways that surpass entertainment. It has been utilized in medical and therapeutic applications ranging from helping stroke victims restore functionality, to training users to control stress and multi-task. Another example recently came to my...

Promising news for millions of Americans living with type 1 diabetes: The FDA has issued guidelines specific to developing an artificial pancreas — a system that would serve to continuously monitor blood glucose levels and deliver the correct amount of insulin to the body when needed, functioning...

A team of researchers co-led by the University of Pennsylvania has developed and tested a high-resolution, ultra-thin device capable of recording brain activity from the cortical surface without having to use penetrating electrodes. The device could open the door to a new generation of...

Systems for monitoring vital signs while driving could help measure stress levels, among other health parameters — effectively "driving" the concept of multi-tasking to a new level. By integrating sensors into the steering wheel, scientists at TU Muenchen Chair of Micro Technology and Medical Device Technology (MiMed) have...

3D printers have the potential to quickly produce complex structures and materials — including bone scaffolds, if Washington State University scientists have their way. An interdisciplinary team of chemistry, materials science, biology, and manufacturing researchers produced a bone-like material using a 3D printer.

Swedish researchers at Chalmers University are developing new techniques of cancer diagnosis and treatment that utilize the power of microwaves. One method is an alternative to mammography. The other method aims to treat tumors by heating the cancer cells. Eventually, they hope to combine the two methods into one...

In yet another example of how medical technology designed for humans in space can also benefit humans on Earth, Radisens Diagnostics (Cork, Ireland) recently announced that it will be working with the European Space Agency to develop a blood testing device. According to the press release, the ESA contracted the...

In 2009, the first wireless pacemaker was implanted in a patient in the U.S., but there is still a lot of work that remains to be accomplished. About a year ago, Medtronic offered a sneak peek of a leadless pacemaker under development, and other medical device firms and startups have also announced similar...

Aneurysms can occur in any blood vessel in the body and usually cannot be detected unless there is a rupture or leakage. About 33,000 North Americans suffer a rupture every year, leading to stroke with up to a 60 percent fatality rate and permanent disability in about 50 percent of survivors. Now,...

A team of computer scientists, physicists, and physicians at Harvard have developed a simple yet powerful method of visualizing human arteries that may result in more accurate diagnoses of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The prototype tool, called “HemoVis,” creates a 2D diagram of...