A Chip with Natural Blood Vessels

Mini organs are incomplete without blood vessels. To facilitate systematic studies and ensure meaningful comparisons with living organisms, a network of perfusable blood vessels and capillaries must be created — in a way that is precisely controllable and reproducible. A team has established a method using ultrashort laser pulses to create tiny blood vessels in a rapid and reproducible manner. Read on to learn more about it.

Bioprinting Method Replicates Heart Tissues

Researchers at University of Galway have developed a way of bioprinting tissues that change shape as a result of cell-generated forces, in the same way that it happens in biological tissues during organ development. The breakthrough science focused on replicating heart tissues, bringing research closer to generating functional, bioprinted organs. Read on to learn more.

Bedside Blood Test

A new handheld, sound-based diagnostic system can deliver precise results in an hour with a mere finger prick of blood. The researchers used tiny particles they call functional negative acoustic contrast particles (fNACPs) and a custom-built, handheld instrument or acoustic pipette that delivers sound waves to the blood samples inside. Read on to learn more.

Device Shows Promise for Noninvasive Treatment of Chronic Pain

Researchers at the University of Utah’s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering and Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine have published promising findings about an experimental therapy that has given many participants pain relief after a single treatment session. Read on to learn more.

Personalized Medicine: The Role of Nanosensors in Disease Detection

Nanosensors are transforming the field of disease detection by offering unprecedented sensitivity, precision, and speed in identifying biomarkers associated with various health conditions. These tiny sensors, often built at the molecular or atomic scale, can detect minute changes in biological samples. Read on to learn more about nanosensors.

Material Improves Implantable Technology

Borophene is more conductive, thinner, lighter, stronger, and more flexible than graphene, the 2D version of carbon. Now, researchers have made the material potentially more useful by imparting chirality — or handedness — on it. Read on to learn what this could mean for advanced sensors and implantable medical devices.

Packaging and Processing: Life Sciences Industry Strives to Become More Sustainable

The pharmaceutical industry’s pivot toward sustainability reflects a broader movement in global business practices where environmental responsibility is not just a choice but a business imperative. Read on to learn more.

Shaping the Future of Polymer Nanocarriers

Scientists have taken a significant step toward the development of tailor-made chiral nanocarriers with controllable release properties. These nanocarriers, inspired by nature’s helical molecules like DNA and proteins, hold immense potential for targeted drug delivery and other biomedical applications. Read on to learn more.

Optimizing Fluid Micro-Dispensing for Assembly of Life-Critical Medical Components

This article examines how one medical manufacturer upgraded its assembly process of life-critical components from manual fluid dispensing to more efficient automated dispensing.

Infection-Resistant, 3D Printed Metals Developed for Implants

The work could lead to better infection control in many common surgeries, such as hip and knee replacements, that are performed daily around the world. Bacterial colonization of the implants is one of the leading causes of their failure and bad outcomes after surgery.

Unlocking Innovation in Small-Scale Fluid Control

As the demand for smaller, less intrusive — sometimes even wearable — products grow, engineers must meet these expectations without compromising on pump system performance.

Bioink Enhances 3D Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Constructs

An advancement in 3D bioprinting of native-like skeletal muscle tissues has been made by scientists at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI).

Microfluidic Chip Tests Drug Sensitivity

Researchers have developed an integrated microfluidic chip (BSI-AST chip) for rapid AST from positive blood cultures (PBCs).

Nature-Inspired Pressure Sensing Technology

A novel aero-elastic pressure sensor, called eAir can be applied to minimally invasive surgeries and implantable sensors by directly addressing the challenges associated with existing pressure sensors.

OPO Lasers Spur Advances in Mass Spectrometry Diagnostics

As mass spectrometry technology continues to evolve, so will the applications that can benefit from this important tool.

Biosensor Detects Sepsis in Newborns

A low-cost biosensor, called Neosens, will allow doctors to diagnose sepsis in a matter of minutes. Neosens works by detecting interleukin 6, a messenger that’s secreted by newborns’ immune systems in response to a host of biological conditions.

All-in-One Device for Hemorrhage Control

A multi-faceted device is effective for treating deep, noncompressible, and irregularly shaped wounds. The device provides rapid hemorrhage management, has minimal inflammatory effects, and provides infection control.

Pocket-Sized Device Could Spot Infected Wounds Faster

Scientists have developed a device that works with a smartphone or tablet to capture medical images that can identify infected wounds. By capturing the heat produced by a wound and the fluorescence of bacteria, it helps clinicians tell the difference between inflammation and a potentially dangerous infection.

Inside the OEM: Smith & Nephew

With COVID behind them and patients and their physicians returning to elective procedures, Smith & Nephew is seeing strong market revenue growth in 2022, according to CEO Deepak Nath, who spoke during its first quarter trading update.

How Nature Inspires the Future of Health

The animal kingdom has fascinated man from the beginning of time. From the most minute organisms to undersea and land creatures that have perfectly evolved to adapt to their environments, we have looked...

Novel Microneedle Array Enables Breakthrough Treatment

A research team has designed a new microneedle patch to offer a highly effective nonantibiotic approach for the treatment of skin infection.

AI Tailors DNA for Future Drug Development

With the help of an AI, researchers have succeeded in designing synthetic DNA that controls the cells’ protein production.

Leveraging Customization to Decrease Device Complexity and Reduce Costs

In this Expert Insight, Nadia Hajjar, Category Manager for Life Sciences at Porex, provides perspective on the ins and outs of designing custom components, including leveraging customization to decrease device complexity and reduce component costs.

Engineers Develop Low-Cost Human Biomarker Sensor Designs

Penn State researchers have developed a low-cost, RNA-based technology to detect and measure biomarkers, which can help decode the body’s physiology.

3D Printing with Bacteria-Loaded Ink Produces Bone-Like Composites

Researchers have pioneered a 3D printable ink that contains Sporosarcina pasteurii: a bacterium that, when exposed to a urea-containing solution, triggers a mineralization...

Microfluidic Device Detects SARS-CoV-2

A new microfluidic device can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus with high accuracy and speed, using a unique DNA/RNA duplex technology. The device can prove to be a game-changer in the fight against the...

Biosensor: New Drugs, Sensory Organs on a Chip

A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to a better understanding of cell biology, development of new...

The Promise of Mobile Photoacoustic Imaging

Photoacoustic imaging, which combines optical and acoustic modalities, is enabling some of the most promising medical research.

The Case for Rapid Transfer Ports in Life Science Applications

Here, the ways that RTPs can help optimize product-handling operations in the life science industries.