Articles

Faster From Lab to Patient to Win the Race Against Time

This article explores the essential ingredients of pharmaceutical success, from research and design to development, production and ultimately, the patient. Read on to learn more.

Engineering for the Future: The Trends Transforming Medtech in 2026

Success in 2026 will favor organizations that address these shifts directly: designing for interoperability, validating at the individual level, building security to keep pace with threats, and engineering for real-world clinical use. The innovations that define this year will not only improve device capabilities but reshape how healthcare itself is delivered. Read on to learn more.

MD&M West Show Preview

Returning to Anaheim this February, MD&M West 2026 brings the global medical device community together for three days of engineering insight, manufacturing expertise, and technology breakthroughs. As one of the largest gatherings of medtech professionals in North America, the event showcases the full spectrum of product development. Read on to learn all about it.

Inside the OEM: Medtronic’s Growth and Next Wave of Innovation

When Thierry Piéton stepped into the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer of Medtronic earlier this year, he entered one of the largest and most complex organizations in the medical technology industry. Read on to go inside the OEM.

Engineering Compact, Energy-Efficient Electronic Drug-Delivery Pens

The design of electronic drug-delivery pens requires precise control, compact form factors, and exceptionally low power consumption — requirements that can only be met by thoughtful component selection and close collaboration with experienced suppliers. Read on to learn more.

IV Disposables: A Rising Opportunity for Medtech OEMs

For medical-device original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the intravenous (IV) disposables market continues to present a fast-expanding frontier — driven by clinical necessity, the increasing burden of chronic disease, heightened infection-control awareness and new care-delivery models. Read on to learn more.

Advances in Polyimide Tubing for Next-Generation Medical Devices

Minimally invasive and interventional platforms increasingly demand smaller profiles, tighter tolerances, and components that maintain performance under thermal, chemical, and mechanical stress. Polyimide (PI) has emerged as a workhorse within these parameters. Read on to learn why.

Built to Adapt: Rethinking Contract Manufacturing for a New Era

In this Q&A, Brian Semcer, president of MICRO, talks to Medical Design Briefs about how the next generation of contract manufacturers is redefining agility, quality, and partnership in the medical device ecosystem. Read now!

Elevating Antimicrobial Coatings to a New Standard: Introducing Surface-Active Systems

There are two main product ranges: Surface-active therapeutics and surface-active materials. Read on to learn more about them.

OEM Toll Processing Advances High-Value Products

Toll processing (or toll manufacturing) involves a manufacturer processing customer-supplied materials or parts for a predetermined fee. The customer retains ownership of the materials, while the toll provider applies specialized technologies, equipment, and expertise to deliver the finished components. Read on to learn more about it.

Mitigating Leak Failures Using Radial Grinding Equipment

The development of the grinding machine was a complex task, requiring ample hours and engineering trials to complete. Read on to learn more about it and what it can do.

Automation: How Custom Motion Control Transforms Medical Equipment Design

In today’s medical equipment market, reliability is not a luxury — it is a necessity. Every adjustment, every movement, and every interaction with the equipment must be performed flawlessly to ensure patient safety, caregiver efficiency, and long-term service life. Behind this design and precision are highly engineered motion control components. Read on to learn more.

Mitigating Biocompatibility Risks from Material and Supplier Changes in Medical Devices

In this Q&A, Audrey Turley, director of lab operations – biosafety at Nelson Laboratories, spoke with Medical Design Briefs about the critical importance of monitoring and managing material changes in medical devices. Read on!

Navigating the Ebb and Flow of the Global Electronics Supply Chain

To better understand both the historical ebb and flow of electronics availability and the outlook for the years ahead, Medical Design Briefs spoke with Ross Valentine, Anal Dharamshi, and Srinivasan Kandaswamy, experts in supply chain and design engineering at Arrow Electronics and its subsidiary eInfochips. Read on for insights that highlight strategies medical OEMs can adopt to balance cost, resilience, and innovation in an increasingly complex supply environment.

Autonomous Surgery: Engineering the Next Generation of Surgical Robots

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently demonstrated the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), completing eight consecutive gallbladder removal procedures on ex vivo tissue without human intervention. Medical Design Briefs spoke with Axel Krieger, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins and senior author of the study, about the system’s architecture, safeguards, and future applications.

The Promise and Challenge of On-Body Biosensors: A Perspective on Clinical Utility and Commercial Viability in Patient Management

On-body biosensors have crossed the threshold from technological novelty to clinical tool driving medical decisions. The most successful devices share common traits: They provide clinically actionable information, reliably measure rapidly changing biomarkers, account for confounding variables, and utilize established reimbursement pathways. Read on to learn more about them.

MEDevice Silicon Valley, an MD&M Event

Returning to the Santa Clara Convention Center this November, MEDevice Silicon Valley 2025 is where the world’s most forward-looking medtech professionals will gather to exchange ideas, explore new technologies, and accelerate product development. Read on to learn all about it.

AI in Medical Imaging: Diagnostic Challenges and Key Technology Considerations

AI in medical imaging means embracing a paradigm shift from manual, perception-focused interpretation to technology-enabled, data-augmented diagnosis. A balanced approach of high computation with federated learning and generative augmentation could offer tangible benefits. Read on to learn what this means.

Innovators in Healthcare: Spotlight on the Medical Finalist

The 23rd annual Create the Future Design Contest for engineers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide, sponsored by COMSOL, Inc., and Mouser Electronics, drew innovative product ideas from engineers and students from countries from around the world. The Medical category itself received many innovative entries from 21 countries; this article introduces its finalist.

The Power of the Plasma Pen

Plasma pens integrated into production lines provide targeted plasma treatments that reduce failure rates by improving adhesion and bonding in various critical applications. Read on to learn more about their powers.

Shaping the Future: Honoring the Next Generation of Women Leaders in Medtech - Debbie Teodorescu

The 2025 Medical Rising Star Award recognizes Dr. Debbie Teodorescu, a physician-engineer whose career bridges patient care and technology development. Read on for a full interview with her.

MD&M Midwest 2025, an MD&M Event

Returning to the Minneapolis Convention Center this October, MD&M Midwest 2025 is where the region’s medtech leaders gather to explore, collaborate, and solve the toughest engineering challenges in medical device development. Read on to learn more about it.

The New Medtech Frontier

The next phase of medical device innovation will be defined by systems that are not only responsive but also autonomous and personalized. Read on to learn more.

Inside the OEM: Stryker Thrives Amid Global Headwinds

This article examines how Stryker is executing its strategies in a complex and evolving macroeconomic environment, balancing the pressures of inflation, supply chain constraints, and global competition while driving operational discipline, expanding its differentiated robotics portfolio, launching new trauma systems, and leveraging tuck-in acquisitions.

Patient-Centric Design and Collaboration in Drug-Delivery Devices

Across ailments, the burden of self-administered care is growing, and with it, the importance of designing drug-delivery systems designed with the patient experience at their core. Patient-centric design goes beyond usability metrics and checklists. It’s about building trust, reducing friction and enabling people to manage their health with confidence and dignity. Read on to learn more.

Fitting More Functionality Into Increasingly Smaller, Smarter Devices: Heterogeneous Integration

Engineering and manufacturing complex devices requires heterogeneous integration; the process of combining multiple, different parts that together have the functionality required that gather process and communicate the important information. Read on to learn more.

Micro Solutions, Major Advances: Micromolding Fuels the Next Generation of Medical Devices

With its unmatched precision and scalability, micromolding is reshaping what is possible in medical device manufacturing. From early prototyping to high-volume production, this technology empowers manufacturers to meet demanding requirements while accelerating innovation. Read on to learn more.

Cracking the Code of Cardiac Care: How AI-Enabled ECG Could Solve Key Challenges in CVD Diagnosis

The escalating costs and prevalence of cardiovascular disease demand innovative solutions that can enhance care quality while alleviating financial burden. AI-enabled ECG technology may offer a compelling and actionable response to these challenges. Read on to learn more.

Burn, Freeze, Shock, or Shear: The Expanding Frontiers of Ablation Therapies

Ablation therapies have become indispensable in modern medicine, and their influence will only grow as innovation drives less-invasive, more-effective solutions. The next wave of advancements is likely to emerge from the convergence of technologies, leveraging engineering, biology, and clinical insights to overcome current limitations. Read on to learn more.