R&D

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati Department of Cancer Biology and material scientists from the University of Houston are using nanotubes to examine the regulation of proteins involved in the initiation of cancer and cardiovascular, neurological, and endocrine diseases. The team is...

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a gecko-inspired gripper. Like the gecko, the device has the ability to grip and release smooth surfaces like glass. The effective stickiness can also be tuned from strong to week.

Engineers from North Carolina State University have created stretchable, transparent conductors with a "nano-accordion" design. The conductors could be employed in a wide variety of applications, such as flexible electronics, stretchable displays, or wearable sensors.

To provide a better tool for therapeutics, regenerative medicine, and biosensing, Tufts University bioengineers have created inkjet-printable silks containing enzymes, antibiotics, antibodies, nanoparticles, and growth factors. The purified silk protein, or fibroin, offers intrinsic strength and protective...

Using misting technology found in household humidifiers, University of Illinois chemists developed a new method to create silicone microspheres. The tiny spheres could have applications in targeted medicine and imaging.

A Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI) device developed by Army medical researchers attaches to a soldier's finger and displays vital signs: body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The matchbox-sized tool includes a computer display, wire, and plastic clip.

By using larger spherical components, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have found a way to reduce the immune system from rejecting biomedical implant devices. The bigger spheres are better able to maintain their function and avoid scar-tissue buildup.

A Washington University team developed a novel device that may allow individuals to feel hot and cold temperatures through a prosthetic technology. If the invention works as planned, upper-limb amputees who use motorized devices would be able to feel various sensations through the prosthetic, which...

Researchers at the University of Georgia have found a low-cost way to manufacture extraordinarily thin polymer strings. The nanofibers can be used to create advanced wound dressings, regenerate tissue, and deliver drugs directly to the site of an infection.

By combining 3D holographic lithography and 2D photolithography, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a 3D microbattery suitable for large-scale on-chip integration with microelectronic devices. Applications for the holographically patterned battery include...

Geometrically encoded magnetic sensors (GEMs), developed by researchers from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), react to local biochemical conditions by changing their shape and response to radio frequencies.

An adhesive technology helps to bond human tissue in wet or moist conditions. The chemistry is based on the environmentally-friendly adhesive qualities of mussels and other shellfish.

A new algorithm allows a person to use his or her thoughts to grasp a bottle or other object. The non-invasive brain monitoring technique, developed by University of Houston researchers, will help the team understand the neuroscience behind the action of grasping.

Rice University graduate students and researchers have made nanowires between 6 and 16 nanometers wide. The wires are made from a variety of materials, including silicon, silicon dioxide, gold, chromium, tungsten, titanium, titanium dioxide, and aluminum. The development of sub-10-nanometer sizes shows...

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team has developed a new, ultrasensitive magnetic-field detector. The device could lead to miniaturized, battery-powered devices for medical imaging.

A device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators provides rapid, accurate molecular diagnosis of tumors and other diseases. The smartphone-based technology collects detailed microscopic images for digital analysis of the molecular composition of cells and tissues.

A new tool developed by nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego, allows users, including physicians and patients, to easily build their own sensors.

Vanderbilt University researchers have created magnetically-driven laparoscopic instruments.

University of Washington researchers have created PolySTAT, a new injectable polymer that strengthens blood clots. The polymer, administered in a single shot, addresses internal injuries and reduces blood loss.

A new “smart bandage” from engineers at UC Berkeley uses electrical currents to detect early tissue damage from pressure ulcers, or bedsores, before they can be seen by human eyes. The device could potentially be carried by a nurse for spot-checking target areas on a patient, or incorporated into a wound...

A Rice University mobileVision system monitors eye health and spots signs of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.The patient-operated, portable device can be paired with a smartphone to give clinicians finely detailed images of the macula – the spot in the center of the eye where vision is...

Current hearing-loss treatments deliver drugs to the middle ear by requiring repeat injections. A device from The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, sends precise, automated, and timed quantities of one or more drugs directly into the fluid of the inner ear.

Harvard researchers have demonstrated a repellent surface technology that can be used with medical materials to prevent infections caused by biofilms.

A team of hearing and communication experts led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC successfully implanted an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) device in four children who previously could not hear.

Columbia Engineering researchers have developed a low-cost smartphone accessory that performs a point-of-care test. In fifteen minutes, the device simultaneously detects three infectious disease markers from a finger prick of blood.

A University of Chicago research team has created a new solder for semiconductors. After being heated to several hundred degrees Celsius, the compounds of cadmium, lead, and bismuth can be applied as a liquid or paste to join two pieces of a semiconductor.

Researchers from The Ohio State University are working to turn germanium into a potential replacement for silicon.

Scientists in field laboratories who diagnose and deal with Ebola infections often work under challenging conditions. Researchers at the German Primate Center have developed Diagnostics-in-a-Suitcase, which contains all reagents and equipment to detect the Ebola virus within 15 minutes at...