Medical Blog

From The Editor: Charting the Technologies That Will Shape Medtech in 2026

As the medtech ecosystem braces for another year of rapid transformation, the need for clarity, adaptability, and technical depth has never been greater. The Winter 2025 Medical Design Briefs Resource Guide continues our mission to provide expert-driven insights into the components, materials, and manufacturing strategies shaping next-generation devices. Read on to hear more from Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content.

From the Editor: Steady Growth, Shifting Pressures in Medtech

The 2025 Pulse of the Medtech Industry report from EY offers a clear snapshot of where the medtech sector stands — and where it’s heading. The primary message is one of a mix of steady growth and mounting pressures. Read on to learn what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, thinks about the situation.

Medical Devices Are Booming — But Can the Supply Chain Keep Up?

While demand surges, so do design and development challenges. Today’s medical devices are not only expected to be smart and connected, but they must also operate flawlessly in high-stakes environments where safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. Read on to learn what this means.

From the Editor: Rebuilding Trust in Medical Devices

A recent report from MasterControl delivers a sobering statistic: more than 8 in 10 physicians (82 percent) have questioned the quality or safety of the medical products they prescribe. For medical device engineers and designers, that figure should be a wake-up call. Read on to learn what Editor and Director of Medical Content Sherrie Trigg thinks about the matter.

Balancing Miniaturization, Power, and Compliance in Sensor Design

In this Q&A with Medical Design Briefs, Michael Klitzke, principal system architect at TE Connectivity, discusses how advances in sensor miniaturization, packaging,...

AI Is in the Room — But Will It Bring Your Innovations to Market Quicker?

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a tool to balance challenges and facilitate the goal of bringing new innovations to market faster. And while AI undoubtedly has the potential to play a transformative role in medical device R&D, it must be approached with caution and utilized in a supportive capacity. Read on to learn more.

From The Editor: Australia’s Medtech Investment Signals Global Shift and Opportunity for U.S. Partners

Australia is entering the global medical technology arena with a strategic investment package totaling $65.5 million, aimed at accelerating R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization. Backed by the Australian government, the move signals a deepening commitment to innovation-driven self-reliance — and opens the door to new global partnerships, including with U.S. medical device firms. Read on to learn what this means.

From the Editor: U.S. Tariffs Cast Shadow Over Promising Growth of Pulsed Field Ablation Devices

Tariff uncertainty adds another layer of complexity to an already fragmented global regulatory environment. With PFA currently approved in only a handful of markets, the U.S. remains critical to commercial viability. Read on to learn more about what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, has to say about the matter.

2024 Sustainability Stakeholder Study - Healthcare

In 2024, Plastics Ingenuity interviewed a share of the stakeholders in the healthcare packaging sector. These organizations include medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, biotech products, and life science applications. Read on to learn more.

From the Editor - Welcome to the Inaugural Medical Design Briefs Resource Guide

As the pace of innovation accelerates across the medical device industry, staying informed on core technologies and market trends is more important than ever. With that in mind, we are proud to introduce the 2025 summer edition of the Medical Design Briefs Resource Guide — a new, semi-annual issue designed to deliver essential insights into the components, materials, and services that power medical device development and manufacturing. Read on to learn more.

Tariffs Are Now a Strategic Variable: How MedTech Manufacturers Are Splitting Their Response

The Trump administration’s 2025 trade policy has presented a challenge for U.S. medical device manufacturers: how to respond to escalating tariffs on...

From the Editor — Transformative Trends Reshaping Life Sciences Manufacturing

The life sciences industry is at a pivotal moment, where groundbreaking technologies are redefining how therapeutics and medical devices are discovered, developed, and manufactured. From AI to additive manufacturing, these advancements are accelerating time-to-market, improving efficiency, and enabling more personalized solutions for patients. Read on to learn Editor and Director of Medical Content Sherrie Trigg's thoughts on the matter.

Guest Editorial: The Next Wave of Medical Devices: Personalized with Local Impact

As an industry, AM is experiencing advancements at a rapid pace. Innovation is enabling enhanced capabilities across the entire workflow from software and materials through 3D printing technologies. Additionally, we see 3D printers with much smaller footprints enabling the technology to be used in smaller spaces such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and dental laboratories and clinics. Read on to learn more.

U.S. Tariffs: Implications and Strategies for Medtech Manufacturers

In a dramatic shift that could reshape the medical device industry, the U.S. government’s sweeping tariff hikes — particularly a 125 percent levy on Chinese goods — have...

A Bionic Hand that Can Grip Like a Human

Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds.

BD’s Business Split: A Game-Changer for IVD Market

Becton Dickinson’s (BD) decision to separate its biosciences and diagnostic solutions businesses is sending ripples through the in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) sector. BD says the separation was the result of a comprehensive business portfolio evaluation launched in early 2024. Read on to learn more.

Guest Editorial: The Power of One When Choosing Stent and Catheter Partners

As device designs become increasingly sophisticated, medtech companies are understandably seeking contract design and manufacturing partners that can accompany them on...

Guest Blog: Business Goals Drive Shifts in Materials

The medical device industry constantly evaluates product and packaging materials and designs to meet business objectives, sustainability targets, and changing consumer preferences. Tactics...

From the Editor - The 2024 Product of the Year

In December, we asked Medical Design Briefs readers to cast their ballot to choose from our eight Products of the Month the technology they felt was the most significant new introduction to the design engineering community in 2024. Here is the winner of the 2024 Medical Design Briefs’ Readers’ Choice Product of the Year. Read on to learn more.

Mass 3D Printing in Space for the First Time

Auxilium Biotechnologies has successfully deployed its 3D bioprinter aboard the ISS. The platform is the first of its kind, making history by printing eight implantable medical devices simultaneously in just two hours.

From the Editor - AI Tops ECRI’s 2025 Health Tech Hazards List

ECRI’s top 10 health technology hazards for 2025, in rank order, are... Read on to find out who made the list.

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

From the Editor - Bipartisan Legislation Could Fast-Track Breakthrough Medical Devices

The U.S. Senate's bipartisan legislation to expedite Medicare coverage of FDA-breakthrough-designated medical technologies and diagnostic tests could significantly impact the medical device industry and manufacturers, streamlining processes for breakthrough devices, enhancing patient access, and reducing barriers to market entry. Read on to see what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, thinks about the matter.

From the Editor - FDA’s Final Rule on LDTs Raises Concerns for Personalized Medicine

Hear directly from Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, about the FDA's final ruling on LDTs and why that is raising concern.

Gen AI Isn’t Ready (for Medical Devices)

Gen AI is an impressive technology with seemingly limitless applications. We’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what it can do. But it’s this very limitlessness that makes it a poor fit for use inside of a medical device. Read on to learn more.

From the Editor - Study: Use of Recalled Products Does Not Equal Future Loyalty

A new report has found that 36 percent of Americans admit they would continue to use products even after a recall. See what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, has to say about the use of recalled products and future loyalty.

From the Editor: A Breakthrough in Remote Surgical Robotics

The global market for robotic surgical systems and their accessories will reach $10 billion in 2024, with a substantial increase expected to $15.8 billion by 2030. Read on to learn what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, has to say about surgical robots.

Creating a Safe Path to Sustainability in Drug Delivery

The environmental impact of the healthcare industry has been widely reported, with estimates it is responsible for around 4–5 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.1 As...

Beware of FDA Multisite Inspections

Recently, I came across an FDA regulatory situation you do not see too often. On the same day, FDA sent two teams of field investigators into two geographically different sites of the same company to...