Regenerative technology company StimLabs has enrolled the first patient in a clinical trial using shelf-stable placental tissue to reduce complications following herniated disc surgery. The multi-center, randomized controlled trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Revita, StimLabs’ full-thickness placental allograft, which surgeons will place following lumbar microdiscectomy procedures. Microdiscectomy is a common, minimally invasive procedure
Data Sciences International launches inhalation exposure system
June 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Data Sciences International, a subsidiary of Harvard Bioscience, recently launched a new inhalation and exposure system called the DSI Buxco Inhalation Exposure System. The new inhalation exposure system is designed for ease-of-use for researchers while also giving them flexibility. It features remote sensors and hardware control system that are linked by a microprocessor-based feedback loop.
No-shows at radiology can cost a hospital $1 million a year, study says
June 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
People who fail to show up for radiology appointments cost hospitals about $1 million per year on average, according to a new study. That’s as much as the cost of a new 3T MR scanner. Most of the no-shows at academic medical centers were for mammography appointments, according to the study, published in Current Problems
Hey, Google! When will I die?
June 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Google’s AI capabilities can predict with greater accuracy than a hospital’s computers when a critically ill patient will die, according to a new study. Using a patient’s entire chart, Google’s deep learning methods were able to predict, 24 hours after admission, the risk of that patient’s death at 19.9% while the regular hospital’s computers predicted
Bronchoscopes still dirty after cleaning, study says
June 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A new study has found that currently acceptable methods of reprocessing reusable bronchoscopes left most devices contaminated and damaged. “The results are worrisome as patients undergoing bronchoscopy are commonly at high risk for infection due to transplant status, critical illness, or immune-suppression due to malignancy or chronic disease,” said the study, funded by 3M and
SetPoint Medical touts 2-year relief from rheumatoid arthritis
June 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Startup SetPoint Medical has demonstrated “significant, sustained improvement” over two years in a first-in-human study using bioelectronic therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Seventeen subjects with moderate to severe symptoms were implanted with a vagus nerve stimulator in the European study. At three months, the therapy was shown to have significantly reduced RA symptoms
These nanorobots clear bacteria and toxins from blood
June 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego have created tiny ultrasound-powered nanorobots that are designed to swim through blood and remove bacteria and toxins. The UCSD researchers built the nanorobots using gold nanowires coated with a hybrid of platelet and red blood cell membranes. The hybrid coating meant the nanorobots can perform two
How you can control lab-grown heart cells with a remote control light
June 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
University of California San Diego researchers have created a technique that speeds up and slows down human heart cells that are being grown in a dish on command by shining light on them and varying the intensity. The heart cells are being grown in graphene which turns light into electricity, a more realistic environment that
Icon and DuPage Medical forge clinical research partnership
May 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Icon recently announced that its PMG Research has formed a clinical research partnership agreement with DuPage Medical Group. Starting this month, PMG Research will serve as the research infrastructure at DuPage Medical. The partnership will help expand PMG Research’s network to help Icon have more access and engagement with investigator sites and patients to reduce overall
Patient enrollment could be a top challenge in declining R&D efficiency
May 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Patient enrollment is one of the biggest challenges of declining research and development efficiency, according to a new survey from Icon and Pharma Intelligence. Pharmaceutical industry executives discussed the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry outlined in the survey in a recent roundtable. The discussion was designed to help industry experts figure out the potential for
How MIT researchers think calcium-based MRIs could boost brain imaging
May 9, 2018 By Leave a Comment
MIT scientists have created a new magnetic resonance imaging sensor that monitors neural activity deep inside the brain by tracking calcium ions. Calcium ions are known to be directly linked to neuronal firing, which is different from the changes in blood flow that other MRI sensors detect. The new sensing method from MIT could let
Synopsys releases new Simpleware version
May 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Synopsys (Mountain View, Calif.) recently announced version N-2018.03 of its Simpleware 3D data visualization software, which is used in both life science and advanced materials and manufacturing applications. Improvements in the new version of Simpleware, announced in March, include: There’s automatic import and alignment of datasets. For example, there’s co-registration of MRI and CT scans
8 women medtech innovators you need to know
March 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment
As we celebrate more women becoming medtech leaders and paving the way for innovation, it’s important to remember the many accomplishments women have already made when it comes to the advancement of health and medicine. X-rays on the battlefield, the American Red Cross, leprosy treatment and more — these advances happened because of women. As
Hologic partners with University of Minnesota on athletic performance software
March 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Hologic (Marlborough, Mass.) has signed an exclusive agreement with the University of Minnesota to be the distributor of the university-developed Dexalytics: Teams athletic performance software in North America. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Hologic’s Horizon dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) system already provides precise body composition assessment. What the cloud-based Dexalytics software is
Drug delivering contact lenses win MIT’s top healthcare innovation prize
March 12, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Contact lenses that deliver medications directly to the eye over a period of days or weeks were the recent grand prize winner of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Healthcare Innovation Prize. The MIT Sloan Healthcare Innovation Prize competition had 8 finalists who pitched their healthcare innovations to judges from Optum and other local venture
