Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech

World’s First Portable NMR Scanner Will Make for Fast, Low-Cost Tuberculosis Testing

July 12, 2016 By Cambridge Consultants

Product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants is working with medical device start-up WaveGuide Corporation to tackle the global problem of tuberculosis (TB), as well as other diseases. The two companies are developing a unique portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanner to provide fast, low-cost, point-of-care (POC) testing for disease in developing countries and geographically remote locations.

TB is one of the major killer infectious diseases worldwide. It affects nearly 10 million people each year – and 1.5 million sufferers die, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet the disease is curable – and its spread can be prevented – if it’s caught early enough. The WHO says more than 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

The traditional ‘gold standard’ TB test used in developing countries involves taking a sputum sample, which is then cultured in a central laboratory. The process is slow, as it can take weeks for the TB bacilli to grow, and often inaccurate – sometimes picking up only 20 percent of cases. Such tests are also unable to detect drug-resistant strains of TB.

NMR offers the possibility of a faster, more sensitive test. But existing NMR diagnostic equipment is large and expensive – making it inaccessible to many of the populations at high risk.

The NMR Scanner (Credit: Cambridge Consultants)

In contrast, the new sputum test being developed by Cambridge Consultants and WaveGuide is affordable and no bigger than a shoebox – so it can be used in mobile clinics, for example. It will give results in less than 30 minutes, with 95 percent accuracy, and paves the way for detecting drug-resistant TB. This all means that appropriate treatment can be started promptly – improving patients’ chances of recovery.

“We’re bringing the reliability of expensive, high-tech laboratory equipment to patients in the field, as well as in hospital, in the form of a compact POC device that gives accurate results fast,” said Richard Hall, head of global medical technology at Cambridge Consultants. “Our expertise in fluidics, electronics, mechanical engineering and connected health, together with our human factors skills, is enabling us to help WaveGuide create a truly innovative diagnostic device for emerging markets.”

As well as TB diagnosis, the technology is also being adapted for the detection and monitoring of conditions such as ovarian and other cancers, where existing tests involve attaching microscopic iron particles to circulating tumor cells and using magnets to draw them out of a blood sample. It could also be used to identify counterfeit drugs – and has potential industrial applications, such as oil and gas detection and analysis

Related Articles Read More >

CeQur Simplicity
CeQur is launching a discreet, convenient ‘wearable insulin pen’
Blackrock's Utah array is a miniature array of electrodes for sensing brain signals
Blackrock Neurotech and Pitt work on first at-home BCI system for remote trials
Engineer inspecting artificial hip joint parts in quality control department in orthopaedic factory
Deburring and finishing for beautiful, functional medical devices
A Medtronic HVAD pump opened up to show the inner workings
FDA designates new Medtronic HVAD pump implant recall as Class I

DeviceTalks Weekly.

July 1, 2022
Boston Scientific CEO Mike Mahoney on building a corporate culture that drives high growth results
See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

Enewsletter Subscriptions

Enewsletter Subscriptions

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech 100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to E-newsletter
  • Attend our Monthly Webinars
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • Med Tech Resources
    • DeviceTalks Tuesdays
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • The Big 100
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Video
  • 2022 Leadership in MedTech
    • 2022 Leadership Voting!
    • 2021 Winners
    • 2020 Winners
  • Women in Medtech