Nanotherapy for Immunosuppression May Lead to Diabetes Treatment

Researchers at Northwestern University developed a nanoparticle delivery system for a common immunosuppressant drug that increases the potential of pancreatic islet transplantation as a viable long-term treatment for Type I diabetes. The technology targets the drug to act on the antigen presenting cells of the immune system, rather than T cells. This...

20h

Automatic Blood Smear Preparation for Reliable Malaria Diagnosis

Researchers at Cambridge and Bath universities in the UK, along with colleagues at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, have created two devices, called autohaem, that assist in creating blood smears, a common technique for diagnosing malaria. A blood smear involves manually smudging a drop of blood across a microscope slide to allow observation...

1d

Maestro Laparoscopy Assistance Platform: Interview with Anne Osdoit, CEO of Moon Surgical

Moon Surgical (formerly MastOR), is a medtech startup based in France. The company has developed the Maestro laparoscopy assistance platform, a two-armed robotic surgical assistant that can hold and manipulate standard laparoscopic instruments. The device is intended to be used at the bedside and provides the surgeon with greater flexibility and control,...

2d

Wearable Air Sampler to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Exposure

Researchers at Yale University created a wearable air sampler clip that can be worn on clothing and which can bind aerosols present in the environment. The clip can later be analyzed to determine the level of SARS-CoV-2 exposure while it was worn. The low-cost, battery-free technology could allow people to identify unsafe indoor environments that may...

2d

Shape-Shifting Microbot to Repair Bones

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden and Okayama University in Japan developed a shape-shifting microrobot that can self-create a bone-like material under the right conditions. The electroactive material responds to low voltage electric current and changes its volume and shape, allowing the researchers to pre-program specific movements and...

2d

Protein Coating Protects Nanoparticles from Immune Attack

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have created a new coating for nanoparticles that can help to protect them from attacks by the immune system. The approach, which uses naturally occurring proteins that can inhibit the complement system, can significantly reduce immune destruction of nanoparticles, meaning that more may...

3d

Wearable Sensors Track Hand Use in Amputees

Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have developed a system to track hand use in people with a hand prosthesis or patients who have undergone a hand transplant. The technology tracks movement in the hands and arms, and helps to monitor how people use their hands in everyday life. Such data could help to guide personalized treatment for...

1w

Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells

Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disorders,...

1w

Optical Biopsy to Spot Tumors Among Healthy Tissue

Researchers at Orel State University in Russia have developed a biopsy system that can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue in many clinical cases. The device is designed to address the difficulties that clinicians may experience when trying to obtain a biopsy of a liver tumor, where it can be difficult to know if the needle is in the correct...

2w

Hairy Nanocrystals Capture Chemo Drugs

Researchers at Penn State working with collaborators have developed a nanomaterial that can ‘mop up’ chemotherapeutics in the bloodstream, helping to reduce off-target effects. The technology is intended for use in situations where a chemotherapeutic can be delivered precisely to the site of a tumor, and not in situations where it is delivered systemically....

2w