Medical Technology
Diagnostic technique uses immune cell DNA
July 9, 2012 8:56 am | by David Orenstein, Brown University | News | CommentsBy looking at signature chemical differences in the DNA of various immune cells called leukocytes, scientists have developed a way to determine their relative abundance in blood samples. The relative abundance turns out to correlate with specific cancers and other diseases, making the technique potentially valuable not only for research, but also for diagnostics and treatment monitoring.
Nanotherapeutic delivers clot-busters straight to blood vessels
July 6, 2012 8:42 am | News | CommentsResearchers at Harvard University have developed a novel biomimetic strategy that delivers life-saving nanotherapeutics directly to obstructed blood vessels, dissolving blood clots before they cause serious damage or even death. This new approach enables thrombus dissolution while using only a fraction of the drug dose normally required, minimizing bleeding side effects that currently limit the use of clot-busting drugs.
Healing bullets fly through tissue
July 5, 2012 7:38 am | News | CommentsMicroscopically small submarines that can swim through our blood to clear out clogged arteries or destroy malignant tumors. Various micro- and nanomachines have already been developed, but a new type of machine introduced by American researchers finally has enough propulsive power to penetrate tissue and overcome cellular barriers.
Nanostructures modeled after moth eyes may enhance medical imaging
July 3, 2012 7:22 am | News | CommentsUsing the compound eyes of the lowly moth as their inspiration, an international team of physicists has developed new nanoscale materials that could someday reduce the radiation dosages received by patients getting X-rayed, while improving the resolution of the resulting images.
Living tissues improved with 3D printed vascular networks made from sugar
July 2, 2012 6:55 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Pennsylvania researchers have developed an innovative solution to the problem of perfusion, or suffocation, in engineered tissue structures. Recently, they've shown that 3D printed templates of filament networks can be used to rapidly create vasculature and improve the function of engineered living tissues.
FDA panel sees little use for metal-on-metal hips
July 2, 2012 6:38 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsGovernment health experts said Thursday there are few reasons to continue using metal-on-metal hip implants, amid growing evidence that the devices can break down early and expose patients to dangerous metallic particles. The devices were originally marketed as a longer-lasting alternative to older ceramic and plastic models. But recent data from the U.K. and other foreign countries suggests they are more likely to deteriorate.
Bone growth accelerated through stem cell manipulation
June 25, 2012 1:45 pm | by Steven Powell | News | CommentsIf you break a bone, you know you'll end up in a cast for weeks. But what if the time it took to heal a break could be cut in half, or even just a tenth of the time? Researchers report they have coated surfaces with bionanoparticles sourced from a modified virus. These particles accelerated early phase bone growth, reducing the conversion of stem cells to bone nodules from two weeks to two days.
Selenium controls staph on implant material
June 21, 2012 5:15 am | News | CommentsA coating of selenium nanoparticles significantly reduces the growth of Staphylococcus aureus on polycarbonate, a material common in implanted devices such as catheters and endotracheal tubes, engineers at Brown University report in a new study.
Sharper ultrasound images could improve diagnostics
June 18, 2012 3:34 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsUltrasound images, known as sonograms, have become a familiar part of pregnancy, allowing expectant parents a view of their unborn child. But new research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology could improve the ability of untrained workers to perform basic ultrasound tests, while allowing trained workers to much more accurately track the development of medical conditions, such as the growth of a tumor or the buildup of plaque in arteries.
Tiny 'speed bump' device could sort cancer cells
June 13, 2012 4:08 am | News | CommentsIn life, we sort soiled laundry from clean; ripe fruit from rotten. Two Johns Hopkins engineers say they have found an easy way to use gravity or simple forces to similarly sort microscopic particles and bits of biological matter—including circulating tumor cells.
Don't feel like exercise? New compound may help you work out harder
June 12, 2012 6:56 pm | News | CommentsAs science rushes to develop safe weight loss drugs, a new research report suggests a different angle: What if there were a pill that would make you want to exercise harder? It may sound strange, but recent work with hormones and mice suggests that it might be possible.
Conscious perception is a matter of global neural networks
June 12, 2012 6:37 am | News | CommentsIdentification of the parts of the brain are responsible for the things that reach our awareness is one of the main puzzles in neurobiology today. New findings from researchers in Europe using electrophysiological methods now support the view that the content of consciousness is not localized in a unique cortical area.
Fat stem cells grow bones faster and better
June 11, 2012 7:00 am | News | CommentsScientists in California have purified a subset of stem cells found in fat tissue and made from them bone that was formed faster and was of higher quality than bone grown using traditional methods. The discovery may one day eliminate the need for painful bone grafts that use material taken from the patient during invasive procedures.
New imaging technique explains why concussions affect people differently
June 8, 2012 6:03 am | News | CommentsUsing a recently developed MRI technique called diffusion tensor imaging, along with a new analytical software tool designed specifically for examining microstructures, researchers at Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center have found that concussion victims have unique spatial patterns of brain abnormalities that change over time.
Repelling the drop on top
June 7, 2012 5:28 am | News | CommentsLife would be a lot easier if the surfaces of window panes, corrosion coatings or microfluidic systems in medical labs could keep themselves free of water and other liquids. A new simulation program developed by researchers in Germany can now work out just how such surfaces have to look for a variety of applications.
More advanced therapies are being aimed at cancer
June 6, 2012 6:55 am | by Marilynn Marchionne, AP Chief Medical Writer | News | CommentsAt a recent weekend conference of more than 30,000 specialists, experts reported seeing a major escalation in the arms race against cancer. Several new advances, including “smart” drugs, immune system aids, and treatments based on genetic pathways, offer new hope for battling previously intractable diseases.
Experiment lets spine-injured rats walk, climb
June 6, 2012 6:37 am | by Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsMany scientists are working on treatments to help people with spinal cord injuries walk. Now there's a striking new demonstration of how one approach might work: Spinal nerve stimulation helped rats in a Swiss lab overcome paralysis to walk and climb stairs.
Scientists hit major milestone in whole-brain circuit mapping project
June 1, 2012 8:12 am | News | CommentsNeuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory this week publicly releasing the first installment out of 500 TB of data so far collected in their groundbreaking project to construct the first whole-brain wiring diagram of a vertebrate brain, that of the mouse.
Nanotechnology breakthrough could improve medical tests
June 1, 2012 3:33 am | News | CommentsA laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. The increased performance could improve the early detection of diseases and disorder by allowing doctors to detect far lower concentrations of telltale markers than was previously practical.
“Killer” silk fibers eliminate anthrax and other microbes in minutes
May 24, 2012 4:48 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory have invented a simple, inexpensive dip-and-dry treatment can convert ordinary silk into a fabric that kills disease-causing bacteria—even the armor-coated spores of microbes like anthrax—in minutes.
Study: DNA vaccine and duck eggs protect against hantavirus disease
May 24, 2012 4:21 am | News | CommentsThe highly pathogenic hantavirus causes a condition known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which has a case fatality rate of 35-40%. To help the fight against a disease that has no vaccine, U.S. Army scientists and industry collaborators have successfully protected laboratory animals from lethal hantavirus disease using a novel approach that combines DNA vaccines and duck eggs.
New device jet-injects drugs
May 24, 2012 3:55 am | by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office | News | CommentsGetting a shot at the doctor's office may become less painful in the not-too-distant future. Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have engineered a device that delivers a tiny, high-pressure jet of medicine through the skin without the use of a hypodermic needle. The device can be programmed to deliver a range of doses to various depths—an improvement over similar jet-injection systems that are now commercially available.
Unravelling the effects of acid in the brain
May 21, 2012 7:58 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Iowa neuroscientist John Wemmie is interested in the effect of acid in the brain. His studies using new magnetic resonance imaging techniques suggest that increased acidity or low pH, in the brain is linked to panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. But his work also suggests that changes in acidity are important for normal brain activity too.
Study: Quantum dots appear safe in pioneering study on primates
May 21, 2012 4:21 am | News | CommentsA year-long evaluation of the effect of quantum dots in primates has found the nanoparticles to be safe, encouraging doctors and scientists who are hoping to use them to battle diseases like cancer. Cadmium selenide quantum dots were the variety used in the study.
More doctors are ditching the old prescription pad
May 18, 2012 6:33 am | by Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsThe U.S. government has been pushing doctors to e-prescribe, in part because it can be safer for patients. Now, more than a third of the nation's prescriptions now are electronic, and starting this year, holdouts will start to see cuts in their Medicare payments.
