Researchers from the Caboolture Hospital in Queensland, Australia found that medical skin glue can be used to hold hospital intravenous lines in place, significantly reducing the risk of infection, pain, blockage or overall failure. The team’s work was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The Emergency Medicine Foundation of Australia, along with Queensland Health, […]
Materials Testing
Usnic acid electrospun fibers demonstrate antibacterial properties
Researchers from the Institute of Materials Science in Juazeiro, Brazil have reported on the antibacterial properties of usnic acid, a strong lichen metabolite, encapsulated in electrospun fibers. The team’s work was published in Recent Patents on Nanotechnology. Usnic acid has been used in commercial products, such as creams, toothpastes and sunscreen, due to their antiviral, animicrobial […]
Lab-grown bone shows 100% success rate in small, early study
Israel’s Bonus Biogroup (TLV:BONS) said today that it successfully injected its lab-grown, semi-liquid bone graft into the jaws of 11 people in an early stage clinical trial evaluating bone loss repair. The company is presenting its results at the International Conference on Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Spain today. The material is grown in a lab from […]
Supersonic spray produces nanomaterials for wearable electronics
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Korea University have developed an ultrathin, highly conductive nanomaterial produced by a supersonic spray, according to the study published in Advanced Functional Materials. The bendable, stretchable film could be used to develop wearable electronics. The film is composed of fused silver nanowires, made by spraying nanowire particles through […]
Sofregen buys Allergan’s Seri surgical scaffold
Sofregen Medical said today that it bought the Seri surgical scaffold from Allergan (NYSE:AGN) for an undisclosed amount. Polaris Partners and other investors provided financing for the acquisition, according to the Medford, Mass.-based company. Seri, which is approved by the FDA for use as soft tissue support in plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures, is the only approved […]
Swiss researchers develop material that goes highly flexible to rigid
Researchers from Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a composite material made from silicone and copper alloy that can morph from being highly flexible to rigid as its temperature varies. The team says the tube’s flexibility could be useful in endoscopic procedures, where anatomy presents a challenge for rigid devices to maneuver within the […]
Harvard touts 1st 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing
Researchers from Harvard University developed what they tout as the 1st entirely 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing. The heart-on-a-chip was quickly manufactured by a fully automated, digital procedure and allows researchers to collect data for short-term and long-term studies. The team, who published their work in Nature Materials, hope that one day this approach may allow researchers to […]
Engineered “building blocks” could form complex nano-structures
A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne have developed a method to turn particles into “building blocks” for complex nano-structures, according to a study published in Nature Nanotechnology. “Nano-objects are difficult to manipulate, as they’re too tiny to see directly by eye, far too small to hold, and often have incompatible surfaces for assembling […]
Sofregen lands $6.2m Series A
Sofregen Medical said yesterday that it landed a $6.2 million Series A round from Polaris Partners and other founding investors, bringing their total funding raised to more than $11 million. The Medford, Mass.-based company was founded in 2014 to advance silk-based medical technology developed at Tufts University and the University of Pittsburgh for soft tissue […]
MIT, Singapore Univ. dev 3-D-printed structures that “remember” their shapes
By Sarah Faulkner Engineers from MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design are using light to create 3D structures that remember their shape when triggered by external stimuli like temperature. These structures, also known as shape-memory polymers, could be useful as delivery vessels for drugs in the human body. Get the full story at […]
U.K. stent biomaterials project lands $8M grant
The ReBioStent project, led by U.K.-based Ceram, landed a $8 million (€5.8 million) grant to put towards developing new biomaterials and new arterial stents.
The ReBioStent project is seeking to develop biodegradable and biocompatible medical products, including stents. The 3-year project began this year and currently has 14 academy and industry partners working on it, according to a press release.