The Feinstein Institute said this week it won a $1 million gift from the Knapp Family Foundation to launch a 4-year research program to explore bioelectronic medicine to treat diabetes. With the grant, the institute will aim to develop an implantable device that will function as an electronic pancreas to regulate diabetes patients’ glucose metabolism […]
Research & Development
MIT researchers fight drug-resistant bacteria with nanoparticles
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are using nanoparticles to tackle drug-resistant bacteria, according to a study published in Advanced Materials. Gram-negative bacteria are particularly difficult to treat, since they are protected by two cell membranes. But the team of Cambridge-based researchers reported that antimicrobial peptides inside of a silicon nanoparticle effectively reduced the number of bacteria […]
Study: Researchers develop metal-free contrast agent
Researchers at MIT and the University of Nebraska have developed a contrast agent that is metal-free, which could make it safer for certain individuals, according to a new report. The groups said they have created a metal-free contrast agent which could be safer for high-risk groups, as the fluid uses organic molecules called nitroxides, according […]
This wearable device predicts influenza outbreaks
A wearable thermometer developed by Boston Children’s Hospital has had success in predicting seasonal influenza outbreaks in China, one month earlier than before, according to a new study. “The fact that we were able to predict influenza outbreaks faster than China’s national surveillance programs really shows the capacity for everyday, wearable digital health devices to […]
Is this the key to rapidly manufacturing heart valves?
Nanofiber fabrication may be the key to rapidly manufacturing heart valves with regenerative and growth potential, according to new research from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. A research team led by Kevin Kit Parker created a valve-shaped nanofiber network that replicates the mechanical and chemical properties of the native valve extracellular matrix (ECM). […]
Blood test enhances early detection of pancreatic cancer
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have devised a biomarker panel that could enable earlier diagnosis and better treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., the team reported, and often patients are not diagnosed until an advanced […]
Study: Nanomedicine shuts down cells that drive cancer growth in glioblastoma
Researchers from Northwestern Medicine have developed lipid polymer-based nanoparticles that target key cancer drivers, called brain tumor initiating cells, in a mouse model of glioblastoma brain tumors. “BTICs are malignant brain tumor populations that underlie the therapy resistance, recurrence and unstoppable invasion commonly encountered by glioblastoma patients after the standard treatment regimen of surgical resection, radiation and […]
Synspira’s therapy could boost antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria in CF patients
Privately-held Synspira touted a study today of its inhaled glycopolymer-based therapeutic with antibiotics as a potential treatment for pulmonary infection caused by the Burkholderia cepacia complex in patients with cystic fibrosis. The study was published in PLOS One. Synspira’s lead polycationic glycopolymer, SNSP113, was studied in combination with tobramycin and meropenem. These antibiotics, as well as ceftazidime, are often used to […]
Study: Dangerous medication errors are on the rise
According to a study published in Clinical Toxicology, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found there was a 100% increase in the rate of serious medication errors per 100,000 U.S. residents between 2000 and 2012. The team analyzed calls to Poison Control Centers across the U.S. and discovered that medication errors, those that happen outside of healthcare facilities, impact people […]
Defymed reveals development of novel insulin delivery device
France-based medtech company Defymed said today that it’s developing a novel insulin delivery device which it hopes to bring to market by the end of 2020. The company’s device, ExOlin, uses a biocompatible membrane that is nonbiodegradable and permeable to insulin, according to Defymed. The insulin delivery device is designed to be implanted into a patient’s abdomen […]
7 medtech stories we missed this week: July 7, 2017
From EnvisionTEC’s FDA approval to InVivo Therapeutics adding a new clinical site, here are seven medtech stories we missed this week but thought were still worth mentioning. 1. EnvisionTEC wins FDA nod for 3D printing E-Denture material EnvisionTEC announced in a June 30 press release that it has received FDA approval for its E-Denture material […]