Want to put some lead in your pencil? Try nitinol instead. The wonder metal—a nickel-titanium alloy with heat-activated shape memory—has proved essential for Wisconsin and Illinois researchers building what British tabloids are calling a “bionic penis.” Chuckles aside, the proposed implant has enough potential advantages over existing erectile dysfunction treatment implants that Boston Scientific officials […]
Research & Development
Scientists develop silver-releasing scaffold to prevent MRSA infection in bone
Researchers have developed a biocompatible, silver-releasing scaffold that inhibits methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, infection in bone. The team’s work was published in Tissue Engineering. The antimicrobial properties of silver ions and the biodegradable scaffold seeded with bone-forming stem cells could be used to coat implants and prevent bone infection, the team suggested in the study. Get the […]
Penn State researchers use immune cells to deliver cancer drugs
Researchers from the Penn State Materials Research Institute have developed a biodegradable and photoluminescent nanoparticle that are carried by immune cells to target melanoma. The team’s work was published last week in the journal Small. “The traditional way to deliver drugs to tumors is to put the drug inside some type of nanoparticle and inject those […]
2017 predictions for biomedicine
Dr. David Williams, Boston Children’s Hospital’s newly appointed chief scientific officer, is also president of the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and director of Clinical & Translational Research at Boston Children’s. Vector connected with him to get his forecast on where biomedical research and therapeutic development will go in the year ahead. What do you […]
Researchers develop nanodiscs to deliver personalized cancer therapy
Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed nanodiscs that deliver a customized therapeutic vaccine to treat colon and melanoma cancer in mice. The team’s work was published in Nature Materials. “We are basically educating the immune system with these nanodiscs so that immune cells can attack cancer cells in a personalized manner,” senior author James Moon said […]
IntelGenx, Endo Ventures ink development and commercialization deal
IntelGenx (OTCQX:IGXT) said today that it inked a development and commercialization deal with pharmaceutical company Endo Ventures. According to the agreement, the 2 companies will develop a new product using IntelGenx’s VersaFilm drug delivery technology to bring to the market in the U.S. Endo will have certain exclusive rights to market and sell the product in the […]
Researchers develop flexible patch with stainless steel microneedles
Researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a patch that combines stainless steel microneedles and a soft polymer base. The team’s work was published this month in PLOS ONE. “To the best of our knowledge, flexible and stretchable patches with arrays of sharp and stiff microneedles have not been demonstrated to date,” […]
Researchers develop nanosensor to differentiate cancer cells and healthy cells in surgery
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have developed a threshold nanosensor that can differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy tissue during surgery. The team’s work was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. “We synthesized an imaging probe that stays dark in normal tissues but switches on like a light bulb when it reaches solid […]
Researchers’ bionic pancreas outperforms standard insulin pump therapy
Researchers from Boston University have developed a bionic pancreas system that outperformed conventional insulin pump therapy for patients with type 1 diabetes, according to a trial conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital. The team’s work was published in The Lancet. This device is the latest development in the race to make an entirely closed loop insulin pump system, […]
Artificial leaf produces drugs using solar energy
Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology have reportedly developed a leaf-inspired mini-factory to produce drugs using solar energy. The team’s work could allow medicine to be made in resource-deprived areas, as long as there is sunlight. “Theoretically, you could use this device to make drug compounds with solar energy anywhere you want,” lead researcher […]
Study: Laser-activated deep-sea drug kills prostate cancer
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and Steba Biotech have reportedly developed a light-sensitive drug derived from deep-sea bacteria that has been shown to kill cancer cells in low-risk prostate cancer patients without affecting healthy tissue. The team’s work was published in Lancet Oncology. Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy, VTP, utilizes a drug called WST11 which was […]