Detecting Cancer in Exhaled Breath: Researchers at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology showed that nanosensors can be effective at detecting certain types of cancer in exhaled breath. Pending further studies, the scientists hope that this technology will be used for regular screening of patients as part of doctors’ appointments.
A wheelchair designed to follow humans: Engineers at Saitama University’s Human-Robot Interaction Center in Saitama, Japan created a wheelchair movement system that keeps it always next to a walking person wearing a radio beacon. The wheelchair is smart enough to realize both its position and orientation relative to the person guiding it and realizes when it’s best to follow behind rather than on the side in tight and congested areas. Undoubtedly this is a big deal for people with disabilities for whom controlling the wheelchair is in itself a challenge. Judging by this video, which demonstrates the wheelchair in a public area, it looks like it’s just about ready for commercial production.
Scientists use MRI technology to detect autism: A team of researchers at King’s College London developed a brain scan that can purportedly detect autism in adults. The scan, which uses MRI and a separate imaging technique to reconstruct the scans into 3D images, can identify autism based on the physical makeup of grey matter in the brain. Results of an initial study involving the scan were published in the Journal of Neuroscience last week. According to a press release, researchers studied 20 healthy adults, 20 adults with ASD, and 19 adults with ADHD. All participants were males aged between 20 and 68 years. After first being diagnosed by traditional methods (an IQ test, psychiatric interview, physical examination and blood test), scientists used a newly-developed brain scanning technique as a comparison.
Scientists grow neurons on a microchip: Researchers from the University of Calgary cultivated neurons on silicon microchips for the first time. They used neurons isolated from mollusc Lymnaea, also known as the great pond snail, and cultured them for 2 to 4 hours over apertures on the chips forming so-called gigaseals. The microchip allows for high quality signal recording of individual neurons cultured directly on the chip’s surface. So the scientists have used the device to monitor individual neurons only, but the technique theoretically allows for simultaneous monitoring of multiple individual neurons engaged in synaptic connectivity. This will lead to a better understanding of neuronal communication and synaptic plasticity. In addition, the chips are automated, making them much easier to use than the traditional patch-clamp techniques used for neuronal studies. The findings were published online in this month’s Biomedical Devices.
A weekly roundup of new developments in medical technology, by MedGadget.com.