Harvard researchers have created a rigid-soft robotic arm for endoscopes that can sense, flex and has multiple degrees of freedom. Flexible endoscopes fit through narrow passages to reach difficult parts of the body. Once they reach their target, the devices need rigid surgical tools to be able to manipulate or remove tissues. Researchers from Harvard’s […]
Harvard University
These fabric-based sensors move with the body
Researchers have designed a new silicone-fabric sensor that can move with the human body and be used in wearables and robotics and laser movement sensors from companies like CMOS, according to research from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Typical […]
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). […]
Medicaid expansion tied to increase in prescriptions for diabetes drugs, birth control
The number of prescriptions filled by adults using Medicaid rose 19% in states that expanded Medicaid compared to states that did not under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The largest increases were for drugs that help patients deal with chronic conditions, including […]
Study: Laser-activated gold microstructures deliver cargo directly into cells
Researchers from the Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a method to deliver molecules into cells using gold microstructures. The team published their work in ACS Nano. Previous work has been done to deliver drugs or DNA into cells by tricking or forcing open the cell membrane, but the […]
eGenesis raises $38m for CRISPR-powered xenotransplantation
A Cambridge, MA.-based firm got a $38 million boost towards it goal of harvesting animal organs to give to humans in dire need of a transplant. eGenesis, a spin-out from Harvard University, hopes to improve the supply of organs for patients that are stuck on the transplant waiting list. While the seemingly science-fiction field of xenotransplantation […]
Here’s how exosuits affect your joints
People who wear soft exosuits use 23% less energy when walking while also reducing stress on their ankle joints, according to a recently published study out of Harvard. The researchers previously showed that a soft robotic exosuit could lower energy expenditures in healthy people who need to carry things on their backs, but the new research shows […]
Encapsulating single cells in tunable hydrogel could boost cell therapies
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a microfluidic approach to trap individual cells within a hydrogel material that can be tuned to match the physiological conditions of the body, according to a study published this […]
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 […]
Outpatient care quality stays flat
(Reuters) — The quality of outpatient care hasn’t changed much in the U.S. over the past decade, despite a variety of local, regional and national efforts to encourage improvements, a study suggests. “Overall, the quality of outpatient care has remained largely flat; there are some areas of improvement, but we also see areas of decline,” said […]
Researchers look to create massive human cell ‘atlas’
Scientists launched a global initiative on Friday to map out and describe every cell in the human body in a vast atlas that could transform researchers’ understanding of human development and disease. The atlas, which could take more than a decade to complete, aims to chart the types and properties of all human cells across all […]