How Ancient Sea Creatures can Inform Soft Robotics

Soft robotics is the study of creating robots from soft materials, which has the advantage of flexibility and safety in human interactions. These robots are well-suited for applications ranging from medical devices to enhancing efficiency in various tasks.

These Screen-printed, Flexible Sensors Allow Earbuds to Record Brain Activity and Exercise Levels

Earbuds can be turned into a tool to record the electrical activity of the brain and levels of lactate in the body with two flexible sensors screen-printed onto a flexible surface.

UC Irvine-led study links low-dose radiation to higher cancer risk

Long-term exposure to low-dose radiation is linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine. In the U.S., radiation exposure for the average person doubled between 1985 and 2006, mainly from medical imaging procedures such as CT scans, highlighting the need for its judicious use.

Informed by mechanics and computation, flexible bioelectronics can better conform to a curvy body

Today, foldable phones are ubiquitous. Now, using models that predict how well a flexible electronic device will conform to spherical surfaces, University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Texas at Austin engineers could usher in a new era in which these bendy devices can integrate seamlessly with parts of the human body.

What Physicists Can Learn from Shark Intestines

ROCKVILLE, MD – In 1920, inventor Nikola Tesla patented a type of pipe that he called a “valvular conduit,” which was built to draw fluid in one direction without any moving parts or added energy, and has applications ranging from soft robotics to medical implants. In 2021, scientists discovered that sharks’ spiral-shaped intestines work much the same way, favoring fluid flow in one direction—from head to pelvis.

Research takes on a massive problem: Chronic infection linked to medical devices

Infections related to implanted medical devices are shockingly common and a research team including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York is working to address the problem.

Print, Recycle, Repeat: Scientists Demonstrate a Biodegradable Printed Circuit

Scientists have developed a fully recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit. The advance could divert wearable devices and other flexible electronics from landfill, and mitigate the health and environmental hazards posed by heavy metal waste.

Bio-inspired hydrogel protects the heart from post-op adhesions

A hydrogel that forms a barrier to keep heart tissue from adhering to surrounding tissue after surgery was developed and successfully tested in rodents by a team of University of California San Diego researchers. The team of engineers, scientists and physicians also conducted a pilot study on porcine hearts, with promising results.

They describe their work in the June 18, 2021 issue of Nature Communications.

Perfect Match: FAU and Memorial Healthcare System Establish Research Partnership

South Florida giants in higher education and healthcare have joined forces to form an alliance that will advance clinical research and clinical trials in the region. Florida Atlantic University and Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County have formed a “Research Partnership to Advance Clinical Trials” (Research PACT), which combines their expertise and resources in clinical research, clinical trials, basic research and translational biomedical research.

Antibody screening finds COVID-19 nearly 7 times more prevalent in O.C. than thought

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 28, 2020 — Testing a representative sample of Orange County residents for a wide range of coronavirus antibodies, University of California, Irvine researchers found that 11.5 percent of them have antibodies for COVID-19, in contrast to previous estimates of less than 2 percent. Latino and low-income residents had the highest prevalence of SARS-CoV-02 antibodies with rates of 17 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

OnSight Medical Wins TCT Connect 2020 hark Tank Innovation Competition

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is pleased to announce that OnSight Medical, an AI-based company specializing in cardiac ultrasound imaging, has won the TCT 2020 Shark Tank Innovation Competition which took place during the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), the world’s premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. The winner was also presented with the Jon DeHaan Foundation Award for Interventional Innovation.

UCI develops low-cost, accurate COVID-19 antibody detection platform

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 19, 2020 — A robust, low-cost imaging platform utilizing lab-on-a-chip technology created by University of California, Irvine scientists may be available for rapid coronavirus diagnostic and antibody testing throughout the nation by the end of the year. The UCI system can go a long way toward the deployment of a vaccine for COVID-19 and toward reopening the economy, as both require widespread testing for the virus and its antibodies.

SLAC scientists invent low-cost emergency ventilator and share the design for free

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented an emergency ventilator that could help save the lives of patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers develop low-cost, easy-to-use emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients

A team of engineers and physicians at the University of California San Diego has developed a low-cost, easy-to-use emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients that is built around a ventilator bag usually found in ambulances.

The team built an automated system around the bag and brought down the cost of an emergency ventilator to just $500 per unit–by comparison, state of the art ventilators currently cost at least $10,000. The device’s components can be rapidly fabricated and the ventilator can be assembled in just 15 minutes.

Next-gen nano technologies to tackle infection and diagnose disease

Next-gen nano technologies that can prevent infection and diagnose disease are set to transform the medical industry as this important UniSA research is awarded more than $2 million dollars under the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2021 Investigator Grants.

Engineers share designs for 3D printed ventilator adapters to help during coronavirus pandemic

Engineers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have made their designs for 3D printed ventilator adapters available to the public to help during the coronavirus pandemic.

ISPOR-FDA Summit 2020 Will Focus on the Use of Patient-Preference Information in Medical Devices

ISPOR—the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, announced that it will be holding a joint ISPOR-FDA Summit, “Using Patient-Preference Information in Medical Device Regulatory Decisions: Benefit-Risk and Beyond,” on March 31, 2020 in Silver Spring, MD, USA.

New way to make biomedical devices from silk yields better products with tunable qualities

Researchers have developed a more efficient fabrication method for silk that allows them mold the material like plastic into solid forms for a wide range of applications, including medical devices. The properties of the end products can be “tuned”, and modified with bioactive molecules, such as antibiotics and enzymes.

A Robot and Software Make it Easier to Create Advanced Materials

A Rutgers-led team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. The innovation is a critical step in pushing the limits for researchers who want to explore large libraries of polymers, including plastics and fibers, for chemical and biological applications such as drugs and regenerative medicine through tissue engineering.