Researchers at the Eelkema Lab have discovered a new process that uses fuel to control non-living materials, similar to what living cells do. The reaction cycle can easily be applied to a wide range of materials and its rate can be controlled – a breakthrough in the emerging field of such reactions. The discovery is a step towards soft robotics; soft machines that can sense what is happening in their environment and respond accordingly. The chemists published their findings in…

Cost-saving advance can fully automate pooled testing and detect multiple diseases. Using swarms of pinhead-sized magnets inside a handheld, all-in-one lab kit, UCLA researchers have developed a technology that could significantly increase the speed and volume of disease testing, while reducing the costs and usage of scarce supplies. The automated tests can be easily manufactured, deployed and performed timely at a doctor’s office, health clinic or at mass testing sites in airports and schools at the onset of any major…

Free-living great tits differ considerably in the level of stress hormones in their blood. A research project at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (in foundation) studied the birds over several years. The scientists observed large differences in how strongly glucocorticoid hormone levels fluctuated in individual great tits, as the birds experienced different environmental temperatures. Such differences among individuals can make it easier for bird populations to adapt to changing conditions – such as more frequent temperature extremes due…

COMPAMED 22: COMPAMED is the leading international marketplace for medical manufacturing suppliers. After the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, full halls and exhibitors from all over the world await the international audience again this year. Modern medical technology for diagnostics and therapy must meet increasing requirements for mobility and energy efficiency. For this reason, the demand for miniaturization solutions of medical components remains at a high level. Largest joint area at COMPAMED With 47 exhibitors, the “Hightech for Medical Devices”…

… using a non-toxic version of their deadly toxin. A delicacy in Japanese cuisine, puffer fish (fugu) also contain a lethal toxin. Improperly prepared puffer fish can cause the person eating it to experience food poisoning and a swift death. Such a terrible event can happen because the fish’s liver and ovaries contain a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX). However, though its purpose is unclear, puffer fish also have analogs of TTX that are non-toxic. Now, in a new study…

Metal stents or staples that disintegrate on demand inside the body could eliminate some surgical and endoscopic procedures. By taking advantage of a phenomenon that leads to fractures in metal, MIT researchers have designed medical devices that could be used inside the body as stents, staples, or drug depots, then safely broken down on demand when they’re no longer needed. The researchers showed that biomedical devices made from aluminum can be disintegrated by exposing them to a liquid metal known…

Hate needles? These researchers do too. Researchers at UC Riverside are paving the way for diabetes and cancer patients to forget needles and injections, and instead take pills to manage their conditions. Some drugs for these diseases dissolve in water, so transporting them through the intestines, which receive what we drink and eat, is not feasible. As a result, these drugs cannot be administered by mouth. However, UCR scientists have created a chemical “tag” that can be added to these…

Among many challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic also brought a surge of innovation in diagnostics. Within the shortest amount of time, reliable detection methods had to be developed, countless laboratories equipped, and several hundred thousand tests per week carried out. In the course of this, a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen has developed a new readout unit for para-magnetic particles in a microfluidic system. The special feature here is the type of particles: They are…

Patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are often treated with drugs that activate their immune system against the tumor. Until now, it was feared that vaccination against Covid-19 could reduce the success of cancer treatment or cause severe side effects. A recent study by the Universities of Bonn and Shanxi in the People’s Republic of China now gives the all-clear in this regard. According to the study, the cancer drugs actually worked better after vaccination with the Chinese vaccine SinoVac than in…

The thalamus acts as central communications hub for the brain, relaying information from the senses and other brain parts. Despite its importance, however, it is far from being fully understood. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen have now explored the correlations of the thalamus with other parts of the brain. Their statistical analyses allow them to infer which mental tasks are associated with the different parts of the thalamus. The findings, now published in the…

Medical technology is a highly regulated field where reliability and safety are essential. For this reason, many medical devices are operated with cable connection or long-established primary batteries. This has safety advantages, but sometimes severely limits flexibility. The trend here is also toward battery-powered systems. However, the lithium-ion battery technology available today does not yet meet the required safety standards. Fraunhofer ISIT has addressed this issue and is developing accumulators that meet the high standards of medical technology. In the…

Human homolog in C. elegans opens new window on diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s. In new peer-reviewed research published Nov. 3rd, 2022 in Nature Communications, Emily Spaulding, PhD. and Dustin Updike, PhD. reveal the homolog of a well-known human protein, Nucleolin, in the tiny, transparent roundworm, C. elegans. Nucleolin is linked to human neurodegenerative disease and cancer. But the new finding challenges recent theories of the role structures inside the nucleus may play in such disorders – and surfaces…

New technique can detect damage to children’s kidneys earlier than current tests. Early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is key to managing progression of the disease. A new technique analyzing urine extracellular vesicles (uEVs) — cell-derived nanoscale spherical structures involved in multiple biological functions — in urine samples identifies changes in the kidneys earlier than conventional methods and can also predict renal function decline. A team at the University of Tokyo studied urine samples from children with and without…

National study suggests it’s time to rethink how we treat atrial fibrillation. Early intervention with catheter cryoablation can halt disease progression, reduce risk of serious health impacts. A national study led by UBC researchers at the Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation is shedding light on how to more effectively treat atrial fibrillation (AF) – a common heart rhythm problem associated with increased risk of stroke and heart failure. The study, published today in The New England Journal of Medicine, shows that early intervention with…

… to evade the immune system. Using DNA barcodes to track cancer cells through time, Garvan scientists have shown that cells within a cancer have diverse abilities to escape immune system defences. Some cancer cells can deploy parallel mechanisms to evade the immune system’s defences as well as resist immunotherapy treatment, according to a new study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. By suppressing the action of killer T-cells and hindering the ability of the immune system to flag tumour cells…

Pacemakers and other medical devices, as well as long-distance drones and remote sensors, could require fewer battery replacements with new approach. For the last few decades, battery research has largely focused on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from electric cars to portable electronics and have improved dramatically in terms of affordability and capacity. But nonrechargeable batteries have seen little improvement during that time, despite their crucial role in many important uses such as implantable medical devices like…