Archive for December, 2008
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Scientists at Tufts University are working to build implantable, biodegradable optical sensors out of silk. "We are taking the native material from the coccoons and reforming it into clear optical materials," explains Fiorenzo Omenetto, associate professor of biomedical engineering and physics at Tufts. The strongest known natural fibre, silk is ...
Posted in Implants, Materials, Research, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
It is the season to spread some cheer and good wishes, which is perhaps not so easy given the current gloomy economic times.
What do we typically wish for others (and ourselves) at this time of year: health, wealth and happiness?
I certainly wish you health in 2009, particularly as I read ...
Posted in medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
[caption id="attachment_3301" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="The prototype depicted above demonstrates that health-monitoring capabilities can be added to a cell phone without affecting its ability to function normally. Image courtesy of UCLA"][/caption]
Researchers at UCLA have developed a prototype cell phone that can monitor the health of HIV and malaria patients. Based on ...
Posted in Imaging, Research | Add Comment »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
Materials supplier Sandvik (Sandviken, Sweden) has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and pan-European Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index. This puts Sandvik in the top 10% of global companies combining financial profitability with concern for environmental and social affairs.
Both indices are reviewed annually and are based on ...
Posted in Business News | Add Comment »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
There are many opportunities for the medical device industry to make hospitals safer places for patients. Evidence of this is found in the ECRI Institute's 2008 list of the 10 most dangerous health technology hazards facing hospitals. The list, which is updated annually, is based on problems reported to and ...
Posted in Commercial opportunities, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
A prototype blood scanner detects cancer-associated biomarkers using the same magnetic phenomenon that allows hard drives to read and write data. Developed at Stanford University, the system is reportedly tens to hundreds of times more sensitive than existing commercial devices, which would enable it to detect cancer at a very ...
Posted in Diagnostics, Research | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
The Nordic Swan ecolabel chiefly concerns the safety of product additives such as di(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP) phthalate and the difficulties of handling PVC as a waste material. Swan labelled devices cannot be made from PVC or contain endocrine disruptors and persistent, biocumulative and toxic substances. The first medical device to be ...
Posted in Materials, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
[caption id="attachment_3194" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Joachim M. Schmitt, BVMed director general and board member."][/caption] The German parliament has made it easier for hospitals to request reimbursement for innovative medical technologies, BVMed announced in a press release. The passage of the Hospital Financing Reform Act (Krankenhausfinanzierungsreformgesetz, KHRG) on Friday introduces a measure ...
Posted in EU Regulatory | Add Comment »
Monday, December 22nd, 2008
Taking part in the new quality initiative "Services in EMS" of the ZVEI Association for Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS), MAZet GmbH is optimizing its comprehensive design services for medical technology. MAZet develops and manufactures innovative electronics and software. For instance, the company developed the electronics for the latest generation of ...
Posted in Electronics, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Friday, December 19th, 2008
A new study shows that angioplasty patients who receive drug-eluting stents (DES) do better one year after surgery than those with bare metal stents, according to an article in U.S. News & World Report. However, patients with the coated stents face a greater risk of undergoing additional surgery within three ...
Posted in Implants, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Friday, December 19th, 2008
Quality First International (QFI) wants manufacturers to share their experiences of problems involving the classification of medical devices under Directive 93/42/EEC. In particular, it would like to obtain information on cases where the Competent Authority or Notified Body has disagreed with the Class of a medical device determined by the ...
Posted in EU Regulatory, medtechinsider | Add Comment »
Friday, December 19th, 2008
Tronics Microsystems S.A. (Crolles France) is bringing its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) development and manufacturing expertise to North America. At the new 140,000-sq-ft facility in Richardson, TX, Tronics MEMS Inc. will focus on the prototyping and high-volume production of custom MEMS components. An on-site 20,000-sq-ft Class 100 cleanroom is currently in operation; ...
Posted in Industry News, medtechinsider | 1 Comment »
