Medtech Week Recap: Bone Developed from Human Embryonic Stem Cells Could Have Therapeutic Applications

Monday, May 21st, 2012

Researchers have grown bone from human embryonic stem cells. The research could have applications in therapies to replace bone tissue.

Prosthetic Retina Could Restore Sight to Blind Patients

Friday, May 18th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27945" align="alignleft" width="144" caption="A prosthetic retina made of thin silicone"][/caption] A new type of prosthetic retina could restore vision to patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness in the developed world, according to a press release from University of Strathclyde. The device is wireless and ...

Medtech Week Recap: Robot Identifies and Records Neurons

Monday, May 14th, 2012

Researchers at MIT and Georgia Institute of Technology used a robotic arm and a computer algorithm to identify and record neurons in a mouse brain. The method automates an extremely complicated task and could help uncover how diseased cells are different from normal cells.

Humans Think Robots Have Consciousness and Moral Accountability, Studies Find

Friday, May 4th, 2012

As robots become more common in healthcare and beyond, researchers are increasingly focusing on studying the relationship between them and us. In the future, robots will become more and more visible in our everyday lives. The closest relationship humans will have with robots will most likely take place in healthcare. ...

3-D X-Ray Technique Depicts Fibres Controlling Heart Rhythm

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27775" align="alignleft" width="126" caption="The heart's conducting tissue"][/caption] When surgeons try to repair a malformed heart, one of the major concerns is to avoid damage to the conducting tissue that distributes electrical waves that trigger heart beats. Until now, experts have had a limited understanding of this network of conducting tissue. A ...

Nerve Guide Scaffolds Could Result in New Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Engineers at the University of Sheffield and Laser Zentrum Hannover have developed a new method of making nerve guidance conduits (NGCs), devices that help nerves regrow after trauma. Traumatic nerve damage results in loss of sensation and movement. Although damage in the peripheral nervous system can typically be repaired by reconstructive ...

Atom-Based Magnetic Sensor Measures Human Brain Activity

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27708" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Atom-based magnetic sensor developed at US NIST"][/caption] A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been used to measure human brain activity. The scientists used the sensor to measure alpha waves in the brain. The measurements were compared with ...

Antimicrobial Coating Developed by University of Manchester Researchers Could Reduce Need to Replace Catheters

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a new antimicrobial coating for catheters, according to a Society for General Microbiology press release. The coating could potentially also be used for other medical implants, such as artificial heart valves and prosthetic devices. The team has investigated several positively charged compounds, ...

Wellcome Trust to Establish Open-Access Journal

Friday, April 13th, 2012

Wellcome Trust, one of the largest research charities in the world, has announced its plan to launch a free open-access academic journal. The organisation will also more strictly enforce its requirements that scientists it funds allow open access to the published study within six months after publication. The move is ...

Nanohealth Programme Links UK and Irish Academic Institutions with Companies

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

An EU-funded programme pools the resources of four Irish universities and Swansea University in the United Kingdom to help businesses explore opportunities in nanohealth. The Celtic Alliance for NanoHealth (CAN) combines the resources at University College Dublin’s Centre for BioNano Interactions, Trinity College Dublin’s Institute of Molecular Medicines and Centre ...

Project Could Enable People to Design and Print Customised Robots in Less than a Day

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27509" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Robot designed using the new process "][/caption] Robotics is a growing field in electronic research, but progress is hampered by the time and money it takes to develop a robot and its hardware and software components. And why should scientists have all the fun? A project lead ...

Technique Combines CAT Scanning and Gamma Camera to Create 3-D Images of Lungs

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

[caption id="attachment_27494" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="An image of the lungs from a gamma camera"][/caption] A 3-D imaging system developed at University of Southampton combines CAT scanning and a gamma camera for the study of lung conditions, according to a university press release. The system maps lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, cystic ...