BMS Launches Bio-absorbable Scaffold for Implant Devices

Sheets of Biomedical Structures' Biofelt absorbable textile

Biomedical Structures LLC (BMS), a designer, developer and manufacturer of biomedical textiles, this week announced its new Biofelt absorbable scaffold for implant devices. The bio-absorbable textile is an updated version of its Biofelt product with process improvements and QA control updates. The fabric is especially suited for the orthopaedic and cardiovascular spaces.

Biofelt is a three-dimensional nonwoven structure with high surface area and void volume designed to promote natural cell adhesion and regeneration. Biofelt is produced from polyglycolic acid, poly-L-lactic acid and copolymers such co-polylactic acid/glycolic acid. Read more…

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The Medtech Side of Pharmapack Europe

Ypsomed's UnoPen.

Obviously, there’s an awful lot of pharmaceutical packaging on display at Pharmapack Europe, but medical packaging also gets a fair amount of attention at the annual event. If you live in or near Paris, or are just looking for an excuse to spend some time in the city of light, the event is definitely worth checking out. Need more motivation? Here are five reasons you should consider attending Pharmapack Europe.

1. DuPont Performance Polymers will showcase its new Delrin SC699 acetal resin, which played a key role in the design and manufacture of the UnoPen, a disposable, variable-dose injector pen for insulin and other therapies developed by Ypsomed AG. The material is used to mould the pen’s dose dial sleeve. Its low-friction behaviour facilitates use of the pen by diabetes patients, according to DuPont. Other attributes of the material in the UnoPen application include its mechanical properties and compatibility with laser marking when using a masterbatch. Read more…

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Luciano Cattani Takes Over as Eucomed Chief Executive Ad Interim

Eucomed has announced that Luciano Cattani has taken over as Chief Executive ad interim until a suitable successor is found to John Wilkinson, who left the position at the end of 2011. Cattani previously served as a Board Member and Vice Chairman of Eucomed. He has previously held management positions at Pfizer and Stryker. Read more…

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New Elastomer Technology Helps Surgeons Get a Grip

A supplier of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) has developed a technology that offers three times the coefficient of friction (COF) of conventional materials under wet and dry conditions without affecting physical or rheological performance. Marketed under the Thermolast W trade name by Kraiburg TPE, the technology enables manufacturers to eliminate the tackiness that typically is part and parcel of products with wet-grip properties. The technology has countless potential uses in a range of industries notes the company. Potential medical applications include surgical instruments. Read more…

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Stimulation with Electrical Noise Could Alleviate Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, Study Finds

A study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PloS ONE shows that a weak, electrical noise signal may help people with Parkinson’s disease. The study was conducted by researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy of University of Gothenburg, Sweden. In experiments on rats, stimulating the balance organs with electrical noise improved the motor ability with 25%, the same amount of improvement that can be achieved with commonly used drugs for Parkinson’s disease, according to a Sahlgrenska Academy press release. Read more…

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How Do You Say Mittelstand in English?

What is the best way to revive the UK economy? Follow the German model, says the Trades Union Congress (TUC), a federation representing the majority of UK trade unions. The TUC has just published a report titled, German Lessons: Developing industrial policy in the UK, which may raise some eyebrows while fueling a much-needed debate. Read more…

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EDMA and Eucomed Join Forces to Establish European Industry Federation

EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, and Eucomed, the European medical technology industry association, will join forces under the umbrella of a European industry federation. EDMA represents national associations and major companies engaged in the research, development, manufacture or distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) tests in Europe. Combining their experiences, the two Brussels-based industry associations aim to enhance the recognition of their joint membership at the European level. Among other things, the creation of a European industry aims to ensure the place of IVDs and medical technology at the forefront of twenty-first century healthcare and healthcare policy. Read more…

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Motor Drive Inside a Stainless Steel Housing Controls Operating Tables

The “Silver Line” made by Groschopp offers a combination of a motor with integrated electronics and gear inside a stainless steel housing.

German manufacturer of custom drives, Groschopp has developed an electric motor for adjusting operating tables in surgical rooms. Its stainless steel housing meets the strict demands for cleanliness in this sterile environment. The “Silver Line” features a motor with integrated electronics, combined with a reducer gear, all inside a stainless steel housing. The lid at the end of the motor housing is not attached by using screws, but instead is pressed into the housing making for smooth surfaces without any protrusions or gaps. Because conventional joining agents such as glue are neither stable nor neutral enough, the socket for the plug connection is laser-welded onto the housing. Read more…

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Medtech Week Recap: Qualcomm Offers US$10 Million for Developers that Create Real Version of Star Trek Tricoder Device

Last week, the Consumer Electronics Show took place in Las Vegas. At the show, Qualcomm introduced a US$10 million competition through its X Prize Foundation. The foundation offers this prize to anyone who develops a device similar to the Tricoder featured in Star Trek, a device used to diagnose medical conditions without touching the body. The prize will be awarded to a wireless device that can diagnose a set of 15 diseases across 30 consumers in three days. Read more…

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Sabic Plants in South America Receive Certification to Produce US FDA–Compliant Biomaterials

Innovative Plastics, a business unit of materials supplier Sabic, has announced that its plants in Campinas, Brazil, and Tortuguitas, Argentina, are now certified to produce US FDA–compliant and biocompatible resins. With this initiative, the company hopes to be a significant link in the supply chain of booming medical markets in Latin and South America. Read more…

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Technique Introducing Nanosensors to Living Cells Could Reduce Need for Animal Research

The yellow nanosensor signal in the overlay image (right) shows that the cells are active. If they were unhealthy, they would appear much redder. Center: the indicator dye signal. Left: the reference dye signal.

Animal research continues to be a controversial topic in medical research. In Germany alone, about 2.79 million animals were used for scientific research in 2009, according to a Fraunhofer press release. A new technique developed at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT in Munich could help reduce the number of animal experiments. The technique uses nanosensors to detect cell damage on patches of human skin, according to the press release. Read more…

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Bionic Auditory Membrane Achieves Natural Battery-Free Hearing

Researchers at Kyoto and Osaka universities have co-developed an artificial cochlea that operates without an external power supply. The team led by Kyoto University’s Takayuki Nakagawa and Osaka University’s Satoyuki Kawano created the MEMS-based, piezoelectric acoustic sensor, or Bionic Auditory Membrane (BAM). The device generates electrical potentials in response to sound stimuli that are able to induce an auditory response in the brainstem. Read more…

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