Medical Design and Outsourcing Archives - Page 42 of 154

Researchers in Hong Kong develop self-charging face mask

The self-charging air filter (SAF) developed by Dr Yang Zhengbao and his team at CityU. [Photo courtesy of Dr Yang Zhengbao’s Group at City University of Hong Kong]

A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) says it engineered a breath-to-charge electrostatic face mask.

The researchers say the mask can charge itself, continuously replenishing its electrostatic charge as the user wears and breathes through the mask. This increases the filtering performance in prolonged use of the mask for up to four hours.

Electrostatic adsorption is an important complement to mechanical filtration in the use of facemasks. This electrostatic charge of the filters generally decays over time, particularly in humid conditions.

Not only does the mask outlast the conventional four-hour wear of a surgical mask, but it also benefits the environment, CityU said.

“Although many reports work on replenishi…

This 3D-printed heart replica mimics a pumping heart

MIT engineers are hoping to help doctors tailor treatments to patients’ specific heart anatomy and function with a custom robotic heart.[Image courtesy of Melanie Gonick, MIT]

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a 3D-printed heart replica that pumps and looks like a human heart.

MIT engineers designed the soft robotic models to be patient-specific, which could help clinicians determine the best implant for an individual. The soft and flexible replica’s actions can be controlled to mimic a patient’s blood-pumping ability.

To make the device, medical images of a patient’s heart are converted into a three-dimensional computer model. Researchers can then 3D print the model using polymer-based ink. The resulting model is a soft, flexible shell that is the exact shape of a patient’s heart. The researchers can also use the method to print a patient’…

Medical Taiwan — premier B2B medtech trade show — is this June

[Taipei, Taiwan image from Unsplash]

Medical Taiwan — organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) — is the one and only B2B trade show for the medical and healthcare industry in Taiwan.

This event is set to bring together leading manufacturers, suppliers, importers and experts from around the world to showcase the latest innovations, technologies, and products in the field.

Medical Taiwan will be held from June 8 to June 10, 2023 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX2). Applications for booth space at Medical Taiwan 2023 are open. Visit the official website for more exhibition information.

The new ‘digital health’ area in Medical Taiwan transforms healthcare with technology

[Image courtesy of Medical Taiwan]

As the world’s demand for advanced medical technology continues to grow, Taiwa…

Dutch researchers plan to develop world’s strongest MRI scanner

A consortium in the Netherlands received a $20 million (€19 million) “roadmap” grant from NWO (the Dutch Research Counsel).

Led by the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Radboud University), the consortium aims to build a high-level MRI scanner. The researchers say it will be the world’s first MRI scanner with a magnetic field strength of 14 Tesla.

Every two years, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science makes funds available to NWO. These funds cover the country’s “National Roadmap Large-Scale Research Infrastructure.” The grants enable the construction or renewal of essential research infrastructure in the Netherlands.

The “Dynamic” project seeks to build the world’s strongest MRI scanner. Its high sensitivity could allow scientists to image the brain in more detail, better understanding brain function. This could also enable new insights into…

How these engineers make DeviceTalks Boston go!

We love engineers here at DeviceTalks.

It’s obvious why. Engineers are the straw that stirs medtech’s drink (apologies to Reggie Jackson). Nothing happens — financing, manufacturing, approval, help for patients — without a well-conceived product.

And engineers often transcend their typical design roles. They grow into business leaders, technology evangelists, startup CEOs, and yes, some stay to lead ground-breaking research and development groups.

So I’m thrilled to be bringing engineers of all types into the agenda of DeviceTalks Boston. We’ll have engineers from Abbott, ZimVie, Philips, Boston Scientific, Stryker and many other companies on hand to talk about being an engineer.

But we’ll also hear from engineers who have followed their careers into other parts of the medical device industry.

In this column, we’ll walk you through some of their career highlights as told in interviews on our DeviceTalks Weekly podcast. We’ll explain t…

Donaldson buys biotech Isolere Bio

Filtration manufacturer Donaldson Co. (NYSE:DCI) has purchased early-stage biotech Isolere Bio.

The deal expands Minneapolis-based Donaldson’s life sciences business. Durham, North Carolina-based Isolere Bio develops new and proprietary IsoTag reagents and filtration processes used for the purification and streamlined manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.

“Aimed initially at the purification of viral vectors used for cell and gene therapies, IsoTag reagents are designed to substantially improve product quality and purity with faster timelines compared to competing solutions, enabling accelerated and more affordable delivery of life-changing therapies to patients globally,” Donaldson said in a news release.

Donaldson Chair, President and CEO Tod Carpenter said the acquisition positions Donaldson “to create premier separation and filtration solutions for emerging genetic-based drugs.”

Donaldson also recently purchased So…

Spinal cord stimulation helps with mobility after stroke, researchers say

[Screenshot obtained from Pitt video demonstration]

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University say spinal cord stimulation could improve arm and hand mobility.

This neurotechnology instantly improves arm and hand mobility in those affected by stroke. It could allow those affected by moderate to severe stroke to conduct normal daily activities more easily.

The researchers published their report in Nature Medicine.

According to a news story on the Pitt website, the researchers used a pair of thin, metal electrodes. They implant the electrodes, which resemble strands of spaghetti, along the neck. These electrodes engage intact neural circuits, allowing stroke patients to fully open and close their fist. Patients also may lift their arm above their head or use a fork and knife to cut a piece of steak.

“We discovered that electrical stimulation of specific spinal …

3 reasons why your medical device won’t make it to a patient

[Photo by Quality Stock Arts – stock.adobe.com]

By Haley Schwartz, Catalyze Healthcare

Medical device innovation and commercialization is a complex, orchestrated symphony, and clinical needs, product testing and compliant scalability are the key instruments.

In this article, we explore each of these areas and how you can optimize each to harmonize the process and get your product to patients.

1. Clinical customer misalignment

Many companies fight — and lose — the battle to fundamentally align a brilliant clinical idea and true clinical requirements for widespread adoption.

For example, commoditized products such as cannulae, syringes and blood pressure cuffs are subject to the forces of distributor and group purchasing organization (GPO) contracts. On the other hand, breakthrough products are inherently subject to skepticism, long lead times to generate clinical evidence, and naysayers who…

Clippard releases Cordis CP1 single valve pressure sensors

Cordis CP1 single-valve pressure sensors [Image courtesy of Clippard]

Clippard (Cincinnati) recently announced the launch of its Cordis CP1 single-valve pressure sensors.

The company’s Cordis pressure controllers utilize its EVP and DVP proportional valve series. They allow for steady, accurate and repeatable downstream pressure control as demand or process changes, according to the company.

Clippard officials say the result is a very precise linear pressure control within a closed-loop system providing ultra-high resolution and repeatability.

The Cordis includes a microcontroller, an internal pressure sensor, and a Clippard proportional valve. The inlet valve connects to the moderately regulated supply pressure.

Increase a command is increased, and the proportional valve opens up to allow supply pressure to pass over the sensor element. The feature enables active feedback for the microcont…

Flash joule heating recycles plastic into graphene for smart implants

Flash Joule heating can be used to make carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers from mixed waste plastics, a method that is 90% more efficient than existing production processes. The nanotube diameter can be controlled by changing the power or catalyst used. (Image courtesy of Tour lab/Rice University)

Scientists at Rice University developed a way to turn recycled waste plastic into a hybrid carbon nanomaterial for a multitude of uses.

Researchers expect plastic production to triple by 2050, while plastic waste globally doubled over the past 20 years. Most waste ends up in landfills, incinerated or otherwise mismanaged, they said, citing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

According to a news release, some estimates suggest that only 5% of the waste is recycled.

Rice graduate student and lead author of a study, Kevin Wyss, and a team found a new way to make the most of th…

Device display backfires on Minerva in patent dispute with Hologic

Minerva Surgical filed for its Aurora device patent after displaying the device in public. [Image courtesy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]

A new court ruling offers a cautionary tale for device developers eager to show off their prototypes before securing the proper patents.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit yesterday upheld a lower court’s ruling against Minerva Surgical in a patent dispute with Hologic.

Both courts decided that Minerva’s Aurora device for endometrial ablation came into public use when the company displayed prototypes at the 2009 American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) Global Congress of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

Minerva displayed and demonstrated the devices at a booth during the 2009 gathering — characterized in the ruling as the industry’s Super Bowl — but didn’t file to patent the device until 2012.

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IBS researchers develop high-resolution “ultra-thin” endoscope

[Image courtesy of IBS]

Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) say they developed a high-resolution holographic endoscope system.

Choi Wonshik, associate director for the Center for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics (CMSD) within IBS, led the team. According to a news release, the researchers overcame the previous limitation of fiber optic endoscopy. They reconstructed high-resolution images without attaching a lens or any equipment to the distal end of the fiber bundle.

The researchers say general endoscopy attaches a camera sensor to the end of a probe using an optical fiber. With camera sensors, the probe thickness increases, making the endoscopy rather invasive. Manufacturing in a thinner form factor can minimize invasiveness and thus patient discomfort. However, a conventional fiber bundle endoscope struggles to perform high-resolution images because the size of the individual fiber …