Small, wireless and networked describes more than the latest household gadget. At Draper, medical implants are slimming down and getting connected, too. Draper’s latest system is tiny in size, but is poised to make a big impact in treating disease through its networked abilities. A driving factor in the new implant design is the growing awareness that disease often involves complex interactions between multiple systems in the body...

Recent successes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as anti-PD-1 antibodies, continue to fuel interest in immuno-oncology (I-O), one of the most competitive and fastest-growing areas of pharmaceutical R&D. Immuno-oncology therapies utilise the body’s immune system in new ways to treat cancer, and the global market for I-O therapies is expected to exceed $45bn by 2025. Researchers aiming to advance the science, however, are c...

Reports from the CDC indicate that about 30 million US adults suffer from chronic kidney disease—and every 24 hours, more than 300 people begin dialysis treatment for kidney failure. While dialysis can replace the kidney’s filtering function, it can also lead to complications, such as bacterial colonisation, biofilm formation and protein adhesion in the catheter.

Exoskeletons are making it possible for people with paraplegia to stand up, walk and even climb steps. Like their fabled science fiction counterparts, these exosuits also show promise for granting soldiers and workers superhuman strength. Despite their potential, exoskeletons remain a technology that hasn’t quite caught on. The reason may be that most exosystems today are designed without considering the way humans interact with them.

Drug use is extensive in the intensive care units of many hospitals, and although lifesaving, the practice is fraught with complexity. One notable complication is kidney toxicity, which develops more readily in ICU patients because of the underlying health conditions that enhance risk. The problem affects two out of three patients, according to a study on ICU drug use by Kidney International.

A team of researchers at Draper first announced the DragonflEye programme in January, and it now has lift-off. DragonflEye is a drone that uses live dragonflies to fly. The DragonflEye is a real dragonfly that has been turned into a living drone, it was created by researchers at Draper and Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Janelia Research Campus. The dragonfly wears a tiny backpack fitted with electronics, sensors and a solar cell. A ...

A micro-aerial vehicle is in project focus with surprising components: an actual dragonfly insect being steered to create an aerial vehicle smaller lighter and stealthier than anything that is man made. We are used to scientists wanting to copy insects when engineering the design of aerial items. Well, here the goal of the project is to turn insects into cyborg drones. The research and development project is going on at Cambridge, MA-ba...