Medical

In the fight against cancer, doctors dish out combination-blows of surgery, chemotherapy and other drugs to beat back a merciless foe. Now, scientists have taken early steps toward adding a stinging punch to clinicians' repertoire. A novel targeted therapy using nanoparticles has enabled researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to purge ovarian tumors in limited, in vivo tests in mice.

Performing chemical reactions inside tiny droplets can help manufacturers develop greener processes for coating drugs. A discovery led by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) could lead to improvements in the way drugs are delivered to the right parts of the body by uncovering the mechanisms that help oil, water, and free radicals mix in tiny droplets.

Scientists use fragments of RNA and DNA with specific nucleotide sequences to identify others with complementary sequences, indicating, for example, the presence of a specific kind of virus. Researchers in Japan have recently improved the existing probing techniques using a cyanine dye called Cy3. RNA and DNA "probes" are conventionally made using fragments of strands that have nucleotide sequences on either end that complement each oth...

The NHS recorded over 22 million X-rays in England last year, and they are a diagnostic test that most of us are familiar with. Scientists have often sought to reduce harmful ionising radiation, the high-energy particles that penetrate tissue to reveal internal organs and bone structures that can damage DNA, from single x-ray records or CT scans.

  Over the past few decades, many bacteria have become resistant to existing antibiotics, and few new drugs have emerged. A recent study from a U.K. commission on antimicrobial resistance estimated that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections will kill 10 million people per year, if no new drugs are developed.

Delivering 600W without fan assisted cooling from a compact 8.5x4.5x1U package; the CoolX600 is a convection-cooled modular power supply from Excelsys Technologies. The CoolX600 carries Medical Safety approvals and offers system designers performance for efficiency and reliability in addition to what the company claims is the most comprehensive feature set and specifications available. A five year warranty is also available.

Harnessing the body’s own immune system to destroy tumours is a tantalising prospect that has yet to realise its full potential. However, a new advance from MIT may bring this strategy, known as cancer immunotherapy, closer to becoming reality. In the new study, the researchers used a combination of four different therapies to activate both of the immune system’s two branches, producing a coordinated attack that led to the comple...

Leaders of the University of Wisconsin–Madison lab that first transformed human stem cells into brain cells have started a company that produces and sells specialised neurons to drug researchers. BrainXell develops neurons from stem cells in its Madison lab, then freezes them for shipment. Once thawed in the customer’s lab, the cells undergo a final step of specialisation and become neurons like those found in the spinal cord or ...

  Cable specialist SAB Bröckskes puts on the market a broad range of new cable materials for medical devices. The bio compatible material series SABmed S contains besides the basic type with high abrasion and tear strength an ultra flexible and smooth cable, a cable with UL approval as well as a non blooming type.

At this year’s COMPAMED trade fair, the sensor manufacturer Sensirion and the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Microsystems and Solid State Technologies (EMFT) will be presenting an innovative concept study in the field of medical technology. Fraunhofer EMFT’s silicon micropump has been combined with Sensirion’s LD20 single-use liquid flow sensor as part of a joint project with the aim of developing a smart and cost-effi...