Medical

An Israeli startup is making glasses with lenses that can automatically adjust their optical power in real time, which may be a boom to people with age-related trouble focusing on nearby objects and could also be helpful for making VR less nauseating. Called Deep Optics, the startup has spent the last three years building lenses with a see-through liquid-crystal layer that can change its refractive index.

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute, with colleagues in China, have developed a new, regenerative medicine approach to remove congenital cataracts in infants, permitting remaining stem cells to regrow functional lenses.

Research teams separated by 14 hours and 9,000 miles have collaborated to advance prospective treatment for the world's second-leading cause of death. University of Nebraska-Lincoln chemists partnered with medical researchers from the National University of Singapore to develop a molecule that can inhibit an enzyme linked with the onset of stroke.

Scientists have devised a technique for visualising tissues that could aid diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer. The new approach is more sensitive than existing tools and could help researchers detect illnesses at a much earlier stage. Doctors may also be able to check how well a patient is responding to a treatment by monitoring changes occurring in cells.

A compact optical device that can rapidly and sensitively detect biomarkers in urine has been developed by A*STAR researchers. It has promise for developing simple point-of-care diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. MicroRNAs are a newly discovered class of short (about 19 to 24 nuclides in length) fragments of noncoding RNAs that are useful biomarkers for diagnosing various diseases, including cardiac disease and some cancers.

A study by A*STAR researchers suggests the surface properties of the glass vessels in which pharmaceutical ingredients are prepared has an effect on how they crystallise. When deciding how to control crystallization of an active ingredient during large scale production, drug companies consider many parameters such as solvent type, solute concentration and temperature to ensure the right crystal form.

Progressive contact lenses which actually slow the advancement of myopia, or near-sightedness, have been developed by Dr. Jaume Pauné of the Universitat Politècninca de Catalunya (UPC). The reduction in the onset of myopia was registered at as high as 43%, measuring a difference in increase of between three and five dioptres. The technology is unique in that the lenses are designed to influence one's peripheral vision and do no...

In a national clinical trial led by Joslin Diabetes Center's Beetham Eye Institute, ultrawide field (UWF) scanning technology significantly improved the ability of experts at a remote central location to identify diabetic retinopathy in a patient, and to judge whether the eye disease warranted referring the patient to an ophthalmologist for further care. The national trial confirms findings of earlier research on Beetham patients with UWF imaging...

An amputee was able to feel smoothness and roughness in real-time with an artificial fingertip that was surgically connected to nerves in his upper arm. Moreover, the nerves of non-amputees can also be stimulated to feel roughness, without the need of surgery, meaning that prosthetic touch for amputees can now be developed and safely tested on intact individuals.

imec and Holst Centre, an open-innovation initiative set-up by imec and TNO, have presented a 0.6V ECG readout chip in 40nm technology based on time-domain circuit techniques. The chip maintains consistent beat detection capabilities, even under movement (~40mVpp), paving the way to a low cost, low power multi-sensor SoC solution for wearable medical applications.