In what sounds like a potential significant advance in diabetes control, researchers at Cambridge University released study information about a new “artificial pancreas” that can monitor blood sugar levels and deliver insulin when necessary: “These devices could transform the management of type 1 diabetes, but it is likely to be a gradual process,” Roman Hovorka [...]
Posts under ‘Medicine’
New powered exoskeleton helps paraplegics walk
ABC’s Good Morning America has been running some interesting medical technology stories this week, but this one in particular caught my eye. An Israeli company demonstrated a powered exoskeleton called ReWalk that can be used to help wheelchair-bound individuals walk upright, even up stairs: ReWalk is a lightweight device comprised of an upper body harness, [...]
HumanPlus Blog Linkstravaganza: 1/29/10
It’s Friday. Here’s some sweet linkage to check out over the weekend: io9 asks if vat-grown meat is kosher. I would think yes, but they consult a rabbi who gives a more nuanced answer. Boing Boing notes the doctor who created the “MMR vaccine scare” could lose his license. Good riddance to bad researchers. Climate [...]
Scientists learn how to scale up creation of blood vessel cells
While scientists have been successful in using stem cells to produce endothelial cells, which make up the layer of cells that line blood vessels, the process hasn’t been very efficient. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have come up with a far more effective way to identify and produce these cells, which may someday play [...]
Take a pill, prevent stomach and throat cancer
What if you could prevent cancer just by popping a daily pill? For certain types of cancer, it might be possible. A Finnish biotechnology company is marketing a new capsule that neutralizes acetaldehyde, a compound linked to stomach and throat cancer: Acetaldehyde is produced from alcohol and sugar by microbes in the mouth. The gastric acid [...]
Scientists use nanotech to create artificial artery
British researchers have developed an artificial artery that functions much like a real human artery, even imitating the “pulsing” of a natural blood vessel. This will come in handy for people who may not have any healthy blood vessels doctors can use for grafting, and will also prevent surgeons from having to perform two surgeries [...]
Will we be mining the moon in the next ten years?
A feature in the Montreal Gazette examines ten predicted innovations that will take place over the next decade. Most of them are completely plausible. The full list is as follows: Lunar mining Medical miniaturization 3-D printing Smarter smart phones Cloud computing Nanotechnology Flying on algae (algae-based fuels) Living forever Biotechnology Alternative energies We’re already seeing [...]
“World’s first” 3D bio-printer created
The “world’s first production model 3D bio-printer” will allow institutions to build human organs and other tissues on a “cell by cell” basis: “Scientists and engineers can use the 3D bio printers to enable placing cells of almost any type into a desired pattern in 3D,” Murphy said. “Researchers can place liver cells on a [...]
Contact lenses to monitor blood glucose levels
For diabetics, monitoring blood glucose can be inconvenient and even painful, requiring them to regularly draw blood in order to test. Can’t there be an easier way? There is now! New contact lenses that incorporate nanotechnology can actually measure the glucose contained in tears, and will change color based on whether your blood sugar is [...]
Surgeons may use robots to operate on your still-beating heart
Current open heart surgery techniques require surgeons to stop the heart for prolonged periods of time in order to operate. A new system being developed in France will enable surgeons to use a robot to operate on a still-beating heart, which may lead to improved recovery times and mitigate some of the side-effects associated with the [...]