Category Health/Medical

Tiny, Wireless, Injectable Chips use Ultrasound to Monitor Body Processes

Tiny, wireless, injectable chips use ultrasound to monitor body processes

Widely used to monitor and map biological signals, to support and enhance physiological functions, and to treat diseases, implantable medical devices are transforming healthcare and improving the quality of life for millions of people. Researchers are increasingly interested in designing wireless, miniaturized implantable medical devices for in vivo and in situ physiological monitoring. These devices could be used to monitor physiological conditions, such as temperature, blood pressure, glucose, and respiration for both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

To date, conventional implanted electronics have been highly volume-inefficient—they generally require multiple chips, packaging, wires, and external transducers, and batteries are often needed for energy storage...

Read More

New Genetic Copycatchers Detect Efficient and precise CRISPR Editing in a Living Organism

Red fluorescent detector proteins in fruit flies reveal detection from an actual copying experiment (left) and how perfect copying would appear (right). Fluorescent cells in the left panel also lack the function of a pigmentation gene called “pale” due to copying of the CopyCatcher element, which eliminates function of both copies of the pale gene. Control flies in the right panel, which have only one copy of the pale gene disrupted by insertion of the CopyCatcher (one functional copy of the gene), have bright red cells and normal bristle pigmentation throughout the body. Credit: Zhiqian Li

Proof-of-principle research shows that genes can be accurately edited in cells throughout the body...

Read More

Lighting up Biology from Within

A biochemical reaction between an enzyme called luciferase and oxygen causes fireflies to glow and is considered one of the most well-known examples of bioluminescence in nature. Source: Shutterstock

Researchers at the University of Missouri have created a low-cost, portable device that can apply non-invasive bioluminescent imaging technology to many uses in animals, humans.

A biochemical reaction between an enzyme called luciferase and oxygen causes fireflies to glow and is considered one of the most well-known examples of bioluminescence in nature...

Read More

Microneedle Patch delivers Antibiotics Locally in the Skin

Fingers holding the microneedle patch
The microneedles are so small that they do not reach the pain receptors, making the treatment relatively painless. Photo: Jill Ziesmer

MRSA skin infections are often treated with intravenous injection of antibiotics, which can cause significant side effects and promote the development of resistant bacterial strains. To solve these problems, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are developing a microneedle patch that delivers antibiotics directly into the affected skin area. New results published in Advanced Materials Technologies show that the microneedle patch effectively reduces MRSA bacteria in the skin.

MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) skin infections are potentially lethal, especially in patients with compromised immune systems...

Read More