Medical Technology Marks Brave New World In Treatment Of Serious Illnesses

Innovative medical technologies being developed in Memphis promise to revolutionize health care in the coming years.

Two technologies in particular have the medical community brimming with excitement: wearable medical technology that is just becoming widely available will help extend the lives of people with terminal brain cancer and a new medical device that should be available next year will ease the recovery for breast cancer and hernia surgery patients.

Baptist Memorial Health Care’s Dr. Aleksander Jankov recently began treating brain cancer patients with the Optune medical device, which fights glioblastoma multiforme – the type of brain cancer that U.S. Sen. John McCain is battling – by interrupting the process by which cancer cells divide and spread.

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Medicine and technology: Five ways they save lives

Technological progression is most evident and valuable when it’s saving lives. Advances in medical technology, from prosthetic limbs to glass syringes, have all done so with the intention of doing just this. Groundbreaking medical technologies are rare, but there are some recent innovations that are already being deployed. Here are the five new medical technologies that may still seem like science fiction, but are used today to save lives.

1. 3D PRINTED HEAR SURGERY

China seems to have perfected 3D printing technology for internal organs such as the heart. Last year, doctors and surgeons at the People’s Hospital of Jilin completed the risky procedure on a nine-month old child. A fatal heart defect had meant the chances of death before the child turned one was as high as 80%. The doctors used a 3D scanner to print out an exact replica of the child’s heart. This helped them identify the defects and treat the child successfully, saving his life.

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Medtech research facility launched in Australia to help SMEs transition new discoveries from bench to bedside

CSIRO, Monash University and Monash Health Translation Precinct (MHTP[1]) have launched a new translational medical technology (medtech) research facility called M2 to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the sector transition new discoveries from the bench to prototyping, pre-clinical testing, industry evaluation and commercialisation.

This infrastructure is supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF). It is expected to accelerate the achievement of breakthroughs in life-changing medicine, including medical devices, vaccines and cell therapies.

Australia has more than 500 companies working in the Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals (MTP) sector. Many of these are SMEs, which might not have the resources to make the expensive, time consuming transition from prototype to clinically tested product.  

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How Technology Facilitates Patient Care at Home

Human beings are living longer than at any point in history. In fact, the average lifespan for people in developed countries is around 80 years. As a point of reference, life expectancy in the United States in the year 1900 was 47 years. This is quite a substantial increase in a little more than a century.

This increase in human lifespan can be attributed, in large part, to improved medical treatments and technologies. Innovations – such as the discovery of antibiotics and new procedures for treating heart attacks – have allowed people to live longer.

But advancements in medical technology are also impacting the quality of life people experience as they age. By helping people age in place rather than at a hospital or in nursing care, these breakthroughs are improving our ability to remain healthy into our elderly years. Additionally, technologies aimed at improving home care will help the healthcare industry deal with challenges such as overcrowded hospitals, remote populations, and treatment for the rising numbers of elderly people who have difficulty getting around.

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Seeking Greater Global Power, China Looks to Robots and Microchips

BEIJING — In Chinese schools, students learn that the United States became a great nation partly by stealing technology from Britain. In the halls of government, officials speak of the need to inspire innovation by protecting inventions. In boardrooms, executives strategize about using infringement laws to fell foreign rivals.

China is often portrayed as a land of fake gadgets and pirated software, where intellectual property like patents, trademarks and copyrights are routinely ignored. The reality is more complex.

China takes conflicting positions on intellectual property, ignoring it in some cases while upholding it in others. Underlying those contradictions is a long-held view of intellectual property not as a rigid legal principle but as a tool to meet the country’s goals.

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New exhibition will showcase Dundee’s pioneering medical technologies

Scottish Government science minister Shirley-Anne Somerville announce the £248,000 funding deal on a visit to the Science Centre on Wednesday morning.

She also revealed the Scottish Government will pay another £250,000 to support a number of science festivals across Scotland, including events planned in Dundee and Fife.

Linda Leuchars, chief executive of Dundee Science Centre, said: “We are delighted to have received this significant contribution from the Scottish Government towards our £2 million upgrade and expansion programme, which includes the introduction of a major new exhibition.

“This ambitious development not only adds huge value to the visitor experience but also reinforces our deserved reputation as a hub for lifelong science learning and public engagement within our community.”

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New technologies to diagnose and treat neurological diseases

The National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) are collaborating to develop innovative technologies to better diagnose and treat patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and brain injuries.

These include developing an artificial intelligence system that can accurately identify types of traumatic brain injuries from computed tomography (CT) scans.

Another project involves coming up with a computing algorithm for more precise identification of tissues during brain surgeries. It aims to restore the neurological functions of patients suffering from various conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

Over the next three years, the collaboration will also foster closer working relations between medical practitioners and engineers through annual fellowships and student attachment programmes.

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Medical technology companies gain investment from North-West accelerator

Future of Health accelerator, which launched in April, was designed to help start-ups within the health and medical sectors attract investors and create new business opportunities.

The accelerator was delivered by a partnership between Manchester-based The Landing, PwC and tech investment specialist UP. Nine start-ups were involved in the accelerator and nearly every firm managed to secure new investment.

The firms were supported by networking opportunities between thought leaders, industry executives and health-tech specialists. Those taking part were also given the chance to pilot their new technologies and pitch their ideas to healthcare organisations and potential investors.

Technology-enabled homecare provider Cera closed £2.7 million in seed funding and established 15 partnerships with NHS organisations and councils.

11 Health, based in Hertfordshire are in discussion with Salford Royal Hospital to pilot its ‘smart’ colostomy bag.

Manchester’s Aerobit, who have developed an IoT-enabled asthma inhaler, closed an investment round from existing investors and are working on securing a further seed round of investment.

Other firms that managed to secure partnerships include Altogame, a company focused on behavioural research conducted through virtual online games and learning simulations, and Kafoodle, a hospitatlity business that works with healthcare providers to create personalised hospital diet plans. Altogame were selected in the Alder Hey Hospital Innovation Hub and are working on securing pilots there. Kafoodle is in talks with a CCG to develop a healthy eating programme and is in talks with various hospitals and care homes.

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Seeking Greater Global Power, China Looks to Robots and Microchips

BEIJING — In Chinese schools, students learn that the United States became a great nation partly by stealing technology from Britain. In the halls of government, officials speak of the need to inspire innovation by protecting inventions. In boardrooms, executives strategize about using infringement laws to fell foreign rivals.

China is often portrayed as a land of fake gadgets and pirated software, where intellectual property like patents, trademarks and copyrights are routinely ignored. The reality is more complex.

China takes conflicting positions on intellectual property, ignoring it in some cases while upholding it in others. Underlying those contradictions is a long-held view of intellectual property not as a rigid legal principle but as a tool to meet the country’s goals.

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Doctors are saving lives with VR

Earlier this year, inside a cramped, windowless corner office at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, I put on a virtual reality headset and tried to save a little girl’s life.

It wasn’t real, of course, but it sure felt like it was. The blotchy, wheezing, seven-year-old struggling to survive while suffering from anaphylactic shock was nothing more than a bunch of digital polygons. Still, the experience triggered every real human reaction you’d expect, flooding my brain with fear, stress, and anxiety.

Once I slipped the VR goggles off of my head, one other emotion struck me too: excitement. After a few tough years for the virtual reality industry, a wave of medical VR programs are breathing new life into this cutting-edge technology.

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New device can heal with a single touch, and even repair brain injuries

A new device developed at The Ohio State University can start healing organs in a "fraction of a second," researchers say.  

The technology, known as Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), has the potential to save the lives of car crash victims and even deployed soldiers injured on site. It's a dime-sized silicone chip that "injects genetic code into skin cells, turning those skin cells into other types of cells required for treating diseased conditions," according to a release.

In lab tests, one touch of TNT completely repaired injured legs of mice over three weeks by turning skin cells into vascular cells.

And, it not only works on skin cells, it can restore any type of tissue, Chandan Sen, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies, said. For example, the technology restored brain function in a mouse who suffered a stroke by growing brain cells on its skin

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Art Medical's smart tubes to collect patient data, reduce complications

Backed by $28 million in investment, Israeli biotech company Art Medical, which detects and prevents life-threatening complications in intensive care units, is introducing a new platform that collects comprehensive patient data using sensor-based smart tubes, which will be utilized to reduce the risk of medical complications.

The smart tube technology uses sensors to collect data, and adjusts itself to a patient’s individual needs as they arise.

Oftentimes patients in ICUs become well-accustomed to tubes: breathing tubes, feeding tubes and urine catheters among them. But to date there’s no effective way to determine whether they’re experiencing complications in real time. Nurses and doctors are required to constantly monitor patients in order to identify these events and minimize their complications, but that’s done manually, and can easily overlook time-sensitive events that can lead to complications, or even death.

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Substitution of traditional materials for medical devices and implants to propel global medical polymers market to 2022

Medical polymers are utilized for a variety of human contact and non-contact applications in the medical industry. These materials are chiefly used in the manufacture of medical implants, devices, disposables (gloves, vials, tools), and packaging. Medical polymers are biocompatible in nature and either remain inert or are easily processed by the human body. Allied Market Research expects medical polymers market to garner US$19,014 mln by 2022, registering a CAGR of 13% during the forecast period 2016-2022.  The growth in investment towards research and development, increase in adoption of medical polymers and development of low cost materials are driving demand for medical polymers in the healthcare industry. Medical polymers are adopted widely across the healthcare industry with significant efforts to commercialize new medical polymers to meet the specification of high end applications. Demand for polymers in healthcare markets is growing significantly owing to a significant upsurge in the demand for medical implants, whereas demand for implants is growing primarily due to increased incidences of chronic diseases and increasing global geriatric population. Demand is witnessing significant growth in all the regions, due to rapid acceptance and adoption of polymers from product designing to final product manufacturing. Although several polymers are biocompatible, not all are approved for commercial use. The key players in the global medical polymers market have adopted various business strategies, such as research and development, product launch, agreement, acquisition, collaboration, expansion, and partnership, to sustain the intense market competition. Large amounts of investments are ongoing to develop implants and devices using various polymers driven by their versatility and stability. This is further expected to increase the adoption of polymers for medical applications and enhance the attractiveness of the medical polymers market for industry participants. Resins such as PEEK and PE, especially ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), possess the maximum market potential in the medical polymer segments. These polymers are gaining popularity owing to their structural strength, bio-inertness, commercial viability, and bio-compatibility. PEEK and UHMWPE find increased usage in medical implants, including orthopaedic and electronic implantable devices. PP, PC, and other resins, including ABS, PMMA, and PET, also show increased utilization in manufacturing medical devices. These engineering thermoplastics exhibit excellent stability, durability, and formability and are preferred over metals and polymer for designing medical devices and implants. PVC is another key segment used for manufacturing medical devices and disposables. PS is used in human-contact applications owing to its non-toxicity and stability. Acrylates are used to produce hydrogels, which are applicable in wound-care, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Elastomers are mostly used in sealing, packaging, and disposables such as gloves. Biodegradable plastics including PLA, PGA, and PLGA are being developed for use in disposables and packaging applications as substitutes for PE and PP. 

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MRI device could bridge neuro-technologies for medical diagnostics, increase safety

A technology being developed at Purdue University could provide an affordable, smart, self-learning device that, when placed into existing MRI machines could allow medical professionals to monitor patients more effectively and safely, by performing concurrent medical imaging and recording for diagnostic purposes.

Purdue researchers recently presented their findings, "Multimodal Imaging: MR-Compatible, Gradient Artifact free, Wireless recording system integrated with MR-scanner for Simultaneous EEG and fMRI acquisition," at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. The article also received an ISMRM magna cum laude merit award, and power-pitch highlight, for highly-rated scientific merits.

The technology was developed by Ranajay Mandal and Nishant Babaria, graduate research assistants in Purdue's College of Engineering, under the supervision of Zhongming Liu, an assistant professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

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Mega trends in automotive boosting demand for semiconductors

The mega trends set to disrupt the automotive industry: electrification, connectivity, mobility and automation, are set to create considerable value chain element growth. The semiconductor industry, in particular, will see demand increase from around $30 billion in 2015 to $42 billion by 2020. China, will continue to sees its share of the total market increase in the mean time.

The automotive industry is set to continue to see the sale of new units rise, as car ownership becomes more affordable across Asia. The industry is facing a number of mega trends however; as the globe moves towards a sustainable economy, electrification is set to pick up; while digitalisation is opening up connective car opportunities; mobility considerations, such as car sharing and carpooling too are being created through technological advance and new business models; finally, automation, is set to radically transform the roads, reducing accidents and creating new ownership models.

As the mega trends begin to set in, the wider value chain that supports many of the innovations, is likely to see considerable boosts in revenues. In a new report from McKinsey & Company, titled ‘Mobility trends: What’s ahead for automotive semiconductors’, the consultancy firm explores the effects the mega trends will have on semiconductor sales.

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