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A group of bioengineers have developed a noninvasive, portable device that resembles a finger-worn, pulse oximeter to count white blood cells.  They have three workable prototypes that are being tested with chemotherapy patients to track their immune system in real-time.  The researchers aim to have an initial beta product that it can support via crowdfunding in 2017, with a product on the market potentially in 2019.

Oraya Therapeutics seeks to reduce the number of eye injections required to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the developed world.  It’s CE-marked X-ray device safely delivers radiation to the back of the eye, improving the efficacy of anti-VEGF injectable eye drugs like Genentech’s Lucentis.

Despite an intense flurry of pushback, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm cardiologist Robert Califf as the next Commissioner of the FDA.  The Senate had passed a procedural vote two days prior; however, several Senators had held up the final vote the following day in an effort to push the Agency to be more engaged in its review of opioid analgesics.

As medical experts question the efficacy of mammograms in breast cancer screening, a new study shows that computer-aided detection technology (CAD) used during the process does not help spot cancer in patients.

In an effort aimed at encouraging earlier diagnosis and even potentially prevention for Type 1 diabetes, the JDRF and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have published a new evaluation of the presymptomatic staging of Type 1 diabetes.  Currently, Type 1 diabetes is typically not diagnosed until the patient in symptomatic–frequently in the emergency room with acute symptoms.

As physicians turn to next-generation devices to monitor breast cancer after surgery, a new study shows that Focal Therapeutics’ 3-D tissue marker device could work alongside current screening methods to improve outcomes for patients.

Robotic exoskeletons to enable paraplegics to walk that are manually controlled have been around for years; arm and hand prosthetics that can be mentally manipulated and enable sensation have also been developed.  Now, researchers have combined some of these capabilities to enable a paraplegic to walk using a robotic exoskeleton controlled by the brain via an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based system.

Amputees are pushing back against a proposal to make Medicare reimbursement for prosthetic limbs and other durable medical equipment stricter, as the feds try to limit unnecessary payments, which amounted to $43 million in 2009.

The FDA’s device arm (CDRH) announced the launch of the Patient Engagement Advisory Committee to provide additional perspective on topics like patient preference information, risk-benefit determinations and device labeling.  The move is an attempt to ensure that the actual users of devices can influence decision-making, in addition to industry and the medical community.

Google is bringing on Thomas Insel, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to work for its burgeoning Life Science group and apply the company’s technologies to mental illness.