In the last few years, researchers have gotten very good at mass-producing pancreatic beta cells that produce sufficient insulin to offer improvement for diabetic patients. However now, they are focused on inventing and testing the means to use these beta cells in a way that effectively introduces insulin into the system–while simultaneously protecting the cells from a patient’s immune system.
By taking his inspiration from nature, including the Elephant Nose Fish, insects and arthropods, the University of Wisconsin’s Hongrui Jiang is making progress on a “smart” contact lens that can automatically refocus, to the benefit of those with presbyopia, or the stiffening of the eye, which causes difficulties focusing on nearby objects.
Senators pulled an all-nighter over a weekend in March and made unexpected progress on medical device regulatory reform that “will help ensure more timely patient access to the latest medical innovations and improve the efficiency of FDA’s device review process,” according to AdvaMed.
Toyota, yes, the car company, is developing a wearable device to improve mobility among the blind.
When the business-friendly 21st Century Cures Act to overhaul regulation of the device (and drug) industry in July passed in the House by a bipartisan, 344-77 vote, anticipation rose that the most significant regulatory reforms in many years were on their way.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in March 2016 within a new report that it’s still too early to assess whether the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) three-year-old pediatric priority review voucher (PRV) program has stimulated the development of drugs to treat or prevent rare pediatric diseases.
Japanese researchers have developed a highly sensitive electronic stethoscope to record and then analyze patient breathing sounds for diagnosis into 5 common categories. A team of three physicians from Hiroshima University and Fukushima Medical University developed the system in collaboration with corporate partner Pioneer.
Amid a growing body of research on heart health devices and blood pressure monitoring, a new report from Blue Cross Blue Shield shows that women undergo fewer diagnostic procedures and treatments following a heart attack than men.
A large study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that a drug-delivering vaginal ring could protect some women against HIV. The results come on the heels of more promising data, which show that the ring device can reduce women’s risk of developing the infection.