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Scientists transform human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells. The advance, reported by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.

2 Dec 2013

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

NIBIB-funded researchers explore better treatment for brain aneurysms

Thirty thousand Americans suffer severe neurological damage or death from brain aneurysms each year and the existing treatments eventually fail in nearly half of patients. Currently, these "bubbles" in the blood vessel are either clamped off, which requires invasive brain surgery, or filled with platinum coils to induce clotting in the aneurysm. Both treatments, although somewhat effective, can have subsequent problems, including inflammation, incomplete healing, and the development of secondary aneurysms adjacent to the initial site. These complications result in approximately 40 percent of patients needing additional treatment to attempt to re-repair the aneurysm.

28 Nov 2013

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer

Drugs delivered by nanoparticles hold promise for targeted treatment of many diseases, including cancer. However, the particles have to be injected into patients, which has limited their usefulness so far.

27 Nov 2013

RSNA and Regenstrief Institute partner to standardize radiology procedure names

Under a contract awarded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the developers of two advanced medical terminologies have begun work to harmonize and unify terms for radiology procedures. Creating standardized radiology procedure names will improve the quality, consistency and interoperability of radiology test results in electronic medical record systems and health information exchange.

27 Nov 2013

Seed grants support cancer diagnosis and treatment, vascular health research

Five teams of scientists earned research seed grants awarded this year by the John S. Dunn Foundation. The awards support new collaborations by researchers at Rice University's BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) and their partners at other institutional members of the Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC).

26 Nov 2013

UT Dallas professor awarded $2.3 million NIH grant to continue prosthetics, orthotics research

Dr. Robert Gregg, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering who joined the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science this fall, is a recipient of a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for research that will combine robot control theory and physical rehabilitation to revolutionize and improve prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices.

23 Nov 2013

New technique can diagnose cancer with high degree of accuracy, say researchers

A team of researchers from UCLA and Harvard University have demonstrated a technique that, by measuring the physical properties of individual cells in body fluids, can diagnose cancer with a high degree of accuracy.

21 Nov 2013

Researchers engineering first-ever living, three-dimensional human arrhythmic tissue

A foundational study published in top biomedical journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) this week by researchers at the University of Toronto's Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine have identified the optimal structure and cell ratio associated with heart function - and the discovery has already led the team to another research first: the engineering of the first-ever living, three-dimensional human arrhythmic tissue.

21 Nov 2013

Johns Hopkins undergraduate students win first and third prize in national Collegiate Inventors Competition

A Johns Hopkins undergraduate biomedical engineering student team that devised a two-part system to improve the way life-saving shocks are delivered to hearts has earned first prize in the undergraduate division of the national Collegiate Inventors Competition.

16 Nov 2013

Students invent system to shock irregular heart back into normal rhythm more safely and effectively

Johns Hopkins undergraduate students have invented a system to shock a dangerously irregular heart back into normal rhythm more safely and effectively.

16 Nov 2013

GSK and Save the Children to help roll out student-created breathing technology in Africa

A low-cost device that Rice University bioengineering students invented to help premature babies breathe more easily will be rolled out to teaching hospitals in three African nations, thanks to a $400,000 award from pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and London-based charity Save the Children. The technology, which is known as "bubble CPAP," earned the top prize in GSK and Save the Children's inaugural Healthcare Innovation Award program.

15 Nov 2013

Researchers use new approach to parse roles of key mutated protein that causes familial AD

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used genetic engineering of human induced pluripotent stem cells to specifically and precisely parse the roles of a key mutated protein in causing familial Alzheimer's disease, discovering that simple loss-of-function does not contribute to the inherited form of the neurodegenerative disorder.

15 Nov 2013

Researchers generate most complete genome sequences from single cells and individual neurons

Researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have generated the most complete genome sequences from single E. coli cells and individual neurons from the human brain. The breakthrough comes from a new single-cell genome sequencing technique that confines genome amplification to fluid-filled wells with a volume of just 12 nanoliters.

14 Nov 2013

Johns Hopkins students take the top honor for developing PrestoPatch system

A Johns Hopkins undergraduate biomedical engineering student team that devised a two-part system to improve the way life-saving shocks are delivered to hearts earned first-prize in the undergraduate division of a national Collegiate Inventors Competition. In the graduate-level competition, Isaac Kinde, a Johns Hopkins medical student, received third-place honors for developing a test to detect ovarian and endometrial cancers as part of a team at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

14 Nov 2013

UCLA launches first university-based military medicine center to care for wounded veterans

UCLA has launched the first university-based military medicine center on the West Coast, thanks to a generous donation from two sons in honor their father, the inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ronald A. Katz.

7 Nov 2013

New strategy for emergency anticoagulant treatment for patients with myocardial infarction

A new strategy for emergency anticoagulant treatment for patients with acute myocardial infarction has been put in place by a team led by Philippe-Gabriel Steg at Inserm Unit 698 (Haemostasis, Bioengineering, Immunopathology and Cardiovascular Remodelling), at H-pital Bichat, AP-HP, Universit- Paris Diderot).

31 Oct 2013

NIH awards $2.4M to develop innovative robots to aid people with visual and physical impairment

Three projects have been awarded funding by the National Institutes of Health to develop innovative robots that work cooperatively with people and adapt to changing environments to improve human capabilities and enhance medical procedures. Funding for these projects totals approximately $2.4 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds.

25 Oct 2013

Study could enhance process of reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells

Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that physical cues can replace certain chemicals when nudging mature cells back to a pluripotent stage, capable of becoming any cell type in the body.

23 Oct 2013

U of T researchers develop method to screen human stem cells

University of Toronto researchers have developed a method that can rapidly screen human stem cells and better control what they will turn into. The technology could have potential use in regenerative medicine and drug development. Findings are published in this week's issue of the journal Nature Methods.