Bioengineering News and Research

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Strengthening miniaturized titanium-based medical devices: an interview with Dr Masaru Rao, University of California, Riverside

While titanium is used widely for more conventional macro-scale medical devices (e.g. hip implants, dental implants, and cardiac pacemakers), its use for micro- and nano-scale devices has been limited thus far.

29 May 2013

New app for iPhone helps detect toxins, proteins, bacteria and viruses

Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones.

27 May 2013

Arthritis Research UK awards Cardiff researchers a grant to develop new drugs to treat osteoarthritis

Medical research charity Arthritis Research UK has awarded a team of researchers at Cardiff University a grant of £200,000 to investigate new drugs to treat early onset osteoarthritis. The team will investigate a new therapy to reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis.

23 May 2013

Robotic transplantation may reduce health disparities for obese patients with chronic kidney failure

Obese patients who received robotic kidney transplants had fewer wound complications than patients who received traditional "open" transplant surgery, according to surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.

17 May 2013

Polymer substance fully resists the body's natural attack response to foreign objects

It's a familiar scenario - a patient receives a medical implant and days later, the body attacks the artificial valve or device, causing complications to an already compromised system.

15 May 2013

Research could help battle stubborn bacterial infections that do not respond to antibiotics

Bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities known as biofilms. It turns out that they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to many economies, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, Northwestern University and the University of Washington.

10 May 2013

Newly engineered biomaterials could lead to possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, find researchers

Researchers have made a significant first step with newly engineered biomaterials for cell transplantation that could help lead to a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes, which affects about 3 million Americans.

10 May 2013

Surefire Infusion System to be used for obesity treatment

Surefire Medical, Inc., the developer of a new class of infusion systems designed to maximize targeted delivery of embolization agents without reflux, today announced that the company's Surefire Infusion System will be used in the development of the first clinically viable microcatheter-based, minimally invasive treatment for obesity as an alternative to bariatric surgery.

2 May 2013

Researchers win Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine

Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Gero Miesenb-ck of the University of Oxford and Edward S. Boyden of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been awarded Brandeis University's 16th Annual Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine.

22 Apr 2013

Researcher discovers additional mechanical properties of articular cartilage result in osteoarthritis

A researcher at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has discovered additional mechanical properties of articular cartilage, a protective cartilage on the ends of bones that wears down over time, resulting in the development of osteoarthritis.

20 Apr 2013

Scientists reveal that stem cells, tissue-specific cells can be grown from mature mammalian cells

tem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

18 Apr 2013

Researchers develop novel microfluidic device to separate, detect non-spherical bioparticles

A bioengineering research team from the National University of Singapore team led by Associate Professor Zhang Yong has developed a novel microfluidic device for efficient, rapid separation and detection of non-spherical bioparticles.

17 Apr 2013

Researchers develop nanodiamond delivery system for triple-negative breast cancer

Recently, doctors have begun to categorize breast cancers into four main groups according to the genetic makeup of the cancer cells. Which category a cancer falls into generally determines the best method of treatment.

16 Apr 2013

New nanosponge safely removes dangerous toxins from bloodstream

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have invented a "nanosponge" capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream - including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees.

15 Apr 2013

Research shows new separation process could help advance stem cell therapies

A new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming.

8 Apr 2013

IUPUI professor earns CAREER award for improving machine learning technology

A computer science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has earned the prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research ways to help computers actively adjust models and classify new data by enhancing machine learning technology.

5 Apr 2013

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

A new study which was performed jointly at Ume- University and the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, discovered that bacteria can degrade the cell membrane of bacterial competitors with enzymes that do not harm their own membrane.

5 Apr 2013

Researchers identify link between immune response and blood clotting

Rice University researchers have found an unexpected link between a protein that triggers the formation of blood clots and other proteins that are essential for the body's immune system.

2 Apr 2013

Explosive growth in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine leads to innovative, promising applications

Explosive growth in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has led to innovative and promising applications and techniques, many of which are now being tested in human clinical trials.

30 Mar 2013

Weekend reading: Seniors smoking marijuana; Same-sex marriage and public health

For Cher Neufer, a 65-year-old retired teacher, socializing with friends (all in their 60s) means using marijuana. Once a week they get together to play Texas Hold 'Em poker "and pass around a doobie," Ms. Neufer said. … Statistics suggest that more members of the older generations, like Ms. Neufer, are using marijuana.