Mindfulness video game changes areas of the brain
Researchers designed a video game to improve mindfulness in middle schoolers and found that when young people played the game, they showed changes in areas of their brains that underlie attention.
(Bio)Tech & IT
Advances in healthcare are strongly driven by information technology and (bio)engineering. We reports on the development of next-gen diagnostic and biotech tools such as CRIPSR and other smart technologies that transform the delivery of care. We also cover the progress of digitalization and the creating of cutting-edge IT solutions – from using big data to predict therapy responses to using blockchain to make sharing of medical data secure.
Game changer: New software for stroke rehab
A new touch-screen therapy tool could accelerate the recovery of patients who have suffered a stroke and change the way rehabilitation is delivered in hospitals and homes.
‘Smart’ implant coatings to nip infections in the bud
Physicists from University of Augsburg have developed a "smart" coating that is particularly toxic when bacteria are present in its environment.
Artificial neurons developed to cure chronic diseases
For the first time researchers successfully reproduced the electrical properties of biological neurons onto semiconductor chips.
Harnessing the power of CRISPR in space and time
Researchers have developed the revolutionary “CRISPR-Switch”, which enables unprecedented control of the CRISPR technique in both space and time.
Terahertz radiation: Espionage for wound healing
Researchers refined application of terahertz radiation to promote the analysis of multi-layered tissues for medical purposes and be used for wound treatment.
Using CRISPR to detect diseases
Researchers present sensor prototype that can rapidly, precisely, and cost-effectively measure molecular signals for cancer.
mhealth: an app to screen for early signs of dementia
Dementia screening could be as easy as using a smartphone app that listens to elderly people speak.
Can ‘smart toilets’ be the next
Wearables are transforming the ability to monitor and improve health, but a decidedly low-tech commodity—the humble toilet—may have potential to outperform them all.
Video game to treat children with ADHD
Researchers have developed advanced brain-computer interface technology that harnesses machine learning to personalise brain-training for children with ADHD.
mhealth: prevention through digital helpers
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Application Center SYMILA have developed a prevention app called BAYathlon that is designed to help detect a specific form of cardiac arrythmia at an early stage.
Facial recognition software IDs individuals from MRI scans
Though identifying data typically are removed from medical image files before they are shared for research, a study finds that this may not be enough to protect patient privacy.
Bioelectronic implant could prevent opioid deaths
Researchers are developing a device that can sense the effects of a potentially fatal level of ingested opioids and deliver a life-saving dose of naloxone.
Next-generation soft hearing implants
Researchers have developed a conformable electrode implant that will allow people with a dysfunctional inner ear to hear again.
Smart speaker system uses white noise to monitor infants’ breathing
Researchers have developed a new smart speaker skill that lets a device use white noise to monitor sleeping babies breathing and movement.
Implants enable man to control prosthetics with ‘thoughts’
Researchers have implanted electrodes in brain of a person who is mostly paralyzed to enable him to have some “mind control” of motorized prosthetic arms.
mhealth: WeChat helps recovery of heart disease patients
Patients recovering from coronary heart disease who received rehabilitation through WeChat experienced a better recovery than those having standard care.
The 5G 4K tele-examination of an eye
A trial tele-ophthalmology system has paved the way for one of the world’s first tele-examinations of an eye streamed live using a 5G smartphone.
Capsule can orally deliver drugs
Coated pill carries microneedles that deliver insulin and other drugs to the lining of the small intestine; they usually have to be injected.
On the path to safe nanomedicine
Scientists have now developed guidelines that should enable the safe development of nanoparticles for medical use.
Artificial skin could help enhance rehabilitation
Scientists have developed a soft artificial skin that provides haptic feedback and has the potential to instantaneously adapt to a wearer’s movements.
Nanolaser has potential to treat neurological disorders
Researchers have developed a tiny nanolaser that can function inside of living tissues without harming them.
Stroke patients relearn how to walk with therapeutic shoe
The iStride device is strapped over the shoe of the good leg and generates a backwards motion, exaggerating the existing step, making it harder to walk while wearing the shoe.
Implants: reconfigurable electronics promise innovations
Medical implants of the future may feature reconfigurable electronic platforms that can morph in shape and size dynamically.
Digital phenotyping helps to treat mental illness
Research shows that digital phenotyping can provide valuable information to mental health professionals about mental illness symptom severity and relapse.
mhealth system measures cranial deformation
Photomedas is the name of a non-invasive system that will help measure the cranial deformation of infants – from newborns, to 12-month-old babies.
Studying heart cells with nanovolcanoes
A new microelectrode that penetrates the cell membrane unassisted and, when placed in an array, allows scientists to follow electrical activity as it spreads through tissues.
Teaching an organ-on-a-chip to see
Organ-on-a-chip technology has the potential to revolutionize drug development. Researchers have succeeded in putting various types of tissue onto chips.
Using game tech to treat cognitively impaired children in Africa
Using a game, researchers are rehabilitating children who suffer from cognitive impairment after surviving life-threatening diseases such as malaria and HIV.