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Third-World Lessons for First-World Medical Technology

Peter Blair Henry, dean of the NYU Stern School of Business, recently published a book titled, Turnaround: Third World Lessons for First World Growth, that got a fair amount of media attention. His thesis is that emerging economies are applying economic policies nurtured in the developed economies and prospering in the process. Meanwhile, western economies [...]

Google Glass Hack for Doctors Announced; Google I/O Conference Encourages Developers to Hack Glass

Google made several health-related announcements at the Google I/O conference this week in San Francisco, but the most interesting development related to medical technology happened a few days earlier. Computer programmer Lance Nanek announced on his blog that he and a team of programmers had developed a Google Glass hack for physicians. The open source [...]

Researchers Conducting Animal Testing Are Often Threathened, Investigation Finds

The use of animal experiments is the elephant in the room in medical research. Among the many questions asked on the floor of a medical trade show, one is usually whispered: “Do you do animal research?” But people avoid the conversation not only because it’s an uncomfortable topic. Researchers conducting animal experiments at companies and [...]

PM Abe Pins Japan’s Economic Recovery on Medical Industry; MEDTEC Japan Validates Strategy

The timing could not have been better for MEDTEC Japan 2013. Just one month before the show, which was held on 24 and 25 April 2013, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed that he would aggressively promote the medical device industry, which he characterised as one of the few sectors that can shore up the [...]

Air-Monitoring System for Surgical Suites Garners Innovation Prize at MEDTEC France

A device that monitors air quality in operating rooms in real time was named the winner of the first Innovation Awards at MEDTEC France in Lyon. Developed by STS Industrie (Besançon, France) in collaboration with the University Hospital of Besançon (Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Besançon; CHRU) and its associated clinical research centre, the Screenair [...]

Pert UDI Seeks Compatible Database for Harmonised Relationship

Last month, we reported on progress in setting the foundations of a harmonised unique device identification (UDI) system. US FDA seems to be on track to present its final draft of a UDI system to the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) in November 2013, and a consensus has formed on the value of a [...]

Medtech Industry’s Reputation Has Improved, PatientView Survey Finds

The medical device industry maintains a good reputation among patient groups, a global survey by PatientView has found. Despite a few high-profile scandals last year, such as the Pip implant and hip implant controversies, 40% of respondents said the industry’s reputation improved in 2012, according to a press release from PatientView (pdf). 68% of the [...]

Haughton Design, University Hospital Form Medical Devices Alliance

Haughton Design (Stafford, UK) has teamed up with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and two other businesses to found the Medical Devices Alliance, an initiative designed to accelerate medical device development for customer companies. University Hospital staff and patients will benefit by being able to offer input on the look, feel and function of [...]

Raumedic-Designed Probe Precisely Targets Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer accounts for approximately 10% of all cancer-related deaths. Percutaneous radiotherapy is an external treatment that subjects cancer cells to ionising radiation over a specified period of time, and does not have any major side effects. Using CAT scans, 3-D radiation areas can be generated to minimise damage to proximal healthy tissue. Nevertheless, healthy [...]

3-D Bioprinting with Autologous Cells Could Prevent Organ Transplant Rejections, Says Organovo Exec. VP

Recently, 3-D printing has been used to produce guns, skulls, cars and ears, but the most significant impact of 3-D printing may come when the technology is used to print functional human organs. 3-D printing plays a central role in Organovo’s tissue engineering technology, said Mike Renard, Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations of Organovo, [...]