When and Where

Mauna Kea Shines Spotlight on Optical Biopsy Technology at Digestive Disease Week

Paris-based Mauna Kea Technologies presented 41 abstracts on optical biopsies performed with its probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) system at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2013. Seven of those presentations focused on needle-based optical biopsies, the newest application of Mauna Kea’s Cellvizio technology. The procedure allows physicians to see cellular structures inside cysts in the digestive [...]

Surfing Inspires Aerosol Delivery Device

For many people, breathing in fresh sea air seems to have a therapeutic effect. It turns out that’s clinically true for people suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). Scientists observing surfers with CF discovered that the inhaled mist of seawater has a beneficial effect on lung problems associated with the disease. Those findings have been applied [...]

Bio-Patch Measures Bio-electrical Signals and Communicates Wirelessly with Smart Phones

A patch that measures EKG, EEG and EMG and communicates wirelessly with a smart phone could help make home healthcare more comfortable. The device, called Bio-patch, also measures body temperature. When bio-patch is placed on the chest, it measures EKG. Placing the device on the skull measures EEG, and attaching the device to the underarm [...]

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 Threatened, 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 [...]