News & numbers “The application of artificial intelligence (AI) to health care holds tremendous promise for
improving nearly all aspects of how we deliver and receive care.” William Gordon, director of solution and experience for digital care transformation, Mass General Brigham.
Heart pacing tattoo
Researchers have developed the first cardiac implant made from graphene, a two-dimensional super material with ultra-strong, lightweight and conductive properties. Similar in appearance to a child's temporary tattoo, the new graphene tattoo-like implant is thinner than a single strand of hair, yet still functions like a classical pacemaker. “One of the challenges for current pacemakers and defibrillators is that they are difficult to affix onto the surface of the heart,” said Northwestern University’s Igor Efimov, the study’s senior author. “Defibrillator electrodes, for example, are essentially coils made of very thick wires. These wires are not flexible, and they break. Rigid interfaces with soft tissues, like the heart, can cause various complications. By contrast, our soft, flexible device is not only unobtrusive but also intimately and seamlessly conforms directly onto the heart to deliver more precise measurements.”
The researchers developed an entirely new technique to encase the graphene tattoo and adhere it to the surface of a beating heart. First, they encapsulated the graphene inside a flexible, elastic silicone membrane with a hole punched in it to give access to the interior graphene electrode. Then, they gently placed gold tape (with a thickness of 10 microns) onto the encapsulating layer to serve as an electrical interconnect between the graphene and the external electronics used to measure and stimulate the heart. Finally, they placed it onto the heart. The entire thickness of all layers together measures about 100 microns in total.
The device was stable for 60 days on an actively beating heart in an animal model at body temperature, comparable to the duration of temporary pacemakers used as bridges to permanent pacemakers or rhythm management after surgery or other therapies. The study was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Brain-heart connection
A new digital topographical map of the cardiac sympathetic neural network could serve as a guide to treat cardiovascular conditions, according to researchers led by University of Central Florida (UCF). The map may serve as a guide for treatments such as neuromodulation therapy, in which nerves are electronically stimulated treat cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, sleep apnoea and heart failure. “This mapping goes beyond what you can find in a textbook,” said Dr Zixi 'Jack' Cheng, a neuro-cardiovascular scientist and professor of medicine at UCF. “This is a digitised brain-heart atlas that will be interactive. We hope it will serve as a guide not only for scientists and physicians, but also for students as they learn the neuroanatomy of the heart.” To create the map, the team used a combination of state-of-the-art techniques to image, trace, digitise and quantitatively map the distribution of the sympathetic nervous
12
system, including the heart’s whole atria and ventricles. “The ground-breaking part of this project is the precision at which the mapping is completed at the microscopic level which allows us to see the single cells and single nerve axons,” said Cheng. “This is the first time that scientists will see the whole organ at such an intricate level.” Dr Yuanyuan Zhang, postdoctoral fellow in Cheng's lab, explained that this map will help researchers further test the functional role of specific nerves. He said it can also serve as a guide for treatments such as neuromodulation therapy.
“Utilising our map as a sympathetic- cardiac atlas opens the door for innovative therapies for several cardiovascular diseases, nerve-related disorders and avoids side effects associated with many pharmaceuticals,” added Ariege Bizanti, a PhD candidate in Cheng’s lab. A paper on the digitised brain-heart atlas was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Pancreatic tumours
There could be a way to tame pancreatic cancer by delivering immunotherapy directly into the tumour using a device smaller than a grain of rice. In a new study, a team from Houston Methodist Research Institute used the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES) device to deliver CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), a promising immunotherapeutic agent, at a sustained low-dose. The result, found in mouse models, was tumour reduction at a fourfold lower dosage than traditional systemic immunotherapy treatment. “Our goal is to transform the way cancer is treated,” said Alessandro Grattoni, co- corresponding author and chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute. “We see this device as a viable approach to penetrating the pancreatic tumour in a minimally invasive and effective manner, allowing for a more focused therapy using less medication.”
A bonus finding in the study was that even though the NDES device was only inserted in one of two tumours in the same animal model, the researchers noted shrinkage in the tumour without the device. They hypothesised that local treatment with immunotherapy was able to activate the immune response to target other tumours. In fact, one animal model remained tumour-free for the 100-days of continued observation.
Medical technology companies offer
intertumoral drug-eluting implants for cancer therapeutics, but those are intended for shorter duration use. The Houston Methodist nanofluidic device is intended for long-term controlled and sustained release, avoiding repeated systemic treatment that often leads to adverse side effects.
Additional lab research is underway
to determine the effectiveness and safety of this delivery technology, but the researchers would like to see this become a viable option for cancer patients in the next five years. The study was published in the journal Advanced Science.
80-85%
The proportion of pancreatic cancer patients that present with advanced or metastatic disease, with less than 20% eligible for surgical resection Source:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com; Advanced Science
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
