Archive for February 17th, 2012

Scientists at the research arm of General Electric have developed a heat sensor that consists of wings of the Morpho butterfly coated with single-walled carbon nanotubes. The device detects mid-wave infrared light with a precision of less than 0.06° C at a rate of about 40 Hz. GE believes the technology can be used in future medical imaging devices for visualizing inflammation and for thermal characterization of ... Full story

SpectraCure AB, a Swedish medical device company, has received approval to begin testing the Interstitial PhotoDynamic Therapy (IPDT) system on pancreatic cancer patients in the UK. Photodynamic therapy comprises a light-activated drug and a matching light source. The light-activated drug is administered to the patient prior to surgery and absorbed by the tumor. When light ... Full story

Siemens‘ Biograph mCT, a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scanner which was introduced at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago a few months ago, has now received FDA 510k clearance. The Biograph mCT enables the quantification of molecular processes in the body. Current applications include cancer imaging, quantification of ... Full story

Telcare, the maker of the Telcare BGM cellular enabled blood glucose meter, has released an iPhone app that can gather data from the meter even if they’re physically apart. This not only allows you to watch your own glucose, but a parent of a diabetic child can make sure the kid takes regular readings and almost immediately ... Full story

Konica Minolta has received FDA clearance to market its Aero DR wireless flat panel radiography detector.  The 17 x 17 inch device weighs about 8 pounds (3.6 Kg).  The device is focused around a Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillator that promises high detector quantum efficiency (DQE). These detectors also take advantage of Konica Minolta’s very low power ... Full story

Not all cancers are created equal. While some are easy to study in the Petri dish, others don’t do well in vitro. They often will not grow without a supporting framework of angiogenic blood vessels that supply their high metabolism with nutrients and oxygen. Performing experiments on tumors such as glioma is a difficult proposition because they only wish to reside in the body and normally ... Full story

MicroCHIPS, an MIT spin-out company out of Waltham, MA, has announced results of a clinical study evaluating its wirelessly controlled implantable drug releasing electronic microchip. The device features controllable reservoir arrays that can contain a drug or a microsensor.  The reservoirs can be opened and closed either based on a preset program, activated wirelessly through a transmitter, or based on readings of the embedded sensors.... Full story