Science and technology

The FDA has issued approval for the Implantable System for Remodulin, which is really the Synchromed II drug infusion system from  Medtronic , consisting of an implantable pump, controller, and catheter. The system is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension by delivering Remodulin (Treprostinil) into the vein at the superior caval-atrial junction. The pump is implanted under the skin of the abdomen and programmed to deliver the drug at a desired rate. The pump’s drug chamber can be refilled via an injection through the skin whenever the reservoir runs low. Medtronic has engineered the pump to achieve a high level of guaranteed performance by reducing how much the pump’s shaft wears out and preventing motor stalls. Prior to the current approval, the Synchromed II was cleared as an infusion system for Infumorph, a morphine-based solution for treating chronic intractable pain, and Prialt, a ziconotide solution for management of severe chronic pa...

At Nagoya University in Japan, researchers have developed a nanowire-based device to extract large numbers of microRNA strands found in urine. The technology may provide a way to identify the presence of cancers and other diseases through easy to gather patient samples. Over the past few years, researchers have been focusing on how cells within our bodies release a variety of extracellular vesicles such as exosomes. These can carry bits of molecular cargo, including genetic messages such as microRNA. Tumor cells are known to release extracellular vesicles that can be used as biomarkers to spot the presence of tumors, but gathering these tiny particles has been a challenge. The Nagoya University team’s new device works a bit like a Velcro brush that grabs onto the vesicles from a liquid sample. The hairs of the brush are made of zinc oxide nanowires and they are attached to a polymer substrate. The nanowires employ static electricity to attract and trap extracellular ves...

Obesity results from excess white fat storage, making it difficult to treat because the effectiveness of diet, exercise, and systemic anti-obesity agents is limited, and in the latter case may cause serious side effects. As a result, researchers are investigating innovative strategies for localized delivery of fat burning compounds via transdermal patches.  Medgadget   recently reported  on a novel microneedle patch, which contains a nanoparticle-encapsulated drug that converts white fat into brown fat. Whereas stored white fat acts as a long-term energy reserve, brown adipose tissue burns easily. Unlike adults, infants have abundant reserves of brown fat, which they burn for energy to produce body heat. Another more recent study, based on the same concept, describes the use of a transdermal microneedle patch to deliver a “fat-browning” drug (Beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist or thyroid hormone T3 triiodothyronine) locally via detachable, dissolvable polymer micron...

Researchers at National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a special patch for Type 2 diabetics that helps to control glucose levels in a novel way. The technology, once fully proven out and optimized, may work for days or even weeks at a time. The patch is made of alginate, a material produced from algae, that is biocompatible and has the strength necessary to penetrate the skin when formed into needles. As such, the patch has alginate needles protruding from its bottom, but in addition there’s also exendin-4 and glucose oxidase mixed in. The compounds work together to release glucose when necessary, while avoiding doing so when glucose levels are near to normal. Illustration to represent glucose-responsive exendin-4 delivery with a microneedle patch. On top, relatively lower glucose levels (turquoise) in blood induce a mild chemical reaction with the compounds in the patch, which is not suf...

Scientists at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have developed a new technique to improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for solid tumors. Their method employs nanotechnology in the form of oxygen-filled microbubbles that can be burst using focused ultrasound when they are near a tumor. The majority of solid tumors are oxygen-deficient as they quickly outgrow their blood supply. This can make radiation therapy a challenge, as it works by creating oxygen radicals from oxygen present in tissues, which then go on to destroy the tissue. If the tissue is oxygen-deficient to begin with, fewer oxygen radicals are created, making the technique less effective. This new technique aims to increase oxygen levels in solid tumors, making subsequent radiation therapy more effective. The research team turned to microbubbles – tiny gas-filled bubbles that can flow through blood vessels – as an oxygen delivery vehicle. After introducing the microbubbles to the blood flow th...

Masimo SedLine for Improved Brain Monitoring Under Anesthesia FDA Cleared Masimo  won FDA clearance for its Next Generation SedLine brain function monitoring, a system for assessing the brain while under anesthesia. Next Generation SedLine relies on four EEG (electroencephalography) leads that acquire brain signals from both sides of the brain. The new version of the offering includes an improved signal processing engine that can help anesthesiologists have a better idea of what’s going on inside the cranium. The new engine produces a newly tuned Patient State Index (PSi) the readings from which can be easily integrated into a physician’s decision making process. The product also produces Multitaper Density Spectral Array (DSA), an indicator created by Dr. Emery Brown, MD, PhD, and Dr. Patrick Purdon, PhD of the Neuroscience Statistics Research Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. This indicator converts EEG readings into the frequency domain, providing a differen...