Biophysics / GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research
New cooperation aims to further advance radiation therapy
27/06/2022
The GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) and Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company from Palo Alto, California, intend to jointly advance medical-technical developments in the field of FLASH therapy and further pave the way to clinical application.
microgen@gmail.com
Digital nose facilitates early detection and diagnosis
22/06/2022
Many diseases can be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early. Research into a “digital (electronic) nose” is one promising development to facilitate early detection and diagnosis. That’s because body odors and their molecular composition are an early indicator of various diseases that often remain undetected in the early stages.
bialasiewicz
AI platform enables doctors to optimize personalized chemotherapy
21/06/2022
Based on a pilot clinical trial, close to 97% of dose recommendations by CURATE.AI were accepted by clinicians; some patients were prescribed optimal doses that were around 20% lower on average.
Empa
Personalized medicine: Treatment of acute stroke
14/06/2022
A blood clot in the brain that blocks the supply of oxygen can cause an acute stroke. In this case, every minute counts. A team from Empa, the University Hospital in Geneva and the Hirslanden Clinic is currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can be used to start a tailored therapy in a timely manner, as they write in Scientific Reports.
Klaus Nagels
Precise blood diagnostics improve treatment outcome for lung cancer
10/06/2022
Non-small cell lung carcinoma is a particularly aggressive type of lung cancer. Tumor cells and tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood of patients with the disease can be analyzed by means of liquid biopsy throughout the course of the disease.
twenty20photos
New method for large-scale data integration and biomarker identification
09/06/2022
A research team led by Prof. ZHAO Fangqing from the Beijing Institute of Life Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed a new algorithm (NetMoss) for efficient integration of large-scale microbiome data and biomarker identification.
Fibers for fibers – Textile implants repair the body
08/06/2022
We are nowadays already able to weave implants out of artificial fibers that can replace tissue or heal injuries. Different materials like polymers or nitinol are used to create flexible shapes. But the materials and their uses can still be improved.
LipiTUM
Same symptom – different cause?
01/06/2022
Machine learning is playing an ever-increasing role in biomedical research. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a new method of using molecular data to extract subtypes of illnesses. In the future, this method can help to support the study of larger patient groups.
private
Nephrolytix aims to detect acute kidney injury ten times faster
25/05/2022
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is commonly seen in hospitals. It entails the rapid deterioration of kidney function, a high disease burden, and leads in some cases to death. The team at Nephrolytix GmbH, a new spin-off of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, has developed a process with the potential to reduce the time it takes to detect AKI – currently 48 to 72 hours – by 90 percent.
Juliet Percival/MPI für Biochemie
New method revolutionizes cancer diagnosis
24/05/2022
A German-Danish team led by Prof. Matthias Mann has developed a ground-breaking technology called 'Deep Visual Proteomics'. This method provides researchers and clinicians with a protein read-out to understand cancer at single cell-type resolution. The technology was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology and demonstrates its potential in a first application to cancer cells.
Sleepiz AG
Sleep screening: Sleepiz is your contactless at-home sleep laboratory
23/05/2022
People around the world suffer from sleep disorders. Some conditions like sleep apnea or chronic respiratory disease can lead to serious health problems. Patients require medical long-term monitoring, but it’s currently not an easy feat. Graduates of ETH Zurich and the University of St. Gallen plan to change that and developed Sleepiz.
nenetus
Clinical support software improves efficiency and quality of care in the OR
19/05/2022
Preventing medication administration errors and improving efficiency during surgery enhances patient care.
Wavebreakmedia
Hyperpolarized nuclear MR: more precise diagnoses and personalized therapies
17/05/2022
Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance enables major medical advances in molecular diagnostics, for example for cardiovascular diseases or cancer therapy. Within the framework of the EU collaborative project "MetaboliQs", seven partners developed a microscopy method which enables the analysis of metabolic processes at the single cell level by means of diamond-based hyperpolarization.
engagestock
New computational tool to interpret clinical significance of cancer mutations
12/05/2022
The software, called CancerVar, standardizes procedures to help researchers assess the clinical impacts of over 13 million somatic cancer mutations.
Thor Balkhed/Linköping University
"Digital twins" aid to give individual patients the right treatment
11/05/2022
An international team of researchers have developed advanced computer models, or "digital twins", of diseases, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment.
3Digity
Finger orthosis: Custom fit with 3D printing
10/05/2022
Following an injury or surgery, orthotics are key components of the recovery and rehabilitation process. The University spin-off 3Digity designs 3D-printed customized finger orthoses to foster rehabilitation as custom orthotics can drastically speed up the recovery process.
Karin Kaiser/MHH
Rare diseases: rapid diagnosis instead of a long odyssey
26/04/2022
Can the treatment of seriously ill children with rare diseases be improved by rapid genetic diagnosis? This question is being investigated by a team from Pediatrics and Human Genetics at Hannover Medical School (MHH) in the "Baby Lion" study. The focus is on decoding the genome, i.e. the entire genetic information of a human being, in just a few days.
Nico Arnold | diafyt MedTech
Managing diabetes with diafyt thanks to self-learning and smart technology
22/04/2022
We all make mistakes from time to time or forget to do things. But people with diabetes can have serious health problems if they miscalculate or inject the wrong insulin dose. A research team from the Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden) and a startup from Leipzig aim to make living with diabetes easier.
Johns Hopkins University
AI predicts if - and when - someone will have cardiac arrest
15/04/2022
A new artificial intelligence-based approach can predict, significantly more accurately than a doctor, if and when a patient could die of cardiac arrest.
PantherMedia / Wavebreakmedia
Treating chronic pain phases with an AI-powered app
05/04/2022
The treatment of chronic and acute pain phases centers on the patient’s pain profile. The treatment strategies must be flexible to facilitate customized adjustments. The AI-powered pain treatment solution by medicalmotion offers support and makes individualized exercise recommendations to manage the individual needs of pain patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
PantherMedia / alexAleksei (YAYMicro)
AI enables personalized treatment of myocarditis
01/04/2022
A research team from the University of Bern and Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, has received funding from the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine for a research project to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis. In the future, the use of artificial intelligence will allow personalized, individualized risk assessment and prognostication.
More than trendy accessories: training optimization with the help of wearables
01/09/2021
Wearables are increasingly being used in sports medicine, for example, to prevent injuries or to provide users individually with real-time data about their fitness and health. By analyzing this data, risks for sports injuries can be identified early and training can be customized to the user's needs and goals.
Asthma: Self-management thanks to apps and wearables
11/01/2021
Today, managing one's own chronic disease is hardly possible without digital helpers – not least because of the corona pandemic. People with asthma also benefit from apps and wearables. They help patients connect better with doctors and better understand their own disease. Our Topic of the Month looks at why this is so important and what the digital services can do.
Bioprinting: life from the printer
01/12/2020
It aims at the production of test systems for drug research and gives patients on the waiting lists for donor organs hope: bioprinting. Thereby biologically functional tissues are printed. But how does that actually work? What are the different bioprinting methods? And can entire organs be printed with it? These and other questions are examined in our Topic of the Month.
PantherMedia / Viktor Cap
Sports medicine software: Monitoring at the push of a button
22/05/2020
Athletes not only have to be fit and stay in shape, but they also have to achieve peak performance, especially when they get ready for athletic events. Optimized and individualized performance training requires data from external laboratories and institutes. The [i/med] Sports platform from DORNER Health IT Solutions provides a complete workflow − from anamnesis to diagnostic report.
Regenerative medicine: creating a new body?
03/02/2020
Regenerative medicine aims to repair the human body after injuries, accidents or major cancer surgery. Unfortunately, we are still not at a stage where this process can achieve optimal results for every conceivable situation. Having said that, various new methods are on the cusp of breakthrough.
Angiogenesis: light shows blood vessels the way
03/02/2020
Regenerative medicine aims to replace damage in the body with functional tissue and restore normal function. The first defense for large defects are implants made of hydrogels, designed to promote cell growth. They need their own blood supply, which is a problem when it comes to larger implants because you cannot regulate where and how the blood vessels grow - until now.
Regenerative medicine: helps the body healing
03/02/2020
Severe wounds heal slowly and leave scars. This is why we have been using regenerative therapies for some time now to accelerate and improve healing. They also help to avoid permanent damage. Still, complex applications like replacing organs or limbs will rather remain vision than become reality for a long time.
Ebenbuild/Jakob Richter
ARDS: Testing Consequences without Consequence
14/11/2019
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening illness in which the lungs are severely damaged. The condition always requires intensive medical care through mechanical ventilation. But not all lungs are the same. To ensure a personalized treatment that is adapted to the individual patient’s lung volume and condition, Ebenbuild relies on digital twins.
panthermedia.net/olanstock
Cardiac diagnostics – prompt and personalized
08/11/2019
If physicians suspect an acute myocardial infarction, they first order an ECG. This test is very established and allows cardiologists to quickly diagnose acute heart attacks – though the test does not detect less common heart attack symptoms. So far, those patients had to wait up to twelve hours before a heart attack could be accurately diagnosed or ruled out. But things are about the change.
panthermedia.net/vitalikradko
Sports Hub project changes sports medicine with big data and AI
22/10/2019
Professor Jarek Krajewski sat down for a MEDICA interview and delivered a detailed description of the Sports Hub project. It highlights how big data and AI transform the world of sports medicine. The project delivers new insights and provides a versatile database.
Fraunhofer ISS
AI software: "iSTIX opens your world to the possibilities of digital pathology"
08/10/2019
The healthcare market offers a multitude of microscopes that make cells visible to the human eye. The same applies to AI-based software for image analysis. After taking the microscopic images, scientist are faced with large volumes of scans with usually low resolution. Yet when all aspects merge together, they open up a the world of digital pathology.
panthermedia.net/kasto
Cardiac Tissue Engineering: a heart out of the Petri dish
23/09/2019
For patients waiting for donor organs, every day can mean the difference between life and death. Making things even more complicated is the fact that not every organ is a compatible match with the patient. It would mean enormous progress if we could grow organs from the patient's own cells in the lab. That's why patients with heart disease place big hope in tissue engineering.
German Medical Award
German Medical Award 2019 celebrates the future of (patient) care
22/08/2019
The German Medical Award will take place on November 18, 2019, as part of the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf. The ceremony emphasizes the commitment to excellence in cutting-edge care for patients. Doctors, clinical centers and companies in the medical and healthcare industry can demonstrate their achievements in medicine and management in hopes of receiving the coveted award.
Brain mapping: preoperative planning with functional MRI
01/04/2019
A surgery already begins before the patient is lying on the operating table – namely with the planning. For example, if brain surgery is imminent, the brain must first be mapped. This makes the activity level of certain brain areas visible. Functional magnetic resonance imaging makes this possible.
Functional imaging: what makes the brain tick?
01/04/2019
Our brain is the command center of our body. This is where all information and impressions are collected and converted into responses and movements. Modern imaging techniques offer physicians and researchers unique insights into the actions of the human central nervous system. The functional imaging technique allows them to watch our brain in action.
Comprehensive Treatment: It’s All About Breathing
01/03/2019
Coughing, airway obstruction, difficulty breathing: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term used to describe progressive and currently incurable lung diseases. The innovative solutions of Philips Respironics help patients to manage each stage of the disease and their medication intake, train the respiratory system and provide respiratory support.
All-round care for COPD: diagnosis, treatment, self-management
01/03/2019
COPD affects more than 200 million people in the world. Those affected by this chronic pulmonary disease are often slow to notice the symptoms and get a medical diagnosis. This results in secondary complications and high medical costs. That's why an early diagnosis, comprehensive treatment, and frequent monitoring are very important. Various devices and tools support this all-round care.
Multi-Organ Chips – The Patients of Tomorrow?
01/02/2019
The liver, nervous tissue or the intestines: all are important human organs that have in the past been tested for their function and compatibility using animal or in vitro test methods. In recent years, TissUse GmbH, a spin-off of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), has launched multi-organ chip platforms. But that’s not all.
Organ-on-a-chip – Organs in miniature format
01/02/2019
In vitro processes and animal tests are used to develop new medications and novel therapeutic approaches. However, animal testing raises important ethical concerns. Organ-on-a-chip models promise to be a feasible alternative. In a system the size of a smartphone, organs are connected using artificial circulation.
Marc Eisele, Universitätsklinikum Dresden
Better living thanks to telemedicine – "TelePark"- project targets patients with Parkinson’s disease
08/01/2019
Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that primarily affects movement of patients and makes their everyday lives very challenging. It also makes regular doctor appointments and treatment sessions necessary. "TelePark" - a project that collects different movement-related parameters using sensors and apps is designed to improve the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients.
A digital look inside the human eye – when algorithms diagnose Diabetes
02/01/2019
Diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes has become very common and is often described as a lifestyle disease. More and more people are suffering from this chronic metabolic disorder. Next to established diagnostic procedures, digital retinal screening has shown to be successful - a promising technique that will also play an important role in the diagnosis of other diseases in the future.
Mimo AG
Collect, process, communicate – retina measurements with Mimo
19/12/2018
Continuous monitoring is an essential process with every disease. In the case of eye disorders, frequent retina measurements can facilitate early detection of deterioration to quickly initiate intervention. This calls for comprehensive care settings, easy ways to take measurements and prompt results. However, in reality, this is rarely the case.
MoreGrasp
MoreGrasp – being able to grasp again with paraplegia
22/11/2018
Every year between 250.000 and 500.000 people suffer a spinal cord injury, MoreGrasp is intended to make their lives easier. The project aims to restore the lost gripping function in people with high paraplegia. Researchers at Graz University of Technology have developed a neuroprosthesis that is currently undergoing a feasibility study.
Purenum GmbH
A clean kidney: Break then glue
08/11/2018
Not enough exercise, an unhealthy diet: Kidney stones develop when urine contains too many insoluble compounds and are now one of the most common diseases worldwide. The ailment annually affects 1.2 million people in Germany alone. The stones are broken up and taken out via endoscopic surgery. Now it’s possible to remove even the tiniest residual fragments. The solution: a biocompatible adhesive.
panthermedia.net / BrianAJackson
Healthy aging: further research needed on measurement methods in geriatrics
22/10/2018
Today’s society is faced with an aging population. The past has seen the development of many methods for measuring body composition in older adults. However, some of these techniques are not available to medical practices and hospital facilities or are in dire need of optimization.
panthermedia.net/lzf
Exercise Prescription for Health: sports instead of pills
08/10/2018
Did you know that we can influence up to 50 percent of our health ourselves? If we eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, this not only ensures longer independence in old age. Diseases can also be treated with exercise. But in many cases, physicians and patients still rely more on medication than on exercise.
panthermedia.net/stasique
Back pain: The research project Ran Rücken is intended to help
10/09/2018
About eight in ten Germans suffer from back pain during their lifetime. Too much or the wrong movements can also cause problems. "Ran Rücken", the interdisciplinary research project aims to determine the right minimum dose of exercise that proves effective. (Explanatory note: "Ran Rücken" can be loosely translated as "Target the Back")
Leibniz University of Hanover/Institute of Technical Chemistry
Tissue engineering: how to grow a bypass
23/04/2018
A bypass is a complicated structure. It is either made of synthetic materials that can cause blood clots and infections or created by using the patient’s veins. However, the latter often does not yield adequate material. A newly developed bioreactor could solve this problem in the future. It is designed to tissue engineer vascular grafts by using the body’s own material.