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Eye surgery: LZH works on improved lens refilling
14/06/2021
In eye surgery for cataract, the lens refilling method could allow to maintain or restore the lens's accommodation of the lens, i.e. the ability to adjust its refractive power flexibly. So far, however, this method has not yet been clinically successful.
Defective heart valve replaced with new TAVI system
09/06/2021
Narrowing of the aortic valve, known as aortic valve stenosis, is the most common heart valve defect in old age. The valve leaflets of the aortic valve are thickened and have difficulty opening and closing.
Smart implant – Healing fractures autonomously with smart materials
07/06/2021
Lower leg fractures put a great strain on patients due to their long healing process. In the future, an intelligent implant could control how the bone grows together again and thus optimize the healing process. In our video, you can learn from the developers at Saarland University how this works and what role artificial intelligence plays here.
Breaking the mould for 3D printing medical implants
27/05/2021
Researchers have flipped traditional 3D printing to create some of the most intricate biomedical structures yet, advancing the development of new technologies for regrowing bones and tissue.
Making biohybrid lungs implantable
25/05/2021
Diseases can affect the lungs in different ways that can be challenging. If the lungs are badly damaged and artificial ventilation (also called artificial respiration) is no longer effective, an ECMO machine comes into play. Right now, artificial lungs reside outside the body and cannot be implanted.
Orthopedic implants: effective inflammation prevention
18/05/2021
Dental and orthopedic implants are widely used around the world. Common causes for implant failure are the immune response against oral bacteria and titanium particles shed by the implant.
Neural implant provides new neuroscience insights
14/05/2021
The study by University of California was made possible by developing a neural implant that monitors the activity of different parts of the brain at the same time, from the surface to deep structures. Using this new technology, the researchers show that diverse patterns of two-way communication occur between two brain regions known to play a role in learning and memory formation.
Wireless, injectable chips use ultrasound to monitor body processes
12/05/2021
Columbia Engineers develop the smallest single-chip system that is a complete functioning electronic circuit; implantable chips visible only in a microscope point the way to developing chips that can be injected into the body with a hypodermic needle.
New implant tech could aid spinal cord or heart therapies
11/05/2021
Rice University engineers who developed implants for electrical stimulation in patients with spinal cord injuries have advanced their technique to power and program multisite biostimulators from a single transmitter.
A sweet solution to hard brain implants
05/05/2021
Brain implants are used to treat neurological dysfunction, and their use for enhancing cognitive abilities is a promising field of research. Implants can be used to monitor brain activity or stimulate parts of the brain using electrical pulses. In epilepsy, for example, brain implants can determine where in the brain seizures are happening.
Microscopic polymeric network to attack glioblastoma multiforme
30/04/2021
Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in collaboration with Stanford Medicine and the San Raffaele Hospital have demonstrated with preclinical studies the effectiveness of a new biomedical implant for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.
Better hearing with optical cochlear implants
28/04/2021
A team led by Tobias Moser from the Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and InnerEarLab at the University Medical Center Göttingen and from the Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory at the German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research (DPZ) is working to improve cochlear implants.
3D printing: Go-ahead for Swiss m4m Center
26/04/2021
The Technology Transfer Center for 3D Printing in Medical Technology – Swiss m4m Center, in short – meets the requirements of ISO standard 13485:2016; it is thus allowed to produce implants and instruments for human patients. The starting signal for promising projects with Swiss SMEs: The partner network already comprises 45 companies and research institutions.
3D printing: individual pieces with a precise fit and optimized cost
20/04/2021
The idea is as appealing as it is obvious: After a diagnosis of painful hip osteoarthritis, medical imaging creates a high-resolution 3D image of the defunct hip joint – and thus the basis for a customized implant. The data is processed further and ultimately ends up as a digital blueprint in a 3D printer, which produces the individual piece with a precise fit and at optimized cost.
Implant detects oxygen deep within the body
16/04/2021
Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a tiny wireless implant that can provide real-time measurements of tissue oxygen levels deep underneath the skin. The device, which is smaller than the average ladybug and powered by ultrasound waves, could help doctors monitor the health of transplanted organs or tissue and provide an early warning of potential transplant failure.
Shoulder injury could heal faster with tissue implant
07/04/2021
Longer-lasting rotator cuff repair may be possible with BioEnthesis, a Purdue University invention available on the market.
Hydrogel cuts in half recovery time from muscle injuries
05/04/2021
A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the CIBER Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) has designed and tested, at a preclinical level, a new biomaterial for the treatment and recovery of muscle injuries.
Experimental hearing implant succeeds in registering brain waves
05/04/2021
Researchers at KU Leuven (Belgium) have succeeded for the first time in measuring brain waves directly via a cochlear implant. These brainwaves indicate in an objective way how good or bad a person's hearing is. The research results are important for the further development of smart hearing aids.
Hip replacement: virtual surgical training with haptic technology
01/04/2021
Surgeons have only limited options to practice surgical techniques before they enter the operating room. The implantation of an endoprosthesis requires extensive practical training since it necessitates strength and utmost precision. The "Dynamic HIPS" project develops a virtual reality hip implant simulator that provides realistic haptic feedback.
Intelligent implants: when the material is the key to the solution
01/02/2021
Today we use implants to stabilize or compensate for injuries inside the body and to aid in the healing process. Implants cannot act autonomously and treat the patient if they deem it necessary. However, it is just a matter of time before this happens because research on intelligent implant materials that respond to stimuli is on the cusp of a breakthrough.
Autonomous medical devices: running well in your body
01/02/2021
In theory, autonomous medical technologies can be used in a diagnostic or therapeutic capacity inside the body under certain conditions. This may not sound like a new invention at first. After all, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have monitored and fixed abnormal heart rhythm for many years.
Tumor therapy: drug delivery pump instead of injection
01/02/2021
Drugs always have undesired side effects. Cytostatics are powerful drugs used to treat cancer. They reach almost all cells in the body, killing healthy cells as well as cancer cells in the process. A targeted delivery to the specific cellular site would be a gentler treatment.
Autonomous medical technology: independently in the body
01/02/2021
Therapies need to be carried out with high reliability by trained personal. This will not change in the future. But maybe we will be able to let systems in the patient’s body do some of the work. Some approaches are already aiming to make implants more independent so they will be able to flexibly react to changes. Read more in our Topic of the Month!
Microimplants: electricity instead of pills
23/11/2020
Active implants such as pacemakers revolutionized healthcare decades ago. But they also have disadvantages: their size and relatively short life span, for example. At Fraunhofer IZM, research is therefore being conducted on durable microimplants that stimulate nerve cells electrically in a targeted manner and are even to be used to treat multiple sclerosis.
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.
Endoprostheses: regaining independence and mobility
01/01/2020
Joints can suddenly or gradually deteriorate and lose their natural strength, whether it’s due to accidents, diseases or simple wear and tear. In some of these cases, implants of artificial joints – endoprostheses - can help. As a joint replacement, they are designed to stay in the body for as long as needed and as such improve the patient’s quality of life and mobility.
Endoprostheses: between possibility and reality
01/01/2020
When natural joints lose their ability to function, they can be completely or partially replaced by artificial joints, also called endoprostheses. Endoprostheses must be of a certain quality, as they should remain in the body as long as possible. In addition to some risks, endoprostheses can also contribute to a mobile and carefree life for young and old.
APRICOT-project: implant "help(s) patients heal themselves"
01/01/2020
Today, people tend to live longer, while an increasing number of patients suffer from osteoarthritis. Even younger generations are now at a higher risk of getting osteoarthritis due to the frequent use of mobile devices. The EU research project APRICOT aims to develop a novel type of implant for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hands – helping patients heal themselves.
Orthopedic implant: More comfortable thanks to full weight-bearing capacity
08/03/2019
Orthopedic implants – they are a necessity when it comes to congenital or acquired limb length discrepancies. However, full weight-bearing during the limb lengthening process is not feasible with previous implant models. For the first time, the 3D Surgery division at the Medical Center of the University of Munich has succeeded in using an implant that facilitates immediate weight-bearing.
Regenerative heart valves: from simulation to replacement
23/07/2018
Every year, more than 250,000 patients worldwide receive heart valve implants. Children require repeated replacement surgery because their bodies are still growing, the prosthetic heart valves are not. Regenerative heart valves solve this problem. Until now, we have only been able to monitor how these living implants develop in the body after the fact. Computer models now make this predictable.
Early detection: Tattoo signals cancer – and more
09/07/2018
People who are not ill and do not show any symptoms typically do not visit the doctor. And while most people know that preventive medical checkups for cancer, for example, are important, they still avoid them. They tend to be very hesitant because the doctor might detect a serious illness. In the future, a new type of implant could make it easier to go to a screening test.
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.
Surgical navigation systems – with precision to the destination
06/03/2018
With the help of surgical navigation systems, prostheses or implants can be better inserted. During the procedure, surgeons can see exactly where they need to operate on a screen. Just like a navigation system in the car, navigation in the OR guides you precisely to your destination. At the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen we can find out what advantages this has for physicians and patients.