Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a new antibody-type therapy for SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus for COVID-19. The treatment exploits “nanobodies” – tiny antibody fragments – that are harvested from llama blood. The new nanobody therapy can be used in an inhalable form that may deactivate the virus within the lungs. “Nature is our best inventor,” said Yi Shi, a researcher involved in the study. “The technology we developed surveys SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing nanobodies at an unprecedented scale, which…

Researchers at University College London and King’s College London have developed a device that allows for easy earwax sampling, with the goal that the wax could be a convenient and reliable way to measure cortisol levels. The device can be used by a patient at home to obtain a sample of earwax and is less invasive and unpleasant than existing methods, such as syringing. Cortisol levels change in patients with conditions such as depression, Addison’s disease, and Cushing syndrome, and…

Researchers at the University of Houston and colleagues have developed a flexible epicardial patch which can monitor heart function and even administer treatments, such as thermal ablation and heart pacing. The device can harvest power directly from the movement of the beating heart and its flexibility means that it conforms well with the epicardial surface, allowing it to monitor the heart at various locations simultaneously. At present, implantable devices that are used to monitor and treat the heart, such as…

Certain varieties of pancreatic cancer exhibit multiple tumor cell subtypes that work, somewhat mysteriously, to quickly become resistant to chemotherapy agents. Researchers at Purdue University have now built a unique microfluidic device that can be used to test a cancer drug on multiple tumor cells subtypes. Using this technology the researchers believe that new drug therapies can be discovered and existing medicines used more effectively. “The drug discovery and screening process has been using one cancer cell subtype and studying…

Siemens Healthineers won clearance from the FDA for the Ysio Max digital radiography system that features a number of so-called MAX technologies, including new detectors and usability features that improve imaging and quicken exams. Three new detectors are included, including the new MAX wi-D, the lightest 14 x 17” wireless detector with a handle, that weighs only 6.6 lbs. and is just over half an inch thick. The new wireless MAX Mini, developed for pediatric, orthopedic, and trauma applications, is…