Browse Topic: Pharmaceuticals

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Thermoresponsive Smart MaterialsTBMG-4694211/01/2022
Magazine Article
Nanomaterial Improves Insulin’s EffectsTBMG-4594106/01/2022
Researchers have developed a compound consisting of insulin bound to a string of amino acids that includes an antioxidant group. An earlier study in mice suggested this nanomaterial’s anti-diabetes properties included improving glucose consumption and availability as fuel for the brain.
Magazine Article
Wireless Smart Contact Lenses Detect DiseaseTBMG-4554204/01/2022
Having diabetes means a lifelong obligation of insulin shots and monitoring of blood glucose levels. But a team of researchers has developed a way to control the secretion of insulin just by wearing contact lenses.
Magazine Article
Highly Accurate Test Quantifies Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2TBMG-3976309/01/2021
Scientists have developed a rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in human serum, opening a new avenue for understanding the full extent of the pandemic and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines.
Magazine Article
Quantum-Limit-Approaching Chemical Sensing ChipTBMG-3863903/01/2021
University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals — everything from illicit drugs to pollution — as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol.
Magazine Article
Miniscule Robots of Metal and PlasticTBMG-3851502/01/2021
Researchers have been pursuing the development of robots so tiny that they can maneuver through blood vessels and deliver medications to certain points in the body. Now, scientists have succeeded in building such micromachines out of metal and plastic in which these two materials are interlocked as closely as links in a chain. This is possible thanks to a new manufacturing technique they have devised.
Magazine Article
Chemical Identification by Magneto-Elastic Sensing (ChIMES)TBMG-3848302/01/2021
A low-cost sensor technology, called Chemical Identification by Magneto-Elastic Sensing (ChIMES), uses target response materials (TRMs) as actuators in magneto-elastic (M-E) sensors (Figure 1).
Magazine Article
Painless Paper Patch Tests Glucose LevelsTBMG-3834501/01/2021
Researchers have been trying to develop a practical way to use microneedles — tiny needles less than 1 mm in length — for routine at-home medical monitoring. Microneedles are so short that they stay within the skin and do not make contact with any neurons, meaning that they cause no pain. Rather than extracting blood, they draw up fluid in the skin that contains most of the important biomarkers that blood tests look for. Several types of microneedles exist but until now, making a practical device that quickly analyzes the fluid has proved elusive.
Magazine Article
Products of Tomorrow: November 2020TBMG-3799611/01/2020
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
Magazine Article
Single-Use Applications Maximize Biomanufacturing AgilityTBMG-3806611/01/2020
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing is changing. With the rise of biologics and personalized medicine, the industry is appreciating the single-use manufacturing style. Instead of large-scale production processes, manufacturers are finding it pays to be agile — which is why many are increasingly adopting single-use technologies to turn over new products and batches quickly and efficiently. Single-use technologies utilize disposable bioprocessing equipment in place of traditional stainless steel. By eliminating the time-consuming clean-in-place (CIP) and steam-in-place (SIP) processes between batches, single-use technologies cut down on the costs of labor, materials, and utilities — all while shortening time to market.
Magazine Article
Driver Drowsiness and Fatigue in the Safe Operation of Vehicles - Definition of Terms and ConceptsJ3198_202010 (Current)10/26/2020
This SAE Information Report provides definitions and discussions of key terms concerning driver drowsiness and fatigue, and basic information on measuring drowsiness and fatigue. It also includes information and concepts for driver drowsiness as they relate to the safe operation of a vehicle. The key driver drowsiness and fatigue causal factors include the following: (1) sleep quality and quantity, (2) time of day, (3) time awake, (4) time on task (modulated by characteristics of the driving task), (5) task-related fatigue (variations of arousal levels related to task underload and overload), and (6) combinations of these factors. Medical conditions, medication, alcohol, or drugs exacerbate drowsiness; however, the discussion in this report is limited to fatigue concepts. This report has two primary outputs: (1) definitions and discussions of key terms concerning driver drowsiness and fatigue, and (2) basic information on measuring drowsiness and fatigue and its effects on the safe
Driver Metrics, Performance, Behaviors and States Committee
Information Report
Method Turns Nearly any Object into a Data Storage UnitTBMG-3780510/01/2020
Living beings contain their own assembly and operating instructions in the form of DNA. That's not the case with inanimate objects. Anyone wishing to 3D-print an object also requires a set of instructions. If they then choose to print that same object again years later, they need access to the original digital information; the object itself does not store the printing instructions.
Magazine Article
Wearable Patch May Provide New Treatment Option for Skin CancerTBMG-3735308/01/2020
Conventional melanoma therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, suffer from the toxicity and side effects of repeated treatments due to the aggressive and recurrent nature of melanoma cells.
Magazine Article
Magnetic Force Manages PainTBMG-3746408/01/2020
Mainstream modern medicine centers on using pharmaceuticals to make chemical or molecular changes inside the body to treat disease; however, recent breakthroughs in the control of forces at small scales have opened up a new treatment idea: using physical force to kickstart helpful changes inside cells. This idea is referred to as “mechanoceuticals.”
Magazine Article
Active Material Created Out of Microscopic Spinning ParticlesTBMG-3746208/01/2020
At the atomic level, a glass of water and a spoonful of crystalline salt couldn’t be more different. Water atoms move around freely and randomly, while salt crystals are locked in place in a lattice. But some new materials show an intriguing propensity to sometimes behave like water and sometimes like salt, giving them interesting transport properties and holding potential promise for applications like mixing and delivery in the pharmaceutical industry.
Magazine Article
New Device Quickly Detects Lithium Ions in Blood of Bipolar Disorder PatientsTBMG-3724407/01/2020
A group of Hokkaido University researchers has developed a paper-based device that can easily and cheaply measure lithium ion concentration in blood, which could greatly help bipolar disorder patients.
Magazine Article
Bioengineers Develop Coin-Sized Smart Insulin PatchTBMG-3692405/01/2020
UCLA bioengineers and colleagues at the UNC School of Medicine and MIT have further developed a smart insulin-delivery patch that could one day monitor and manage glucose levels in people with diabetes and deliver the necessary insulin dosage. The adhesive patch, about the size of a quarter, is simple to manufacture and intended for once-a-day use.
Magazine Article
Iron Nanorobots Destroy Cancer CellsTBMG-3623803/01/2020
Drug-coated iron nanowires that can be guided to the site of a tumor using an external magnetic field before activating a three-step cancer-killing mechanism could provide an effective option for cancer therapy.
Magazine Article
Cold Plasma Patch Could Make Immunotherapy More Effective for Treating MelanomaTBMG-3623703/01/2020
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has developed a medicated patch that can deliver immune checkpoint inhibitors and cold plasma directly to tumors to help boost the immune response and kill cancer cells.
Magazine Article
Color-Changing Bandages Sense and Treat Bacterial InfectionsTBMG-3625303/01/2020
According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. Sensing and treating bacterial infections earlier could help improve patients’ recovery, as well curb the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have developed color-changing bandages that can sense drug-resistant and drug-sensitive bacteria in wounds and treat them accordingly.
Magazine Article
Q&A: Electrically Conductive Coated Yarn for Wearable, Washable FabricsTBMG-3598202/01/2020
Professor Genevieve Dion, Director of Drexel University's (Philadelphia, PA) Center for Functional Fabrics, is collaborating with other experts to coat yarn with the highly conductive, two-dimensional material MXene. They demonstrated that the yarn could be used with standard textile manufacturing techniques to create wearable conductive fabric.
Magazine Article
Ultrasensitive Vapor Detection SystemTBMG-3597602/01/2020
An ultrasensitive technology detects explosive vapors, deadly chemicals, and illicit drugs and works in seconds. The ion chemistry technique initially identified RDX — a common explosive compound — at 10 parts per quadrillion (ppq). The original technology also identified explosive compounds such as C-4, PETN, Semtex, nitroglycerin, and tetryl. The system was enhanced to detect many more explosive vapors, including TNT, as well as vapors emanating from toxic chemicals similar in structure to nerve agents. The latest enhancement is the ability to detect vapors from illicit drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Magazine Article
Scientists Replace Metal Collimators with Plastic AnalogsTBMG-3577401/01/2020
Scientists have developed plastic collimators that can replace their metal analogs used in radiation therapy. The team focused on the exact characteristics of the desired product, its development, and testing. The study will be beneficial for both medicine and everyone who is interested in the effect of radiation on plastic products.
Magazine Article
Bioelectronic Implant Could Prevent Opioid DeathsTBMG-3563012/01/2019
Researchers are developing a novel, implantable device that can sense the effects of a potentially fatal level of ingested opioids and then automatically and immediately deliver a life-saving dose of naloxone.
Magazine Article
Novel Applications of Electrospinning Could Improve DevicesTBMG-3563612/01/2019
When you visit Andrew Steckl’s lab at the University of Cincinnati, you see a nondescript glass box that weaves together different fibers. He sees endless possibility.
Magazine Article
Products of Tomorrow: December 2019TBMG-3570712/01/2019
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
Magazine Article
3D-Printed Liquid Lab-on-a-ChipTBMG-3527910/01/2019
Researchers have 3D-printed an all-liquid device that, with the click of a button, can be repeatedly reconfigured on demand to serve a wide range of applications from making battery materials to screening drug candidates.
Magazine Article
Tiny Biodegradable Circuits Release Painkillers Inside the BodyTBMG-3509509/01/2019
Patients fitted with an orthopedic prosthetic commonly experience a period of intense pain after surgery. In an effort to control the pain, surgeons inject painkillers into the tissue during the operation. When that wears off a day or two later, the patients are given morphine through a catheter placed near the spine. Yet catheters are not particularly comfortable, and the drugs spread throughout the body, affecting all organs.
Magazine Article
Pen and Autoinjectors: Testing for the FutureTBMG-3508209/01/2019
The injectable drug-delivery device market is growing at a staggering rate, with an anticipated global market value of $37.5 billion by 2025 compared to $16.7 billion in 2016. The driving factors of this growth are the increasing geriatric population and the rising incidence rates of chronic and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Allergies causing anaphylactic reactions are also increasing dramatically, particularly in industrially developed countries.
Magazine Article
Method Uses Ultraviolet Light to Control Fluid Flow and Organize ParticlesTBMG-3490708/01/2019
A new method uses ultraviolet light to control the flow of fluids by encouraging particles — from plastic microbeads, to bacterial spores, to pollutants — to gather and organize at a specific location within a liquid and, if desired, move to new locations.
Magazine Article
Light-Activated Micro-PumpTBMG-3491908/01/2019
Even the smallest mechanical pumps have limitations, from the micro-fabrication techniques required to make them to the fact that there are limits on their size. A laser-driven photoacoustic microfluidic pump was developed that is capable of moving fluids in any direction without moving parts or electrical contacts. The pump uses a plasmonic quartz plate implanted with gold atoms to move liquids with a laser that generates an ultrasonic wave.
Magazine Article
Products of Tomorrow: July 2019TBMG-3475707/01/2019
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
Magazine Article
Flexible, Transparent, Wearable Bio-PatchTBMG-3463906/01/2019
Silicon nanoneedle patches are currently placed between skin, muscles, or tissues where they deliver exact doses of biomolecules. Commercially available silicon nanoneedle patches are usually constructed on a rigid and opaque silicon wafer. The rigidity can cause discomfort and cannot be left in the body very long.
Magazine Article
5 Ws of the Insulin-Delivery PillTBMG-3461606/01/2019
Millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes.
Magazine Article
Researchers Develop Long-Lasting Disposable Health PatchTBMG-3426704/01/2019
Researchers have created a health patch that offers unprecedented comfort and a long battery life, previously unseen in this type of device. The patch can also be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of previous generations, making it a user-friendly, disposable solution for ambulant patient monitoring.
Magazine Article
Metallic Hollow Nanoparticle FabricationTBMG-3415604/01/2019
NASA Langley Research Center has developed new methods for fabricating hollow nanoparticles using dendrimer molecules. Dendrimers are used as templates to control the size, stability, and solubility of these metallic nanoparticles ranging in metal lining thicknesses from less than 5 nm to several tens of nm.
Magazine Article
Printing Technology Uses Sound Waves to Control Size of Liquid DropletsTBMG-3370202/01/2019
Liquid droplets are used in many applications, from printing ink on paper to creating microcapsules for drug delivery. Inkjet printing is the most common technique used to pattern liquid droplets, but it's only suitable for liquids that are roughly ten times more viscous than water. Many fluids of interest to researchers are far more viscous; for example, biopolymer and cell-laden solutions that are vital for biopharmaceuticals and bioprinting are at least 100 times more viscous than water. Some sugar-based biopolymers could be as viscous as honey, which is 25,000 times more viscous than water. The viscosity of these fluids also changes dramatically with temperature and composition, making it more difficult to optimize printing parameters to control droplet sizes.
Magazine Article
Device Allows Patients to Monitor and Control Anticoagulant DoseTBMG-3356301/01/2019
Researchers have developed a biosensor device that allows them to monitor their anticoagulants such as Sintrom (aceno-coumarol). This device would allow the patient or doctor to regulate the dose and achieve the optimal effect, something key in people medicated with anticoagulants.
Magazine Article
Microchip Tracks Smart PillsTBMG-3359201/01/2019
Researchers have developed a prototype miniature medical device that could ultimately be used in smart pills to diagnose and treat diseases. A key to the new technology is that its location can be precisely identified within the body — something that previously proved challenging.
Magazine Article
Nanodevice Delivers Immunotherapy Without Side EffectsTBMG-3345112/01/2018
Houston Methodist scientists have developed a nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy without side effects to treat triple-negative breast cancer. Inserted straight into a tumor, this nanofluidic seed makes it possible to deliver a one-time, sustained-release dose that would eliminate the need for patients to undergo several IV treatments over time.
Magazine Article
Experimental Bone Helps Osteoarthritis PatientsTBMG-3344812/01/2018
Researchers from the Faculty of Chemical Technology Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, are developing an artificial bone, which can be used for treating of the most common joint disease — osteoarthritis. The bifunctional composite imitates the complex osteochondral structure of a joint, i.e., both cartilage and bone tissues.
Magazine Article
Tests Prove Immersion Method of Production of Implantable Devices is EffectiveTBMG-3281809/01/2018
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a major, yet often preventable threat to patient safety, and they can have a significant impact on the survival rate of patients who undergo procedures and treatments. In particular, catheter-associated infections are difficult to prevent, even when products are made of silicone, due to their inherent positioning both inside and outside of the body.
Magazine Article
Bringing Multispectral Imaging to Industrial ApplicationsTBMG-2974207/01/2018
A mere 20 years ago, machine vision system designers did all they could to avoid color imaging applications due to higher costs and greater system and software complexity. But as microprocessors increased their computational power, color applications became less daunting, although designers still preferred to create color applications using filters and monochrome cameras whenever possible.
Magazine Article
Ferroelectric Material Improves UltrasoundTBMG-2894505/01/2018
Development of a theoretical basis for ultrahigh piezoelectricity in ferroelectric materials has led to a new material with twice the piezo response of any existing commercial ferroelectric ceramics.
Magazine Article
Lighting the Way for Cancer TreatmentTBMG-2895604/01/2018
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has largely been limited to surface cancers due to its inability to penetrate deeper than a centimeter of tissue. A new approach wirelessly delivers doses of light into deeper regions of the body to activate light-sensitive drugs, potentially enabling the use of PDT in treating a wider range of cancers such as those of the brain and liver.
Magazine Article
Control for Molecular MachinesTBMG-2881704/01/2018
Scientists around the world are working on new technologies for the nanofactories of the future, which one day could be used to analyze biochemical samples or produce active medical agents. The required miniature machines can already be produced costeffectively using the DNA-origami technique.
Magazine Article
Chemical Identification by Magneto-Elastic Sensing (ChIMES)TBMG-2853403/01/2018
A low-cost sensor technology, called Chemical Identification by Magneto-Elastic Sensing (ChIMES), uses target response materials (TRMs) as actuators in magneto-elastic (M-E) sensors (Figure 1).
Magazine Article
Scientists Discover New Way to Label Chemical Compounds for Medical ImagingTBMG-2850303/01/2018
Researchers have found a versatile workaround to create chemical compounds that could prove useful for medical imaging and drug development. While studying chemical reactions of a gold-containing molecule, a research team happened upon a chemical mechanism that can be used to form trifluoromethyl (CF3) compounds and attach them to other chemical compounds. This discovery could aid in the synthesis of new “radiotracers” – chemical compounds that contain a radioactive isotope of an element – for use with PET (positron emission tomography) scanning.
Magazine Article
Hydrogels Release Therapeutics in Response to Environmental TriggersTBMG-2828601/24/2018
Scientists have built and tested a new biomaterial-based delivery system — known as a hydrogel — that will encase a desired cargo and dissolve to release its freight only when specific physiological conditions are met.
Magazine Article
Bulk Preparation of Holey Graphene via Controlled Catalytic OxidationTBMG-2817301/01/2018
Researchers at NASA have developed new methods to manufacture carbon materials (e.g., nanotubes, graphene) with holes through the graphitic surface of the particles. The methods generate materials with increased accessible surface area, increased functional groups at damage sites, and improved through-surface molecular transport properties. The materials generated using these techniques are anticipated to be applicable to a variety of industries, especially energy storage (e.g. supercapacitors and batteries) and separation membranes (e.g. for gas, ions, organics, proteins, etc.).
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