Articles By Sara Jerome

  1. Powering Pacemakers With Heartbeats 1/15/2014

    Is the human heart strong enough to power a medical device?

    That’s the concept behind research at Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork in Ireland. Researchers were awarded €6.1 million in funding from the European Union to explore whether energy extracted from a beating heart can be used to power a pacemaker.

  2. Public Receptive To Mixing Health And Tech, Intel Study Finds 12/20/2013

    Chip giant Intel recently released a study stating that most people are optimistic about technology innovations advancing healthcare, are willing to participate in virtual healthcare visits with their doctor, and would use health sensors in their bodies and even their toilets.

  3. Squid-Powered Edible Medical Devices 12/20/2013

    Researchers have found an unusual new source of power to charge ingestible or implanted medical devices: cuttlefish, a close relative of the squid. A promising new study shows that ink from cuttlefish make it a perfect fit for use in battery electrodes that would be used in devices that operate in close proximity to sensitive living tissue.

  4. Budget Deal Looks Good For Medtech Industry, Opens Door For Device Tax Repeal 12/19/2013

    The two-year budget deal approved by House last week and the Senate yesterday — and now awaits Presidents Obama's signature — contains language with major implications for the medical device industry.

  5. Ninjas Vs. Superbugs: IBM Develops Polymers To Fight MRSA, Fungal Infections 12/18/2013

    IBM may have found a surprising new weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and… foot fungus? The company has developed a technology it's calling "ninja polymers" engineered to attach themselves to barcteria or fungus cell wall and essentially burst its membranes.

  6. New ‘Suicidality’ Test Predicts Suicide Risk 12/16/2013

    A new test aims to help doctors determine the odds of a patient committing suicide based on their physical composition.

  7. Wireless Recharging Of Implant Batteries Via Ultrasound 12/13/2013

    Researchers are working on technology to recharge medical implants over a wireless connection. The technology is based on piezoelectric generation of ultrasound, wherein materials are squeezed or stressed to produce a voltage, and applied voltages can cause compression or extension.

  8. Covidien Buying PillCam-Maker Given Imaging For $860 Million 12/12/2013

    Medical device maker Covidien announced it has agreed to buy Israel's Given Imaging, developer of the PillCam capsule endoscope and other technologies for visualizing, detecting, and monitoring gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Covidien is paying $30.00 per share in a total of $860 million.

  9. 'Electronic Skin' Enables Continuous, Accurate Patient Monitoring 12/11/2013

    Researchers have created an "electronic skin" that can take a patient's temperature — a potential indicator of underlying medical conditions — with less discomfort and more accuracy and functionality. The new technology, referred to as "epidermal electronics," consists of ultrathin, flexible skin-like arrays, which resemble a tattoo of a micro-circuit board.

  10. New Nano-Camera Operates At Speed Of Light, Could Improve Medical Imaging 12/11/2013

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab has developed a camera that can capture 3D images at the speed of light, paving the way for more advanced medical imaging.