Diagnostic devices

Researchers have developed a breakthrough ultrasound method that uses shear waves to, for the first time, measure tension in human tissue. The discovery has to the potential to revolutionize disease diagnosis.

Researchers have developed a platform that allows wireless ingestible devices to be tracked in 3D as they travel through the gut, which may provide a cheaper, less invasive way of investigating disorders that affect gastric motility.

A clinical trial has shown a new type of medical scan can identify specific adrenal gland nodules responsible for high blood pressure. The scan offers the first simple diagnostic tool for what is the cause of hypertension in up to 10% of people.

As is the case with so many other things, the sooner that Alzheimer's disease is detected, the more that can be done to slow its progress. An experimental implantable lens could help, by changing in appearance at the early stages of the illness.

Using a newly developed VR game, researchers believe they have created a tool that can objectively diagnose ADHD. The system tracks a user's eye movements and has also been proposed as a way of monitoring the efficacy of certain therapeutic interventions.

New research has reported successful early tests for an electronic nose system designed to sniff out prostate cancer biomarkers in urine. The technology follows earlier research that found trained sniffer dogs can accurately detect prostate cancer.

A team of researchers in the UK has developed a fully automated artificial intelligence-enabled system that can scan retinal images for vascular health, helping identify those at high risk of heart disease and stroke.

Pharma giant Pfizer has shelled out nearly US$120 million to acquire a small Australian company claiming to have developed a smartphone app that can accurately diagnose COVID-19 by analyzing the sound of a cough.

New research points to an eye response to light as a potentially useful way of diagnosing autism in young children. Further testing is underway in a large cohort of children and a simple device to screen pupil responses has been developed.

Although there are now a number of skin-worn sensors which identify metabolites in sweat, the technology is limited in what it can detect, plus the sensors often aren't reusable. A new one, however, utilizes a "molecularly imprinted polymer" to be much more useful.

An innovative new rapid test promises to give people the ability to easily measure their COVID-19 immunity. The test tracks levels of neutralizing antibodies in a drop of blood, helping a person evaluate their susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

While medical electrodes are vital to the monitoring of electrical activity in the body, they're rigid and costly, plus they don't stay on well if the wearer is moving. A new sugar-cube-derived electrode, however, addresses those shortcomings.