Diagnostic devices

It's claimed the device achieves 85 percent accuracy in predicting which lung cancer patients will, or will not, respond to new immunotherapy treatments

Medical

eNose can predict lung cancer immunotherapy response

A new study is suggesting a simple breath analysis can accurately predict whether lung cancer patients will positively respond to immunotherapy treatments.

A new test can measure circulating prostate tumor cells in a patient's blood, offering significant improvements on current diagnostic methods

Medical

Prostate cancer blood test promises "paradigm shift"

Scientists have developed a new prostate cancer blood test that promises significant increases in accuracy compared to current blood tests.

A conventional otoscope, being used to examine a patient's ear

Medical

Ear-inspecting device uses ultrasound

Researchers have developed a device that assesses ear infections using ultrasound.

The device should hit the market the year after next

Medical

Stick-type test assesses user's heart disease risk

Australian scientists have developed a stick-like tes device that users spit on to find out if they're at risk of heart disease.

Left column: the researchers' CRISPR gel when not exposed to the trigger DNA sequence. Right: the gel degrades entirely after two hours of exposure to the trigger

Science

MIT and Harvard use CRISPR to "edit" DNA gels for diagnostic devices

New MIT and Harvard research shows how versatile CRISPR is, putting the genetic scissors to work in diagnostic tools and timed drug delivery systems.

Australian researcher Paul Constable demonstrating his novel eye-scanning device that can reportedly diagnose autism in children

Medical

Two new autism diagnostic tools offer objective ways to detect the condition

Two new autism detection methods are promising to offer clinicians objective diagnostic tools that are not based on subjective behavioral assessments. Both systems are in early stages of clinical verification but they enter a busy field of research into autism biomarkers.

A new system that measures blood pressure using a phone video is currently 95 percent accurate but has not yet been tested on a large variety of different skin tones

Medical

A short selfie video on your smartphone can now measure your blood pressure

A new technology, called transdermal optical imaging, can turn your smartphone into a device that can measure your blood pressure by analyzing a short video of your face. The University of Toronto-led research has demonstrated the system is 95 percent accurate and an app is already in development.

A new blood test for Alzheimer's could enable the rapid screening of patients for clinical trials geared at testing new drugs to prevent or slow the onset of the disease

Medical

Alzheimer’s blood test could replace PET brain scans after hitting 94 percent accuracy

A new study is suggesting a novel blood test can identify subjects at an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, years before any symptoms appear. The blood test may even be more accurate than PET brain scans, and is hoped to accelerate patient screening for clinical trials.

Measuring several square centimeters in size, the current version of the device incorporates eight microfluidic channels, for measuring multiple biomarkers or blood samples in parallel

Medical

Microfluidic device uses tiny beads to detect sepsis within minutes

Sepsis occurs when the body's immune system releases chemicals to fight an infection, triggering widespread inflammation. If not treated soon enough, organ failure and even death can ultimately result. A new device, however, could detect it earlier than ever.

Prof. Adam Wax with the prototype OCT scanner

Medical

Portable device performs retinal scans – on a budget

There are already a number of inexpensive new devices that allow doctors in developing nations to image patients' retinas. In order to get a better look at what's going on, though, an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner is required – and a cheaper one of those has now also been developed.

Researchers have created a new magnetic metamaterial that can reduce MRI times while improving the resolution of the images

Medical

Magnetic metamaterial amplifies MRI for clearer images in less time

MRI is a great tool for diagnosing disease, but it can be costly and cumbersome. Now, engineers at Boston University have developed a new device, small enough for a patient to wear inside the machine, that could boost the signal and provide higher-resolution images at lower magnetic strengths.

A VR navigation task can accurately distinguish patients with age-related mild cognitive impairment from patients with the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease

Medical

How virtual reality can help diagnose early Alzheimer’s disease

An exciting new study from the University of Cambridge is demonstrating how a novel virtual reality navigation test can better predict which patients are in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease compared to other currently used "gold standard" cognitive tests.