Implant

When it comes to replacing faulty heart valves, there are two options – a metallic valve, or a biological one obtained from a pig or cow. There could soon be a third and perhaps better choice, though, in the form of a polymer replacement heart valve.

When it comes to the treatment of neurological conditions, doctors are increasingly looking to battery-powered implants that stimulate parts of the brain. Now, however, scientists have developed one that's externally powered by magnetic fields.

Imagine a device that lets people with diabetes use an app to give themselves a boost of insulin when they need it, without an injection. A prototype device can do just that, using electricity to control gene expression in encapsulated beta cells.

New research out of Texas A&M University could lead to a simple system using a subdermal implant and a light-measuring computer peripheral to give gout patients real-time readouts of their blood urate levels, helping them avoid flare-ups.

DARPA is planning to develop a "travel adapter" for the human body. Called the ADvanced Acclimation and Protection Tool for Environmental Readiness (ADAPTER), the new program aims to produce a device to help soldiers handle jet lag and diarrhea.

Brain-implanted electrodes have numerous uses, ranging from the controlling of prosthetic arms to the monitoring of neural activity. They could soon be more effective than ever, as scientists have now developed ones that are soft and squishy.

While we frequently hear about the replacement of arthritic hips and knees with implants, wrists are another matter, as they're very complex joints. And although artificial wrists do exist, a new one is claimed to provide a fuller range of motion.

There's always a risk that implanted medical devices will get colonized with bacteria, causing infections and sometimes even needing to be removed. Such complications could soon be less likely, though, thanks to a new graphite nanoplatelet coating.

Keeping medical implants charged up can be tricky, but scientists in Saudi Arabia are putting forward a potential solution to this problem, developing a tiny implantable device that can be recharged through the skin wirelessly with ultrasound.

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have been working towards a one-size-fits all prosthetic heart valve, and have come up with a design they say works at a variety of diameters, and avoids the need for invasive surgeries as kids grow.

People living with Type 1 diabetes are faced with some daily hassles, such as finger-prick blood tests and insulin injections. An Israeli biomedical firm is now stating that such tasks may soon no longer be necessary, thanks to its prototype implant.

We've recently seen a number of battery-free implantable biosensors, that are activated by the handheld device that reads them. Scientists have now created another such sensor, that's smaller than any that have come before.