Biotech Brief

Innovations and biotechnology news from a biomedical engineer's unfiltered perspective. 

[eutektiks]

Source: Caretaker 

FDA Approves CareTaker® Wireless Remote Patient Monitor For Continuous Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (“cNIBP”)

The wearable CareTaker® monitor enables uninterrupted wire-free and electrode-free vital signs monitoring throughout the full mobile continuum of care; within the clinic and hospital, during patient transport, and remotely after patient discharge. Using a comfortable, low-pressure finger cuff, CareTaker’s patented Pulse Decomposition Analysis technology non-invasively measures continuous Beat-by-Beat blood pressure with accuracy exceeding FDA requirements, and measures Heart Rate as accurately as a 3-lead ECG for remote display on the CareTaker® secure web portal or other wireless devices.

Historically, most continuous “beat-by-beat” real-time Blood Pressure measurements require an invasive arterial catheter or complex equipment, and have therefore been reserved for use mainly in critical care settings. The CareTaker cNIBP technology delivers “ICU Quality” continuous measurements without intrusive catheters or cumbersome wires, giving clinicians the ability to identify hemodynamic deterioration trends early, allowing more time for intervention while providing a much more comprehensive view of a patient’s hemodynamic status. CareTaker’s comfortable finger cuff is gentle enough to be worn continuously, even during sleep, and usage is intuitive enough to ease the clinician’s workflow. Equally important, CareTaker’s onboard Cellular and Bluetooth communication capabilities allow for simple setup and deployment as well as seamless integration with other devices, Remote Patient Monitoring platforms and hospital Electronic Medical Record systems.

“CareTaker is a real game changer, allowing physicians to remotely monitor medical-grade Continuous Blood Pressure and Heart Rate from anywhere, using only a patient friendly-finger cuff” said Dr. Jay Sanders, MD, Professor of Medicine (adjunct) at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and President Emeritus of the American Telemedicine Association. “Until now, most clinicians have had to settle for intermittent ‘point-in-time’ Blood Pressure measurements using bulky arm cuffs, which can produce misleading results due to the influence of many factors such as movement, posture, anxiety, or caffeine. In remote monitoring settings, the ability to gather continuous Blood Pressure and vital sign data from such an integrated easy-to-use device will provide better information and improve patient compliance while reducing cost and workload.”

TLDR; Blood pressure measurements are really important to get continuously in the hospital setting; patients there are usually sick where blood pressure could spike or drop suddenly. However, currently the only ways to get reliable measurements is through a cuff that only gives you a couple measurements here and there or to by inserting an invasive catheter into your blood artery for continuous measurements. Developing a way to be able to get continuous blood pressure measurements without having to stab into someone’s limb fulfills a huge gap in treating patients before a fatal episode.

[txchnologist]

Filling That Hole in Your Heart

Repairing defects and ruptures deep inside the body may have just gotten a whole lot less invasive. Up until now, fixing damaged cardiac tissue, ulcers, hernias and holes in other places within patients has meant serious surgery and sutures to bring tissue together so it can repair itself.

But researchers have unveiled a new, much less invasive procedure that harnesses a catheter equipped with inflatable balloons and ultraviolet-light-activated, biodegradable adhesive patches.

A team from Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital catheter has successfully used the device in animals to repair holes in organs without needing to resort to risky major surgery and stitches that can erode tissue over time. Learn more and see the device deployed on actual ruptured heart tissue below.

Keep reading

[eutektiks]

Advice: How to Do Well in an Interview

So after all your hard work and persistence, you have finally scored an interview! For that, that already deserves a celebration. With this in mind, like everything else, interviews also require preparation. Here's a simple guide to keep your cool AND wow your interviewer.

1. Preparation is key!

An interview is like any test; you actually need to prepare beforehand. Only, in this case, you are tested on how you can apply everything you have learned to let the interviewer/recruiter know you are fit for the position. How does one prepare? Take the time to research more information about the company/programs. If the job posting is available, it’s advisable to look through there as well.

What are their objectives?

What are some methods they would use to achieve those objectives?

What kind of person would help with accomplish these methods?

What are the desired skill sets for the role?

Once you have those questions answered, you can easily get a feel of which aspects about yourself to be sure to play up on in your interview.

2. Be a human being

Countless of times, when I get approached by applicants in the application process, they sound and act robotic. Forced inflections, forced smile, stiff body language, “professional” cliches and buzzwords used meaninglessly to fill the silence, the list goes on. At the end of the day, these applicants do not stand out. At the end of the day, managers would want someone who is not only a pain in the ass to work with, but someone they could actually get along with and trust. Showing that you actually have a personality, are well-rounded with various interests outside of work, know what’s going on in the industry, and have the ability to explain technical projects well to someone new are outstanding to a potential new boss. There may be some very specific skill sets that are desired for the position, but if you have relevant skill sets, feel free to let the interviewer know that you could expand and learn the new skills needed.

3. It’s a matching game

Do not come to an interview desperate. Keep in mind that the interview is a mutual exchange; the interviewer is gauging if you are fit into the company, and you should be gauging if you actually want to work with the company. People make the mistake of forgetting this fact and get blindsided by doing so. 

It becomes a double edged sword. On one hand, if the applicant receives the offer and starts working there, he/she would get disappointed by the company because he/she may have not taken the proper measures to research about the company culture and dynamics and realize after the fact that they were not up to his/her expectations. On the other hand, interviewers could get a sense of the desperation and would be discouraged to pursue the applicant if there were many other applicants that were more qualified and passionate about the company’s goals. 

[eutektiks]

Photo: Melanie Gonick/MIT

Magnet Controlled, Ingestible Origami Robot

The newest version, which had to be made up of a biocompatible material and be less stiff, gets about 20% of its forward motion by propelling itself through water--or simulated stomach acids in this case. So not only can it fit inside a capsule that can be swallowed and unfolds itself, it has fins! External magnetic fields then steer the device across the stomach wall to remove a swallowed button battery or patch a wound.

"It's really exciting to see our small origami robots doing something with potential important applications to health care," Russ, who runs MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, said. "For applications inside the body, we need a small, controllable, untethered robot system. It's really difficult to control and place a robot inside the body if the robot is attached to a tether."

About 3,500 button batteries are swallowed each year in the U.S. alone, typically by children. Although most are digested normally, if one comes in contact with the tissue of the esophagus or stomach it can create an electric current that produces hydroxide and burns the tissue. Try putting one on a piece of bacon and see what happens to the bacon a half hour later.

Source: Fierce Medical Devices

TLDR; Paper-thin “robot” is folded up into a biodegradable pill. Once swallowed, it unfolds with fins to help move through stomach fluids. Clinician could use a magnetic device to navigate the robot to snatch up foreign object in stomach without traditional tethers or using incisions

[eutektiks]

What is Consulting?

Healthcare consulting is a rapidly growing subset of consulting. The current timetable for healthcare consulting is opportune thanks to the healthcare reforms enacted by the Obama administration. The healthcare mandates affect all segments of the industry, including providers (doctors and hospitals), payers (insurance companies), life-sciences (pharmaceutical companies), and support (healthcare product distribution). Unlike other industries, health care companies have to adjust to the changes resulting from the recent healthcare reform laws in order to avoid fines and reduction in subsidies by the government. In fact, Lan explains, “lots of companies, especially on the insurance side, are doing a lot of work to understand changes [mandated by the government] that are about to happen.” They seek consultants more than ever to project what healthcare will be a few years down the road and to meet the requirements set by the government.

A common misconception about Biomedical Engineering is that one would only be limited to few career pathways. However, with a Biomedical Engineering major, there's far more career paths one could think of. One of which, consulting, is a direct way of applying the problem solving strategies that this major trains us with. This is a great article looking into this commonly unknown career.

[eutektiks]

Renal Denervation: All the Rage in Europe

Boasting the potential to become a $5-billion market, renal denervation is an area actively being pursued by such medtech powerhouses as Medtronic, St. Jude, and Covidien because of the high volume of hypertension patients that do not respond to drug treatments. Patients with refractory, or resistant, hypertension, which is defined as not experiencing appropriate blood pressure reduction when on at least three antihypertensive drugs at the optimal doses, account for approximately 12% of all hypertensive patients, according to ESC presenter Johannes Mann.

Renal denervation is a novel technique used to treat hypertension, a chronic medical condition where the patient's blood pressure is high due to arterial wall constriction, when other treatments are ineffective. This procedure requires a multi-electrode ablation catheter to deactivate the nerves around the renal arteries, the arteries that deliver blood to the kidneys. By deactivating these nerves, which can regulate the constriction of the arterial walls, the patient's blood pressure decreases. By ultimately decreasing blood pressure, this procedure can decrease the patient's chances of stroke and heart attack, the top killers of America.

[eutektiks]

Noninvasive Biosensor Could Eliminate Needles from Blood Glucose Monitoring

Researchers have created a new type of biosensor that can detect minute concentrations of glucose in saliva, tears and urine and might be manufactured at low cost because it does not require many processing steps to produce.

For as long as the history of glucose monitors goes, diabetics have to constantly prick their fingers to make sure their blood sugar levels remain optimal. Of course, this process oftentimes become tedious and inconvenient. However, finding non-invasive ways to measure glucose levels has always been an arduous process up until now. Purdue University has recently developed a new inexpensive biosensor that consists of

layers of nanosheets resembling tiny rose petals made of a material called graphene, which is a single-atom-thick film of carbon; platinum nanoparticles; and the enzyme glucose oxidase.

Ideally, one could simply swab the insides of their mouths for glucose readings. Unfortunately, it will be a little while before this technology reaches the consumer market; the main challenge is to develop scalable fabrication methods to make various sizes and shapes of biosensors. However, that is not to say that this is a big step towards stopping finger pricking.

[eutektiks]

St. Jude Medical Restructures, Lays Off 300

St. Jude Medical develops medical technology and services that focus on putting more control into the hands of those who treat cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide. The company is dedicated to advancing the practice of medicine by reducing risk wherever possible and contributing to successful outcomes for every patient. St. Jude Medical is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. and has four major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular and neuromodulation.

St. Jude has been having a rough year with FDA recalls, slow sales in the cardiovascular device sector, as well as the anticipated device tax increase. As part of an initiative to compensate for these changes, St. Jude is reorganizing their company, resulting in 300 lay offs.

[eutektiks]

Invisible Bike Helmet Protects the Head and Fashion Sense

The video does a great job explaining the progress that the two cofounders went through to come up with this device. First off, they identified the problem: not only are bike helmets too bulky all the time; this bulkiness tends to detract bikers from wearing them, leading to a higher risk of head trauma injuries. On top of that, it is really interesting how they integrated elements of design/arts into the final design: they incorporated a basic collar design, making it look like a scarf, and simply allowing the bike helmet apparatus pop out while the biker is falling. Of course, creating a completely new and simple design is no easy or quick task. In the video, they stated that it took them 7 years just to gather the research for the design. On top of that, they had to go out to venture capitalists to give the initial investments for them to develop the product further. As much as it is amazing to run and find your own health-related device company, what a lot of people do not consider are the overarching aspects of it: you would need to look into regulatory aspects (making sure the device fits under FDA/EU standards), marketing (who's going to market the device out to your specified users), manufacturing (even if you have the CAD drawings for the design, you need to make sure it can be manufactured with the given equipment), packaging (does the device to need to be sterile?, etc.), even overall logistics of running the company (who you are hiring, how to make sure you get high quality work, etc.). It is definitely not for everybody, but can have high returns and awards when done well.

[eutektiks]

Artificial Limb Transitions Between Prosthetics and Bionics

Although prosthetic limbs have been around for thousands of years and have undergone myriad transformations and refinements, modern-day prosthetics still have a variety of notable drawbacks. Prosthetic legs, for example, are often so heavy that their use exhausts amputees, making walking a burdensome and unpleasant exercise. Dedicated to restoring natural movement for lower-limb amputees and improving their quality of life, iWalk (Bedford, MA) has created a system that the company claims is the world’s first proven bionic intervention that utilizes robotics to replicate the function of the missing calf muscle and Achilles tendon.

The field of prosthetics is an evolving one. What would once be a device that mainly relied on mechanical and material properties is now taking on electronic properties. And it's not surprising, with a trend of innovative technological advances and biomechanical and robotic research, we will see more advances towards incorporating and streamlining robotic features into prosthetics. Also, a very nice aspect of this article is how it looks into the design process of developing this kind of device; from concept, rapid prototyping, to manufacturing. For those of you guys interested in working in the industry, this will be a great article to see the overview of the design process as well.

[eutektiks]

Hi there, love the blog! When I came across this I was extremely excited because I've been out of luck finding anyone/anything on the subject. I was wondering if there is any advice you could give a high school student interested in prosthetics? Like, where to even start.

Why hello there, thank you so much; I really appreciate it!

I am already impressed that as a high school student you are already interested in prosthetics, and I don't blame you, it is a very dynamic field. I would say some applicable areas within Biomedical Engineering would be Biomechanics (how forces are distributed and applied along ligaments, etc.), Biomaterials (which types of materials to use that are biocompatible, etc.), and Anatomy and Physiology (learning location and functionality of nerves, etc.). A good place to start is Biomaterials (I would recommend getting pdf versions of the top rated books on Amazon), they usually go into the applications of the different types of materials that will help you learn about the workings of prosthetics on a material level. And while you are in high school, I would highly suggest brushing up on your Physics (kinematics) and start looking into Material Science (Young's modulus, etc.) and Statics (analyzes where forces are distributed along structures, force body diagrams), this will all help you with Biomechanics. For Anatomy and Physiology, I would also suggest getting a pdf copy of the top rated book on Amazon.

Prosthetics is definitely a complicated field, so getting familiar with these subjects will help you build a foundation for a future in this specialty.

[eutektiks]

Medical Device Design: Defining Innovation and the Power of the First Impression

Stuart Karten, founder and principal at Karten Design (Marina del Rey, CA) as well as a juror for this year's Medical Design Excellence Awards, recently spoke with MPMN about the changing landscape of medical device design, emerging trends, the meaning of innovation, and the power of the first impression. Karten Design focuses on design strategy and research, industrial design, and mechanical engineering disciplines throughout every phase of the product development process in order to maintain a continuous focus on the end user’s needs and desires.

An ongoing trend with the device industry is a strive towards innovation. With recent advances in technology over the past few decades, the biotechnology industry still has a ways to go in terms of incorporating the recent advances in its own devices to make them more efficient and user friendly. A very interesting point from this article is that with the new electronic devices out in the market, more consumers are becoming more aware of the user interface, making them more critical of the design of the device more than ever.

[eutektiks]

OnTheBus Brings the Usefulness of GPS to the Visually Impaired

There's an app for everything, it seems—but the penetration of mobile technology into more and more realms of life isn't all that useful if you can't see the screen. A new Android app called OnTheBus is a guide for people who need to get around big cities with public transportation, but unlike other GPS programs, the app uses gesture and voice recognition to be especially helpful for people with "visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments."

With advances in the user interface of smart phones that allow you to enter inputs without looking at the screen, i.e., here, it's nice to see apps like these becoming available for different demographics of consumers.

[eutektiks]

Tandem Diabetes Care (San Diego, CA) is finally releasing its long awaited t:slim Insulin Delivery System, a 300 unit insulin pump that looks like it was designed by Apple.  The face of the t:slim is the size of a credit card and all functions are controlled through its beautiful touch screen.

It is refreshing to see more medical devices incorporating smart phone technology being released into the market, especially for consumer products that require heavy usage (i.e. diabetic products).

[eutektiks]

Advice: How do I find an internship?

Whether you are still in hot pursuit of an internship right now or for later, you will run into this question sooner or later. Let it be known, finding the ideal internship can take a combination of time, persistence, effort, and even luck. Here is a guide based on what I have learned from my own experiences as well as from others.

As a Biomedical Engineering major, internships can be quite tricky to find. As of now, it is still a developing field and companies are still learning what this major can do, as described in this past post. However, bear in mind, it is not impossible to find that dream internship; it will just take some work.

First of all, preparation is key. Before you even start an internship search, be sure to have the following things ready:

Knowing what kind of internship you want - This is a given, but not necessarily stressed enough. By identifying the types of internship you want to work in, i.e. marketing, consulting, etc., you can tailor your material to the demands of the positions. Can't decide on a specific type? That is perfectly fine, internships are a great way for one to learn where one wants to work in the industry; do not hesitate to apply to multiple types, just be sure to tailor your application accordingly. That being said, you can have multiple versions of your resume to suit various internship demands.

Resume - I can not stress how important a well-written resume is; it can land you that interview/opportunity. I also can not emphasize the well-written part enough, make sure your resume is an actual documentation of your experiences and skill sets, NOT a laundry list of what you have done and achieved. Companies do not care if you are president of [insert organization], more so they actually care what you have achieved and learned as president of [insert organization]. And I will repeat it here again, you can make multiple versions of resumes, each tailored to what each type of company would want. Do not hesitate to compulsively have other people critique your resumes. Of course, there is much more to elaborate on here, but to keep it short, I will write another tutorial about resume writing later.

Business attire - Believe it or not, a first impression is a first impression. Employers are not going to take you seriously if you come up to them unkempt; it is also a sign of disrespect especially when they took their time out of their schedule to recruit you. It is always handy to have a well pressed business suit and button up to make a good impression. 

Elevator Pitch - This is your thirty second to two minute monologue on how you specifically best fit the company's needs. Beforehand, create a backbone based on the skills and experiences you want to highlight and tailor it afterwards for the companies you are pitching to. For example, you could introduce yourself, state how you are suited for [insert company name] through your ability to [insert skill sets] that you have developed from [insert projects, extracurricular activities], which you find will help the company achieve [insert goals and purposes]. By relating how your skill sets and experiences can contribute to the goals of the company, you already help the recruiter picture you as part of their team and will help you initiate a conversation with him/her; the longer/more substantial conversation can leave a lasting impression that could lead to an interview.

Now that you have the material prepared, you should keep in mind of a few key factors/ways to help you find an internship:

Timing - Most internship opportunities will not be offered until the beginning of the spring term; reason being that most companies spend the fall term recruiting full-time hires, they do not start configuring projects for interns until after this recruitment period. Stay ahead of the game by applying to internship positions when they start opening up at the beginning of the spring term.

Fairs - That being said, most internship fairs will start at the beginning of the spring term. Before attending the fairs, look through the roster of the companies that will be attending the fairs and take the time to identify and research the companies you want to approach. This will not only save you time as fairs tend to be crowded, but also ensures that your elevator pitches and resumes will leave an outstanding impression to the recruiters.

Networking -  Get to know the other students, faculty members, and advisors; chances are, they might know some people. I have known cases where students have actually gotten internship opportunities through referrals from their advisors (after the students and the advisors are on a first name basis) and even job opportunities through approaching their professors (some of which can have extensive industry contacts).

Internet - Of course, this is always a great resource to utilize to pool in some more opportunities; I've had a bunch of friends who have had numerous interview offers through using search engines. Here's a little list of some suggested sites to get you started:

www.juju.com (targeted job search)

www.internprogram.org (internship opportunities)

www.internabroad.com (internship opportunities outside of the US)

www.ehrweb.aaas.org/entrypoint (opportunities for students with disabilities in science, engineering, math, computer science, and some fields of business.)

www.internmatch.com (internship opportunities)

www.indeed.com (search multiple job sites at once)

www.beyond.com (targeted job search)

Finding an internship is very tedious and can take a good chunk of your time; however, nothing feels better when you start getting offers! Keep a look out for upcoming tutorials on interviews, resumes, and more.

[eutektiks]

Is it true it's difficult to find a job if I major in BME?

In a way, yes, most companies do not "explicitly" ask for Biomedical Engineering major; however, that does not mean it is impossible to find one if you get the right experiences during your undergraduate years (i.e. internship, research, etc.). If you want some more information about the issue, you can check out my past post here about it and be on the look out for my upcoming tutorials on finding internships, etc. Hope this helps!

Eutektiks

[eutektiks]

UCSD Electronic Wireless Tattoo Receives Grant from the Gates Foundation

Described as an electronic “tattoo”, the device is a wearable patch of circuits, sensors, and wireless transmitters that sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo and is able to stretch and flex with the skin. The researchers hope that the final product will continuously measure and monitor uterine contractions, fetal heart rate and oxygen, and maternal heart rate and body temperature.

The nice aspects of this device includes its ability to continuously monitor the status of the fetus within the womb in a noninvasive manner and to transmit the data wirelessly to physicians. Aside from its usage of monitoring fetal health, be prepared to notice the varying usage of the electric "tattoo" concept. In fact, one of its usages has been explored in this blog a while back as a food monitor.