Introducing medical devices — commonly made of materials such as titanium, silicone, or collagen — into our bodies can elicit a host of different immune responses. While some responses can harm our bodies, others can help heal them. A new study fills in a critical piece of the puzzle.

A Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering research team is conducting the first phase 1 clinical trial of a magnetic, flexible endoscope that has the potential to provide a safer alternative to standard colonoscopy, particularly for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. Source: Nashville Medical News

Navigating the labyrinthine vasculature of the brain with standard surgical instruments can be incredibly challenging, even for the steadiest of hands. But with some robotic assistance, brain surgeons could potentially operate with far greater ease.

Researchers have developed a smart phone app that can track and analyze human locomotion—the ability to move from one place to another—and other types of movements. They suggest that using the app costs only 1% of conventional motion analysis techniques and works 25 times faster. Source: NIH News. 

Backed by a $2.6 million federal grant, a team of researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the UMass Chan Medical School is developing a wearable device that would be able to detect if people are taking their medication for opioid-use disorder, increasing the likelihood they would remain in treatment and preventing overdose deaths. Source: URI Rhody Today

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed nanocarriers derived from mice skin cells that reduced lung inflammation in mice. Further research could lead to a treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome and other conditions.

Dendritic cells are key orchestrators of the immune response, but most vaccination strategies don’t effectively target them. NIBIB-funded researchers have developed biodegradable nanoparticles that are designed to deliver mRNA cargo to dendritic cells in the spleen. Combined with another type of immunotherapy, their vaccine had robust antitumor effects in multiple mouse models.

An NIBIB-funded research education program designed to diversify the biomedical workforce inspired two participants to pursue Ph.D. research in biomedical engineering.

By combining non-invasive imaging techniques, a team of investigators led by Massachusetts General have created a comprehensive cellular atlas of a region of the human brain known as Broca’s area. The methods could be used to create 3D models of particular brain areas and the entire human brain. Source: Massachusetts General Hospital/Science Daily