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Medicine evolves faster than
you can say "scalpel," so it's hard to stay on the cutting
edge. Each issue, we'll present a roundup of the most
promising hi-tech medical devices.
Detection of West Nile
virus using the GreeneChip
Photo credit:
Image courtesy of Dr W Ian Lipkin |
GreeneChip:
30,000 infections on a single slide
NEW YORK — Flu-like symptoms are caused by a host
of infectious diseases that run the gamut from a simple
respiratory tract infection to exotic diseases like
malaria or Marburg. Now, the GreeneChip will take the
guesswork out of your differential. Armed with nearly
30,000 samples of genetic material from viruses, bacteria,
fungi and parasites, this lab-on-a-glass-slide will
help you make an accurate diagnosis — using tissue,
blood, urine or stool — in a jiffy, according to
a report published in the January issue of the CDC's
Emerging Infectious Diseases.
"Because clinical syndromes are
rarely specific for single pathogens, methods that simultaneously
screen for multiple agents are important, particularly
when early accurate diagnosis can alter treatment,"
Dr W Ian Lipkin, director of the Greene Infectious Disease
Laboratory at Columbia, said in a press release.
Tested on samples from patients
with respiratory disease, hemorrhagic fever, tuberculosis
and urinary tract infections, the GreeneChip flawlessly
identified the infectious agent, matching the diagnoses
obtained with older, more time-consuming methods like
polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
The Olympic Cool-Cap System
Photo credit:
Image courtesy of Olympic Medical Corporation |
A few years ago, a severe outbreak
of the Marburg virus ravaged Angola, killing 90% of
those infected. Around that time, a healthcare worker
fell ill. PCR testing was negative for Marburg, but
the patient died of liver failure within a week. The
researchers tested a sample of blood from this patient
with the GreeneChip. It didn't find any evidence of
Marburg either, but it did identify infection with a
Plasmodium parasite — the agent responsible for
malaria. Had the device been available at the time,
this caregiver would have been properly diagnosed and
would likely be alive today.
Cool-Cap:
brain chill for O2-deprived babies
SAN CARLOS, CA — Natus Medical Incorporated received
the FDA's pre-market seal of approval on December 20
for its one-of-a-kind newborn Olympic Cool-Cap. The
futuristic, tin-foil coated device chills the brains
of oxygen-deprived newborns, thereby reducing the severity
of neurologic injury. Between 5,000 and 9,000 children
in the US suffer from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
(HIE) because of an interruption of blood flow during
labour and delivery each year. One in five of these
infants will die, while one in four is left with a permanent
disability.
"Until now, there has been no FDA-approved
way to improve life for these babies," Dr John D E Banks,
director of the neonatal-perinatal research programs
at the University of Michigan, said in a press release.
A newborn sports the space-age
Cool-Cap
Photo credit:Image courtesy
of Olympic Medical Corporation |
Clinical trials of the Cool-Cap
system showed that putting the brain "on ice" within
the first six hours of life reduced the newborn's body
temperature enough to significantly improve outcomes.
The system was tested in 234 infants with mild to severe
HIE. At 18 months, there were fewer deaths and a lower
incidence of severe disability in the treatment group
compared to those who received standard care, the FDA
said.
The FDA has required the device's
manufacturer, Olympic Medical, to establish a registry
to track the device's usage and patient outcomes, as
well as provide training for healthcare workers who
intend to use the device.
Nanofibre
bandages fast-track healing
AKRON, OH — With their first clinical trial wrapping
up in Columbia last month, professors Daniel Smith and
Farrell Reneker of the University of Akron in Ohio will
soon be knocking on the FDA's door for approval of their
speed-healing nanofibre bandages.
Drs Smith and Reneker's
nanofibre bandage
Photo credit: Image courtesy
of the University of Akron |
Using an electrical current to
assemble the ultra-fine polymer fibres, the researchers
designed an inexpensive, lightweight dressing that conforms
to any surface without sticking to the wound. When the
bandage is wet, nitric oxide is released at a controlled
rate to reduce inflammation and stimulate healing.
So far, the bandage has been tested
on stubborn Leishmaniasis lesions, which currently take
months to heal with a complex drug cocktail, and the
results have been encouraging. The inventors also have
high hopes the bandage will prove useful in treating
diabetic ulcers, as afflicted patients don't typically
produce enough nitric oxide to heal on their own. Dr
Smith has predicted the bandages will be ready for mass
production by next year.
'Molecular
condom' shields women from HIV
SALT LAKE CITY — Millions of research dollars are
being invested into finding a safe and effective microbicide
against HIV. Over a dozen compounds are currently under
development, and five are already in clinical trials,
mostly in Africa where demand for such a product is
greatest.
Now, researchers at the University
of Utah report the development of a new type of microbicide,
the first to focus on the delivery of the antiviral
medication, rather than on only the drug itself. Inserted
vaginally in liquid form, the "molecular condom" would
then solidify into a gel, coating the vagina with a
protective layering. When it comes into contact with
the elevated pH of semen, the "condom" would revert
to liquid form and release an antiviral drug. The researchers
hope to adjust the dosage so that the microbicide could
be used just once a day — or once a month even.
"The ultimate hope for this technology
is to protect women and their unborn or nursing children
from the AIDS virus," Dr Patrick Kiser, a bioengineer
who led the research team, said in a statement. But,
he added, the molecular condom is still five years away
from tests in humans. The study was published online
in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences on
December 11.
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