News in Numbers

18+

Anyone aged over 18 will be able to opt in to take part in a new national antibody surveillance programme launched by the UK Health Security Agency.

20% 

Blood test vial manufacturer Becton Dickinson is set to ramp up imports to the UK as part of efforts to alleviate serious shortages of test tubes for the NHS.

22 microns

The diameter of flexible carbon nanotube fibres developed by researchers at Rice University, which can be incorporated into clothing to function as wearable health monitors.

6 

A controversial law has come into effect in Texas, US, which prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity - typically around six weeks.

4,500%

A study of Covid-19 antibody levels using home test kits found that people who have had two vaccine doses had a 4,500% average increase in antibody levels compared to those who had only one.

  Top Stories 

Bionic arm restores natural behaviours in patients with upper limb amputations

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have engineered a bionic arm for patients with upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function as a person without an amputation.

Source: Science Daily

Inflatable prosthetic hand with a sense of touch

Researchers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have created an inexpensive robotic hand intended for use by upper limb amputees. The device is softer than previous robotic prostheses, and includes inflatable components and pneumatics, making it lightweight and inexpensive.

Source: Medgadget

Magnets could offer better control of prosthetic limbs

A team at MIT’s Media Lab has developed an alternative approach that could offer much more precise control of prosthetic limbs. After inserting small magnetic beads into muscle tissue within the amputated residuum, they can precisely measure the length of a muscle as it contracts, and this feedback can be relayed to a bionic prosthesis within milliseconds.

Source: MIT

New spinout Empower Therapeutics sets its sights on reducing pain 'chronification'

The University of Birmingham, UK, and the University of Maryland, US have created a new spinout, Empower Therapeutics, to commercialise a simple, reliable electroencephalography (EEG)-based biomarker for pain sensitivity.

Source: Birmingham University

Embracing Emerging Technologies 

Abtrace

UK-based start-up Abtrace uses AI tools to improve the ways that chronic and long-term health conditions are detected, monitored and treated.

Source: Abtrace

Nela BioDynamics

Spain-headquartered company Nela BioDynamics uses its patented technology to create modular endoprosthetic implants that can be customised to fit each patient.

Source: Nela BioDynamics

Genome Medical

US-based start-up Genome Medical uses its cloud-based telehealth platform to connect patients and practitioners with genetics experts and services.

Source: Genome Medical

Nines

US-based company Nines is a tele-radiology and artificial intelligence startup. Its product NinesAI is FDA-cleared to triage time-critical, life-threatening indications of mass effect and intracranial hemorrhage.

Source: Nines

Lucira Health

Biotechnology company Lucira Health offers disposable at-home test kits to detect infectious diseases, such as Covid-19.

Source: Lucira Health

Bloomlife

US-based company Bloomlife is using technology, data science and medical expertise to address issues in maternal health.

Source: Bloomlife