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Trigeminal nerve stimulation to treat ADHD

NeuroSigma has received FDA clearance for its forehead patch which stimulates the trigeminal nerve during sleep to treat ADHD. The device won CE Mark approval in Europe in  2015.

The  approval was based on study of  62 subjects. Over four weeks, those who received the treatment showed  a decrease in ADHD-RS by -31.4%. The control group showed a  -18.4% decrease.

The FDA’s Carlos Pena said: “This new device offers a safe, non-drug option for treatment of ADHD in pediatric patients through the use of mild nerve stimulation, a first of its kind.”

Trigeminal nerve stimulation is also being studied in Epilepsy and PTSD.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School and the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Stanford University

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3D printed, vascularized heart, using patient’s cell, biological materials

Tel Aviv University professor Tal Dvir has printed a 3D vascularized engineered heart, including cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers,  using a patient’s own cell and biological materials.

A biopsy of fatty tissue was taken from patients. Cellular and a-cellular materials were separated. While the cells were reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells, the extracellular matrix were processed into a personalized hydrogel that served as printing “ink.” After being mixed with the hydrogel, the cells were efficiently differentiated to cardiac or endothelial cells to create patient-specific, immune-compatible cardiac patches with blood vessels and, subsequently, an entire heart.

Dvir believes that this “3D-printed thick, vascularized and perfusable cardiac tissues that completely match the immunological, cellular, biochemical and anatomical properties of the patient” reduces the risk of implant rejection.

The team now plans on culturing the printed hearts and “teaching them to behave” like hearts, then transplanting them in animal models.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School and the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Stanford University

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MRI detected intracellular calcium signaling

Alan Jasanoff and MIT colleagues are using MRI to monitor calcium activity at a much deeper level in the brain than previously possible, to show how neurons communicate with each other.  The research team believes that this enables neural activity to be linked with specific behaviors.

To create their intracellular calcium sensors, the researchers used manganese as a contrast agent, bound to an organic compound that can penetrate cell membranes, containint a calcium-binding chelator.

Once inside the cell, if calcium levels are low, the calcium chelator binds weakly to the manganese atom, shielding the manganese from MRI detection. When calcium flows into the cell, the chelator binds to the calcium and releases the manganese, which makes the contrast agent appear brighter in an MRI.

The technique could also be used to image calcium as it performs in facilitating the activation of immune cells, or in diagnostic brain or heart imaging.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School and the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Stanford University

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Photonics for at-home disease detection

Hatice Altug and EPFL BIOS Laboratory colleagues are developing photonic chips that count individual biomolecules and determine their location.  This could identify trace amounts of undesirable biomarkers in blood or saliva and serve as an early-warning system for disease.

The technology consists of an ultra-thin and miniaturized optical chip that,  coupled with a standard CMOS camera and powered by image analysis. It is based on metasurfaces. At a certain frequency, these elements are able to squeeze light into extremely small volumes, creating ultrasensitive optical ‘hotspots’.

When light shines on the metasurface and hits a molecule at one of these hotspots, the molecule is detected immediately, changing the wavelength of the light that hits it. By using different colored lights on the metasurface and taking a photo with a CMOS camera, the researchers cn count the number of molecules in a sample, and learn exactly what is happening on the sensor chip. First author Filiz Yesilkoy said: “We then use smart data science tools to analyze the millions of CMOS pixels obtained through this process and identify trends. We’ve demonstrated that we can detect and image not just individual biomolecules at the hotspots, but even a single graphene sheet that’s only one atom thick.”

The team also developed a second, simpler, but less precise, version of the system, where the metasurfaces are programmed to resonate at different wavelengths in different regions.

According to Altug: “Light possesses many attributes – such as intensity, phase and polarization – and is capable of traversing space. This means that optical sensors could play a major role in addressing future challenges – particularly in personalized medicine.”

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School and the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Stanford University

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Starving cancer stem cells as a new approach to glioblastoma

Luis Parada and Sloan Kettering colleagues are focusing on cancer stem cells as a new approach to glioblastoma.

Like normal stem cells, cancer stem cells have the ability to rebuild a tumor, even after most of it has been removed, leading to cancer relapse and metastasis.

According to Parada: “The pharmaceutical industry has traditionally used established cancer cell lines to screen for new drugs, but these cell lines don’t always reflect how cancer behaves in the body. The therapies that are currently in use were designed to target cells that are rapidly dividing. But what we’ve concluded in our studies is that glioblastoma stem cells divide relatively slowly within tumors, leaving them unaffected by these treatments.”

Even if most of the tumor is destroyed, the stem cells allow it to regrow.

The team discovered a drug, which they called Gboxin, that effectively treated glioblastoma in mice, and killed human glioblastoma cells.  They then discovered that Gboxin killed cancer stem cells by starving them of energy – . by preventing cells from making ATP through oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria.  When Gboxin accumulates within cancer stem cells, it essentially strangles the mitochondria and shuts energy production down.

The next step is to determine that Gboxin will be able to cross the blood-brain barrier, and potential side effects of the drug.

Join ApplySci at the 12th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14, 2019 at Harvard Medical School and the 13th Wearable Tech + Neurotech + Digital Health Silicon Valley conference on February 11-12, 2020 at Stanford University

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Study: AI accurately predicts childhood disease from health records

Xia Huimin and Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center researchers used AI to read 1.36 million pediatric health records, and diagnosed disease as accurately as doctors, according to a recent study.

Common childhood diseases were detected after processing symptoms, medical history and other clinical data from this massive sample.  The goal is the diagnosis of complex or rare diseases by providing more diagnostic predictions, and to assist triage patients.

Join ApplySci at the 11th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14th at Harvard Medical School
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Glutamate sensor could predict migraines, monitor CNS drug effectiveness

Riyi Shi and Purdue colleagues have developed a tiny, spinal cord-implanted, 3D printed sensor that quickly and accurately tracks glutamate in spinal trauma and brain disease. The goal  is to monitor drug effectiveness, and predict migraine headaches in humans, although it has only been tested on animals.

Glutamate spikes are often missed.  Damaged nerve structures allow glutamate to leak into spaces outside of cells, over-exciting and damaging them. Brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, also show elevated levels of glutamate.

Devices to date have not been sensitive, fast, or affordable enough. Measuring levels in vivo would help researchers to study how spinal cord injuries happen, and  how brain diseases develop.

In a recent animal study, the device captured spikes immediately, vs current devices, where researchers must  to wait 30 minutes for data after damaging the spinal cord.

Quick to view Purdue video

Join ApplySci at the 11th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14th at Harvard Medical School

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CNBC feature on Sana Health | Feb 22, 2019 – ApplySci @ Stanford

Richard Hanbury discussed Sana Health‘s pain management technology at Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Silicon Valley, on February 22, 2019 at Stanford.  ApplySci was delighted that CNBC chose to film this segment at the conference.

Click to view CNBC video

Join ApplySci at the 11th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on November 14th at Harvard Medical School

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3D printed bioreactor-grown bone for craniofacial surgery

Antonios Mikos, Alexander Tatara, and Rice colleagues are using a 3D printed mold, attached to a rib, to grow live bones to repair craniofacial injuries. Stem cells and blood vessels from the rib infiltrate scaffold material and replace it with natural, custom-fit bone.

Current reconstruction methods use a patient’s own bone graft tissues, harvested from the lower leg, hip and shoulder.

According to Mikos: “We chose to use ribs because they’re easily accessed and a rich source of stem cells and vessels, which infiltrate the scaffold and grow into new bone tissue that matches the patient.”  New bone can potentially be grown on multiple ribs, simultaneously.

The technology has only been tested on animals, but shows promise, with custom geometry and a reduced risk of rejection.

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First 5G-enabled remote brain surgery

Dr Ling Zhipei at PLAGH,  has used a 5G mobile network to remotely implant DBS electrodes in a Parkinson’s patient’s brain. China Mobile and Huawei technology enabled him to control surgical robots from a distance of 1800 miles.  5G technology could transform medical care for those living in poor and remote areas.  According to Ling: “The 5G network has solved problems like video lag and remote control delay experienced under the 4G network, ensuring a nearly real-time operation. And you barely feel that the patient is 3,000 kilometers away.”