Month: November 2022

Cordio Medical, a medtech company based in Israel, has developed HearO, an app that can assist in monitoring congestive heart failure. The technology is based on the phenomenon whereby congestive heart failure patients demonstrate changes in their voice as their disease progresses or in advance of disease exacerbation. This includes lung sounds, such as wheezing and crackling. Indeed, some cardiologists report that they can hear changes in their patient’s voice, but that this typically occurs relatively late during disease exacerbation, making it less useful.

This phenomenon inspired Cordio Medical to develop an AI-powered app that can help patients to monitor their condition. AI is well suited to identify subtle changes in a patient’s voice that would be difficult or impossible to identify manually. The procedure involves a patient repeating the same phrase daily, and the app analyzes this recording and compares it with a baseline reading. If anything has

Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard have developed a mechanically active gel-elastomer-nitinol tissue adhesive, otherwise known as MAGENTA. The implantable device functions as a soft robot, and it can be adhered to the outside of a muscle. When an electrical charge is applied to the device, a spring inside made from nitinol (a shape memory alloy) heats up and begins to actuate, creating a contraction and stretching effect on the attached muscle. In an animal model of muscle atrophy, the device slowed atrophy compared with untreated muscles, suggesting that is has potential to prevent or even reverse atrophy in various conditions.

Muscle atrophy, where muscles progressively waste away, can be caused by a variety of factors, from immobility because of injury, to neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. One potential method to treat atrophy involves stimulating and manipulating muscles in the

SpineX, a medtech company based in California, has developed the Spinal Cord Innovation in Pediatrics (SCiP) device, a non-invasive spinal cord neuromodulation technology that is intended to treat children with cerebral palsy. The technology is designed to be used in conjunction with activity-based neurorehabilitation therapy with the goal of improving functional movements in such children. Through transcutaneous spinal cord neuro-stimulation, the technology aims to modulate dysfunctional brain and spinal cord connectivity. In a recent pilot study, the company reports that 16 pediatric patient volunteers, with a range of cerebral palsy severities and ages, demonstrated improved sensorimotor function after treatment with the device.

Cerebral palsy is a group of movement disorders that typically occur because of damage to the developing brain, with symptoms affecting posture, gait, and balance. At present, there are no therapies to effectively treat cerebral palsy. Some patients undergo invasive surgery in an attempt to address certain