United Kingdom - With 1 in 12 people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma, Surrey's sneezometer will help with the diagnosis & treatment of a wide range of respiratory diseases

Research from the University of Surrey has led to the development of the world’s first sneezometer, an airflow sensor or spirometer that is sensitive enough to measure the speed of a sneeze. For use in diagnosing a variety of respiratory conditions, the sneezometer is twice as fast, and more sensitive than any other available device.

Spirometers measure lung capacity and are used widely to diagnose chronic and acute respiratory conditions including asthma, obstructive sleep apnoea and hypopnoea. However, current devices are expensive, cumbersome and lack the sensitivity required in difficult diagnostic situations, such as neonatal care.

An ultra-sensitive spirometer, Surrey’s sneezometer measures the flow of air through a patient's lungs. When the patient breathes through the fist-sized instrument, the sneezometer is fast and sensitive enough to pick up tiny fluctuations in the breath’s flow rate, which may be caused by a disease. Because no such instrument has yet been available, researchers are still exploring the diagnostic capabilities.

Diagnosing debilatating illnesses simply
Dr. David Birch, of the University of Surrey’s Aerodynamics and Environmental Flow research Group explained, “Breathing disorders are highly prevalent in the developed and developing world, with 1 in 12 people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma. The diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases is key to proper treatment and we have now developed a simple, low-cost and non-intrusive diagnostic solution that will make doctors lives easier across the world.”

Dr. Paul Nathan, the sneezometer's co-inventor added, “We have created a portable, highly sensitive and accurate spirometer that can catch the speed of a sneeze. What’s almost as impressive is that we created this innovative device using simple 3D printing technology, with all of the prototypes printed around the internal electronics.”

A portable device to combat the effects of pollution
“Respiratory diseases are especially prevalent in developing cities such as Delhi and Beijing where air quality is a big concern. Air pollution was recently placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to seven million premature deaths every year,” said Dr. Prashant Kumar, from the University of Surrey, “The availability of an inexpensive and portable diagnostic device such as this will assist in such diseases being diagnosed, and treated at earlier stages.”

The Sneezometer is currently being trialled at Kings College Hospital, London where the device may be used to help diagnose a range of conditions from neonatal settings through to animal diseases.

Dr. Manasi Nandi, Senior Lecturer in Integrative Pharmacology at King's College London commented, “The ability to measure the sensitivity of airflow detection and pull out other information from single breath is very interesting from both a research and clinical perspective. This is currently not picked out with conventional tests, and we have already been using it to mimic testing of asthma.”

It is envisaged that the new device could be in clinical service as soon as 2018.

“From our expertise in wind-tunnel measurement we have translated fundamental research into an incredibly beneficial technology that will have real impact on the lives of patients with chronic illnesses and will make diagnosis faster, cheaper, and more accurate,” Birch concludes.

Source: The University of Surrey

Las Vegas, Nevada – 4WEB Medical officials announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent No. 9,271,845 B2, entitled "Programmable Implants and Methods of Using Programmable Implants to Repair Bone Structures".  The issued claims in the patent cover truss and strut-based lattice implant designs that transfer bone specific biologic strain to adjacent cellular material when loaded, foundational concepts exhibited in 4WEB's Programmable Truss Implant Technology™. This patent adds to 4WEB's IP portfolio of more than 20 issued and pending patents filed in the US and internationally.

Jessee Hunt, president and CEO of 4WEB, commented, "We are very pleased to have this patent issued.  With much of the industry trying to catch up to 4WEB as it relates to 3D printed implants, it is important for us to be able to protect not only the design but also the stimulative nature of our programmable truss implants." 

4WEB Medical's Programmable Truss Implant Technology is based on engineering principles such as truss design, contact mechanics and adjacent material reaction.  Foundational to truss design is the concept that load creates strain in each of the strut members.  Preliminary lab testing has shown that when loaded, the mechanical strain in the struts is transferred to adjacent cellular material, stimulating gene expression consistent with bone formation.  Ongoing studies are being conducted to determine what effect cyclic loading on 4WEB's Programmable Truss Implants will have on collagen, alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogeneic proteins (BMPs), and osteocalcin gene expression; all of which are markers for osteogenesis.

The company believes that this patent affords significant protection in its ongoing pursuit towards optimized, patient specific implants engineered to stimulate and accelerate the healing process.  "Inherent in any patient specific implant is the need to modify and optimize the design based on constraints presented by the patient.  This patent establishes protection around the design variables required to modify these advanced implants to contain strain ranges that function synergistically with the patient.  4WEB's Programmable Truss Implant Technology provides a next generation design pathway for the company's proven interbody devices currently being used for anterior, posterior lumbar and cervical procedures," said John Peloza, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon in Dallas, Texas. Over 10,000 truss implants have been implanted since 2013 throughout the US, Europe and Australia.

4WEB Medical is an implant device company founded in 2008 in Frisco, Texas. Thirty years of research in topological dimension theory led to the discovery of a novel geometry, the 4WEB, that can be used as a building block to create high-strength, lightweight web structures. The company leveraged this breakthrough along with cutting-edge 3D printing technology to develop 4WEB Medical's proprietary truss implant platform.  The 4WEB Medical product portfolio includes an array of implant solutions for Neurological and Orthopedic surgeons.  The platform consists of the Cervical Spine Truss System, the ALIF Spine Truss System, the Posterior Spine Truss System and the Osteotomy Truss System. 4WEB is actively developing truss implant designs for knee, hip, trauma, and patient specific procedures.

Source: 4WEB Medical

San Francisco, California - Medical device is any software, instrument, material, apparatus or appliance whether it is used in combination or alone including the software intended by its manufacturer to be used specifically for therapeutic purposes. According to the classification of the device, medical device manufacturing needs a level of process control. Furthermore, the manufacturing work is now growing much faster coupled with the support of modeling platforms.

The United States is the major market for medical devices with contributions of $110 million. This industry is anticipated to reach out $133 billion by 2016. In 2012, the U.S. market value signifies around 38% of the total demand. This will impact the growth of medical devices market in America.

Department of commerce identified that U.S. exports of medical devices is the major product category. The segment exceeded over $44 billion in the year 2012. There are over 6,500 medical device firms in the U.S. These are mostly medium and small sized enterprises. In addition, almost 80% of medical device firms have less than 50 employees. These firms have little or no sales revenue which indirectly affects the market.

Medical device companies are mostly rigorous in areas known for biotechnology and microelectronics. In addition, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, New York Illinois and California are the states with highest number of medical device companies. The regions also hold competitive benefits in many industries that the medical device depends on, such as biotechnology, microelectronics, instrumentation, and telecommunications.

Collaborations have resulted in recent advances such as biomarkers, neuro-stimulators, implantable electronic devices, and stent technologies. The medical devices market in Americas is projected to be fueled by diagnosing and treating medical problems.

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Source: Radiant Insights

Cleveland, Ohio – Lucideon, the international materials technology company, together with Knight Mechanical Testing, is hosting a webinar entitled “Wear and Mechanical Testing of Hips and Knees - What the Standards Don’t Tell You,” on April 28, 2016, at 10:00am (EST).The webinar, which is being presented by Ramiro Ramirez, prosthetic knee wear test engineer, Lucideon, and Kevin Knight, CEO, Knight Mechanical Testing (KMT), will discuss the standards and guidance offered for wear and mechanical testing of orthopedic implants and what their limitations are. The presenters will draw on their own experiences in developing test methods for orthopedic devices where guidance is not clear or sufficient.

Ramiro Ramirez explains, “The safety and performance of orthopedic devices is paramount for the patient, thus the goal of implant manufacturers is to make their products as robust as possible. Due to the complexity of these devices and the speed at which the industry is moving, the guidance and standards available do not always cover what is required.

“Lucideon partners with KMT for fatigue and mechanical testing services. Developing new test methods and internal standards is a common requirement for us. This can involve modifying waveforms to simulate different ranges of motion and loads, analyzing the coatings that are applied to the surface, or any other custom needs. Whether preparing the data for a product to be put on the market or testing new products in the design phase, this is a service that proves invaluable when current guidance and standards don’t cover our clients’ needs.”

Lucideon provides dedicated testing for hip and knee orthopedic implants from its laboratories in the UK and USA. Lucideon’s laboratories are accredited to ISO 17025 and all aspects of ISO 14242 (hips) and ISO 14243 (knees) and equipped with the latest gold standard simulators. Lucideon entered into a Marketing and Commercial Collaboration Agreement with KMT in 2014 so that both companies could offer a complete portfolio of testing and analysis services to the orthopedic industry and access each other’s expertise.

To find out more about Lucideon’s wear and mechanical testing services visit www.lucideon.com/wear.

Source: Lucideon