January/February 2022

You on a Chip

You on a Chip

Author(s)3: Kristina Grifantini
You on a Chip 768 432 IEEE Pulse
Imagine a transparent chip the size of a flash drive. In it, your own cells—derived from a skin sample—are grown in delicate channels to mimic your heart, lung, or even brain tissue, creating a testing ground for personalized medical treatments. read more
A Move Toward Sustainability in Health Care

A Move Toward Sustainability in Health Care

Author(s)3: Pamela Reynolds
A Move Toward Sustainability in Health Care 768 432 IEEE Pulse
From eliminating some anesthetic gases to creating their own microgrids, more hospitals are looking for ways to cut carbon emissions. read more
The Search for Pain Biomarkers

The Search for Pain Biomarkers

Author(s)3: Summer Allen
The Search for Pain Biomarkers 768 432 IEEE Pulse
For many medical conditions, clinicians can collect quantitative indicators of disease, such as heart rate, body temperature, or levels of a specific protein in a blood sample. For chronic pain, however, such biological markers have not yet been identified. read more
Is the End of Malaria in Sight?

Is the End of Malaria in Sight?

Author(s)3: Jim Banks
Is the End of Malaria in Sight? 768 432 IEEE Pulse
Progress in creating malaria vaccines has been slow, but a new take on an old method of using live parasites promises the potential for herd immunity. read more
AI-Designed, Living Robots Can Self-Replicate

AI-Designed, Living Robots Can Self-Replicate

Author(s)3: Leslie Mertz
AI-Designed, Living Robots Can Self-Replicate 768 432 IEEE Pulse
In 2020, a research group made the stunning announcement that it had built programmable organisms—living robots they called xenobots—out of biological cells, and these xenobots could work together to perform simple tasks. read more
New Biomed-Tech Advances Poised to Change the Future

New Biomed-Tech Advances Poised to Change the Future

Author(s)3: Leslie Mertz
New Biomed-Tech Advances Poised to Change the Future 768 432 IEEE Pulse
Biomedical and health technology is progressing at breakneck speed. From specialty pharmacies to general discount shops, store shelves are packed with a vast assortment of wearable medical devices that measure glucose levels, heart rate, and other health metrics; and over-the-counter test kits are helping to check for a wide array of infections. At the same time, electronic health records and other data-sharing platforms have smoothed the mass shift from in-person to virtual office visits over the past two years, and new imaging technologies are allowing earlier disease detection so treatments can begin sooner when they are more effective. read more
New Horizons: From Vision to Impact

New Horizons: From Vision to Impact

Author(s)3: Metin Akay
New Horizons: From Vision to Impact 768 432 IEEE Pulse
Over the past two years, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the associated coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have greatly impacted our lives. This pandemic has revealed how our healthcare systems were not prepared for this major challenge, especially with respect to treatment, rapid diagnosis, and tracking, as well as limited hospital equipment, staff members, and resources. COVID-19 will be one of the deadliest pandemics in modern history and continues to strain resources available not only to healthcare workers, but also the general public, while the number of infected people and cases continues to drastically increase daily, especially within the United States and Europe. read more