Lung diseases are difficult to study because the alveoli constantly expand and contract, and this motion influences how lung cells grow, function, and respond to inflammation. Conventional cell‑culture systems cannot reproduce this movement, and even lung‑on‑a‑chip devices often rely on synthetic materials that fail to mimic real tissue. Researchers at the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Korea developed an ultrathin artificial lung inspired by the stability and flexibility of soap bubbles, enabling realistic alveolar motion and allowing scientists to observe how lung cells behave under dynamic conditions. The team drew inspiration from the thin film of a…

Gastric leaks are a serious complication that can occur after weight‑loss surgery, leading to infection, prolonged hospitalization, and repeated medical interventions. Current drainage stents used to treat these leaks were originally designed for bile ducts rather than the stomach, and they must be removed once healing is complete, requiring an additional procedure. Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi developed a biodegradable, 3D‑printed gastric stent with an internal lattice architecture that improves drainage performance and may eliminate the need for device removal after treatment. The new stent, called “BRIDGE”, uses a highly structured internal lattice that more than doubles drainage performance compared…

Blood draws are among the most common medical procedures in the United States, yet many patients experience delays because of a nationwide shortage of trained phlebotomists. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a fully autonomous robotic blood‑draw device called “Aletta”, developed by Vitestro in the Netherlands, to help address this gap. The authorization allows the system to be used in adult outpatient settings under the oversight of a supervisor trained in phlebotomy. Aletta autonomously performs every step of a venipuncture procedure once a patient or supervisor presses a button to begin. The device first guides the patient to…

Many amputees struggle with prosthetic devices that cannot provide meaningful sensory feedback, leaving them unable to feel temperature, pressure, or texture during everyday tasks. Existing electronic skins attempt to address this gap, but they are often expensive, difficult to customize, limited in sensing resolution, and unable to conform well to curved or irregular surfaces. Researchers at Washington State University developed an electronic skin system that detects both pressure and temperature at a much finer scale than current commercial glove sensors, offering a potential path toward prosthetics that more closely mimic human tactile sensation. The team designed a customizable sensing system…

Pacemakers require periodic battery replacement, a process that can be risky, costly, and burdensome for patients who depend on long‑term cardiac rhythm management. Leadless intracardiac pacemakers reduce complications compared with traditional chest‑implanted models, but their batteries still occupy more than half the device’s size and last only seven to ten years. Removing a depleted device from inside the heart is difficult, so expired pacemakers are often left in place while new ones are implanted alongside them. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed a battery‑free pacemaker powered entirely by a patient’s heartbeat, offering a potential path toward implants that last…

Patients in intensive care often experience rapid and dangerous changes in blood pressure, yet the standard method for continuous monitoring requires inserting a catheter directly into an artery. This approach provides accurate, beat‑by‑beat measurements but carries risks such as bleeding, clot formation, infection, and restricted mobility. Conventional arm cuffs avoid these complications but offer only intermittent readings, which can miss sudden fluctuations. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a wearable sensor system combined with artificial intelligence that generates continuous blood pressure waveforms without entering the bloodstream, offering a potential alternative to arterial lines for critical care and other settings.…

Severe bone injuries caused by trauma, cancer, or infection often fail to heal because engineered bone tissue struggles to form the blood vessels needed to deliver oxygen and nutrients. Without vascularization, even advanced bioprinted constructs cannot mature or integrate with the body. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University developed a strategy that programs living stem‑cell spheroids with genetic switches to promote both bone formation and blood‑vessel growth, addressing one of the central challenges in bone tissue engineering. The team began with commercially sourced, undifferentiated stem cells and introduced specific strands of genetic information to guide their behavior. By layering these cells…

Spinal cord injuries often lead to permanent loss of movement, sensation, and autonomic control because damaged neural pathways can no longer carry signals between the brain and the body. Current technologies typically focus on restoring only one function at a time, and many approaches rely on limited remaining pathways rather than creating new routes for communication. Researchers at Houston Methodist have developed an implantable device designed to bypass the injured region of the spinal cord and restore multiple functions by rerouting neural signals around the damaged area. The device is an ultra‑thin, flexible interface that wraps around the spinal cord…

Recurrent brain tumors are extremely difficult to treat because they often return after surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, leaving patients with few options and limited time. Many tumors grow in locations that cannot be safely reached through open surgery, and repeat operations are often too taxing for patients who have already undergone extensive treatment. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis evaluated a minimally invasive laser‑based therapy that uses heat to destroy tumor tissue and may extend survival for people facing aggressive, recurrent disease. The approach, known as laser interstitial thermal therapy, uses a thin probe inserted through…

Opioid overdoses often become fatal because they occur without a bystander present to administer naloxone, the medication that rapidly reverses opioid effects. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl act quickly and powerfully, leaving individuals unconscious before they can seek help. Researchers at Virginia Tech developed a wearable microneedle patch that detects fentanyl in the body and automatically releases naloxone, offering a potential safeguard for people at high risk of unwitnessed overdose. The device is designed to intervene autonomously, providing protection even when no one else is present. The patch, called the “iNal” patch, uses an array of 121 microscopic needles that…