implants

Currently, small metal implants either have to be surgically removed from the body once they're no longer needed, or just left inside indefinitely – both of which can lead to complications. Now, however, scientists have devised a method of breaking them down in place using liquid metal.Led by Asst. Prof. Giovanni Traverso and postdoctoral researcher Vivian Feig, a team at MIT drew upon a process known as liquid metal embrittlement.In this phenomenon, hard metals such as zinc or stainless steel disintegrate upon contact…

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now warning that breast implants filled with either silicone or saline may, on rare occasions, give rise to cancer in the scar tissue around breast implants.The safety notice was published this month and is based on an extensive review of the emerging literature on breast implants. The results, while limited, reveal a small number of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and lymphoma cases among individuals with breast prosthetics.SCC is the second most common form of skin cancer.…

SmileDirectClub Inc.’s finance chief is cutting costs as the company, whose sales have plunged amid high inflation, aims to turn a profit next year.Demand for the company’s teeth straighteners, which sell for around $2,000, has fallen sharply in recent months as persistently high inflation has eaten away at customers’ disposable income. Total revenue fell 28% during the second quarter compared with a year earlier, to $125.8 million. SmileDirectClub’s customers earn around $65,000 per year on…

Scientists have managed to stop advanced-stage cancers in mice through the use of implanted "drug factories" – and the new type of treatment only takes a few days to become effective.While it will take some time to get this approach tested and working in humans, the signs are promising that we have a new and powerful way to tackle mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer.The drug factories are made up of tiny beads made of alginate, each just 1.5-millimeters wide, and designed to produce continuous blasts of…

In a first-of-its-kind pilot study, scientists have surgically implanted a device into the brains of two obese subjects suffering from binge-eating disorder. The device was designed to detect and disrupt brain signals associated with binge-eating food cravings, with promising results laying the foundations for a future where implants can control a variety of impulsive behaviors.In late 2017 a fascinating study was published that suggested certain activity in a brain region called the nucleus accumbens could be linked to…

Researchers with Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have created implantable beads capable of destroying tumors in mice. The method utilizes Rice’s cytokine “drug factory” and a checkpoint inhibitor drug to do the heavy lifting. They found during testing that the implants could eradicate advanced-stage tumors in just a few days. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen researchers come up with amazing ways to fight cancer. We’ve also previously seen researchers working with cancer-killing viruses, which…

There may soon be new hope for patients born with genetic defects that leave them with misshapen or missing ears. A new human clinical trial will test an implant known as AuriNovo, which uses a 3D-bioprinted ear grown from the patient’s own cells.Microtia is a birth defect that affects the external part of a baby’s ear. This can range from a minor deformation that might be barely noticeable, to more severe forms where the ear is just a small lump of cartilage, or missing entirely. It can affect one or both ears, and in…

Scientists experimenting with the makeup of metal alloys used for medical implants have made a significant breakthrough, resulting in a biomaterial with supreme flexibility and wear resistance. The team's new superelastic alloy overcomes some key safety issues and offers the kind of strain recovery and durability needed for long-term stints in the human body.The new metal alloy is the handiwork of scientists at Japan's Tohoku University, who set out to address some of the key issues surrounding the biomaterials currently…

Arkenlight and Axorus have teamed up to prototype the first artificial neuron powered by a diamond betavoltaic battery made from nuclear waste. The goal is to develop medical-grade implants with energy sources that will last decades without charging.We've covered Arkenlight's diamond-based betavoltaic battery technology in detail before. In brief, this company was formed by researchers at the University of Bristol who developed a means for taking bits of radioactive waste from nuclear power stations – specifically,…

Powering medical implants can be tricky, but tapping into the body’s own fuel source could keep them going long-term. A new design for a tiny fuel cell converts glucose into electricity to power implants more efficiently than any other so far.Implants like pacemakers might need to run for decades, so they need a steady supply of electricity, and cables can’t just be run out through a patient’s skin. Batteries may be the obvious solution, but changing them requires surgery. Even with new advances in wireless charging from…