Creo Medical has been floated on the Alternative Investment Market, raising £20m (Insider Media, 2016). The company, which is based in Chepstow, is developing a range of surgical devices that can dissect tissue while using special microwaves to staunch the blood flow. These are designed to be used with an endoscope to reduce the need … Continue reading Creo Medical floats on AIM

Cardiff-based BBI Solutions, a leading developer and manufacturer of raw materials and finished test platforms for the in-vitro diagnostics market, has announced the launch of Porcine Liver Esterase (PLE), a new enzyme for urinalysis (BBI Solutions, 2016). PLE is used in urinalysis controls as a partial substitute and potentially cost effective alternative for human leukocyte … Continue reading BBI Solutions launches its first urinalysis enzyme

A study in mice by researchers at MIT has found exposure to flickering light stimulated brain waves appears to prompt the brain’s immune cells to absorb the sticky amyloid proteins that are the most visible hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (The Guardian, 2016). The authors of the study don’t yet know whether the findings would be … Continue reading Study finds strobe light could be used to treat Alzheimer’s

Israeli biotech company Bonus Biogroup has announced that their lab-grown, semi-liquid bone graft has been successfully injected into the jaws of eleven people to repair bone loss in an early stage clinical trial (Reuters, 2016). The company’s Chief Executive Shai Meretzki said “For the first time worldwide, reconstruction of deficient or damaged bone tissue is … Continue reading Bonus Biogroup’s lab-grown bones are successfully transplanted

Researchers at the University Hospital of Tübingen have helped six quadriplegic people to regain the ability to do everyday tasks like using cutlery or signing documents. The system required no surgery and is mobile enough to use outside a laboratory (New Scientist, 2016). Surjo Soekadar, from the University Hospital of Tübingen, said “The patients were … Continue reading Paralysed people use cutlery with robotic hand exoskeleton

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that large bags of blood products can maintain temperature and cellular integrity while transported by drones (Scienmag, 2016). The findings, published in Transfusion in November, adds to the evidence that drones are a safe, effective and timely way to quickly transport blood products to remote accident or natural disaster … Continue reading Drones won’t effect blood product say Johns Hopkins University study

ReNeuron has reported “highly encouraging” latest stage clinical trial results in regained limb movements in stroke sufferers treated with its pioneering stem cell based therapy (WalesOnline, 2016). RenNeuron relocated to Pencoed from Surrey following a £25m equity investment from institutional investors, led by the Welsh Government’s Wales Life Sciences Investment Fund managed by Arthurian Life … Continue reading ReNeuron upbeat on trial results of stroke victims treated with stem cell therapy

A study led by Cardiff University has found that stomach bleeds caused by aspirin are much less serious than the spontaneous bleeds that can occur in people not taking aspirin (Cardiff University, 2016). The extensive study of the literature reveals that while regular use of aspirin does increase the risk of stomach bleeds by about … Continue reading Cardiff University-led study finds the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh the risks to the stomach

Trauma packs developed by Professor Judith Hall of Cardiff University and colleagues from Cardiff Metropolitan University will be used to tackle the extremely high death rates on roads in Namibia (MediWales, 2016). The Medical Research Council Public Health Intervention Development Scheme, which supports interventions addressing an important global or UK public health issue, is providing … Continue reading Trauma packs will save lives on Namibian roads

Two lecturers from the University of South Wales have been awarded £14,000 to help develop a revolutionary machine that will improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases in order to tackle the chronic overuse of antibiotics (MediWales, 2016). Microbiologist Dr Emma Hayhurst and molecular geneticist Dr Jeroen Nieuwland have formed 123 USW, which … Continue reading University of South Wales scientists secure grant to address antimicrobial resistance