Medical Technology is now available on all devices! Read it here for free in the web browser of your computer, tablet or smartphone.

 

Despite estimates that 40% of fertility problems stem from the male partner, a significant proportion of the fertility tech market is angled towards women. We take a look at a user-operated smartphone-based sperm testing kit designed to increase men’s awareness of their own fertility.

Also, we find out how video game technology is being used to train astronauts to treat medical issues during deep space missions, shine a light on the dirty problem of cleaning duodenoscopes, and explore why a combination of materials engineering and neurobiology could be key to understanding the brain.

Plus, we examine a new app helping to improve at-home asthma management, take a look at the challenge of foetal monitoring with Nottingham University professor Barrie Hayes-Gill, and debate the benefits of the NHS’s newly launched AI lab.

Finally, we review the hurdles standing in the way of 3D printing organs and get the latest insight and analysis from Verdict and GlobalData.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

In this issue

Exceeding expectations: home sperm testing in the fertility tech market
With 40% of fertility problems faced by heterosexual couples stemming from the male partner, tech start-up ExSeed has developed a user-operated smartphone-based sperm testing kit designed to increase men’s awareness of their own fertility. But how accurate is the technology, and where does it place men in the fertility tech conversation? Chloe Kent finds out.
Read more.

Space simulation: how gaming tech is being used to medically train astronauts
Medical gaming company LevelEx is working with NASA to virtually simulate how the human body is affected by space. The model will help to train astronauts to deal with emergency medical situations during missions. Allie Nawrat finds out how the space simulation works and why a solution is needed as NASA looks towards longer missions to Mars.
Read more.

Duodenoscopes: a dirty problem
Duodenoscopes, with their many small working parts, are notoriously difficult to sterilise after use. The FDA has called for major manufacturers Olympus, Pentax and Fujifilm to carry out more post-market research on these instruments, after reporting that infections from duodenoscopes caused three deaths and 45 infections in a six-month period. Is the industry doing enough to reduce the risk of infections? Chloe Kent finds out.
Read more.

Mobile mind control: material engineering meets neurobiology 
A tiny neural implant, capable of delivering multiple medications and coloured lights and controllable from a smartphone, could speed up research into neuropsychiatric diseases such as addiction and depression. Natalie Healey explores why a meeting of materials engineering and neurobiology might be key to furthering our understanding of the brain.
Read more.

Breathe easy: improving at-home asthma management
Cambridge-based Aseptika subsidiary Activ8rlives has created an app to help paediatric patients to better manage their asthma outside of hospital. What are the current challenges in at-home management of asthma for children, and how could this device transform patients’ lives? Chloe Kent reports.
Read more.

Q&A: the challenge of foetal monitoring with Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill
Foetal and newborn heart-monitoring best practice can be the difference between life and death. But the current technology has several disadvantages. Natalie Healey speaks to Professor Barrie Hayes-Gill about designing devices to give expectant mothers and their healthcare professionals greater peace of mind.
Read more.

Roundtable: debating the benefits of the NHS’s newly launched AI lab
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged £250m investment into an NHS AI lab, which will exist within NHSX, the service’s digital-focused segment. Chloe Kent spoke to a range of experts across the industry about this development, and whether it will be a worthwhile investment for the NHS.
Read more.

The long road to reliable organ printing
Bioprinted organs could be a revolution in transplantation and regenerative medicine, but a daunting list of scientific challenges stand in the way of the future. What are the main unresolved challenges in the field, and how are academics and the med tech industry working to solve them? Chris Lo finds out.
Read more.

 

Next issue preview

In the next issue of Medical Technology, we track the controversial use of vaginal mesh implants from the 1980s to the present day, unwrap the FDA’s new voluntary programme for medical devices, and find out how a device that delivers electromagnetic waves to the brain could reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Also, we examine how manufactures redesign older devices to stave off competition, explore ways that drones are being used to help transport medical supplies, and take a look at an innovative diagnostic app for respiratory disease that could help speed up diagnosis.

Plus, we find out how AI is being used to tackle post-traumatic stress disorder, ask if technological advancements are pushing us toward an age of diagnosis without doctors, and, as always GlobalData analysts provide insight into the biggest trends and innovations in the industry.