All articles by Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Medical Device Polymers Developments
As one of the largest categories within the advanced material industry, polymers continue to grow within the medical devices market. Thanks to their versatility, they can be used to construct medical scaffolds, drug delivery carriers, implants, and bone cement, the success of which is due to their biocompatibility. Scientists continuously research polymers to uncover their potential for medical devices and biomimetic applications. Allison DeMajistre speaks to Eric Appel, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, and Joseph Kennedy, professor of polymer science and chemistry at The University of Akron, to discover the latest polymer developments for medical devices.
Digitalised Medical Device Supply Chains
With digitalisation fundamentally changing industries the world over, medtech finally seems ready to embrace it. But with supply chains becoming increasingly complex, it’s not enough to digitalise parts and hope the rest will fall into line. Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with Frederik Dejans, global product and IoT director at Schoeller Allibert, to find out why end-to-end visibility is a must if all components are to work in harmony and what its benefits are.
A new framework
Technology is a great enabler of medical treatments, but regulators’ scrutiny can’t be lax. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) knows this well, which is why it has released a new roadmap detailing steps it will take over the next year to ensure products approved in the UK are safe, while also encouraging manufacturers to bring new devices to market in the country. Abi Millar investigates what this roadmap might look like and the motivation behind the coming changes.
Into a new dimension
Additive manufacturing – or 3D printing – has gone from strength to strength in the medical device industry due to the level of flexibility companies can achieve when designing new products. Researchers are using the technique to enhance everything from medical implants to surgical tools, but the innovation hasn’t stopped there. Abi Millar investigates two ways research teams are using 3D printing to improve medical devices.
Building positive relationships
Report after report predicts massive increases in revenue for the medical device contract manufacturing sector in the near future – with long-term projections just as favourable. And why not? Between securing technical expertise and the right equipment, there are plenty of reasons to partner with a contract manufacturing organisation. But beyond the positive headlines, what are the challenges OEMs face when working with third-party partners? And what could geopolitical tensions ultimately mean for such arrangements? Andrea Valentino investigates, talking to Ash Shehata and Jenny Harte, both of KPMG.
A sensor-centric future
Medical device technology is one of the fastest-growing manufacturing sectors, spurring medical innovation in healthcare. One such development is wearable devices, which are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare as tools for both research and clinical care. Not that the path to a medical professional dominated by such devices is necessarily clear. Andrea Valentino investigates, talking to Dr Can Dincer of the University of Freiburg and Dr Stefano Canali from the Politecnico di Milano.
Rising tide
MD Tyler Bradshaw and director Taylor Will of Harris Williams Healthcare & Life Sciences Group, which provides healthcare and life sciences M&A and private capital advisory services, explore the key investment areas for medical device contract manufacturing.
Tubes transformed
Used to ventilate the middle ear and drain fluid or enable the delivery of antibiotics, tympanostomy tubes have remained largely unchanged in their design for 50 years or more, though they are known to have shortcomings. That is now changing thanks to a new study by Harvard’s Wyss Institute, the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) teaching hospital. Jim Banks speaks to MEE investigator Dr Aaron Remenschneider about a new approach to designing fluid-transporting implantable medical conduits.
Light show
The use of lasers across medicine is well-known – but they’re just as important in the manufacturing space too. Yet not all lasers are created equal. Andrea Valentino talks to experts across the sector to understand more about the advantages of so-called femtosecond devices, why they’re particularly helpful in crafting a new generation of intricate medical technology, and whether they’re necessarily appropriate for every factory floor.
The self-sampling veil to detect HPV and STDs
With cervical cancer being one of the most common cancers in woman, V-Veil-Up Production has launched a self-sampling veil for the detection of HPV/papillomavirus and STDs that helps to address the religious or cultural concerns women in some communities might have with having gynecological examinations.