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The future of printable electronics
It’s easy to envisage what the term ‘printable electronics’ might mean but, until recently, the practice it described didn’t look much like the picture in anyone’s head. Now, however, Dr Aaron Franklin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke University, and Dr Cinzia Casiraghi, professor of neuroscience at the University of Manchester, have developed the technique and materials necessary for what they call fully print-in-place flexible electronics. Jim Banks finds out how they’re enabling the creation of everything from personalised bandages to skin-mimicking sensors for the next generation of healthcare.
Remote yearning
With the in-person events industry reeling and its future uncertain, Tim Gunn talks to Joe Hage, chairman of the Medical Devices Group, and Todd Grimm, an AM industry adviser on the board of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group, to find out what can be recovered from the wreckage left by Covid-19.
Under the microscope
Academic research into the technology of microfluidics suggests that it offers huge potential for point-of-care diagnosis of disease. So why has the research so far not been translated into successful commercial products? Kim Thomas talks to Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame, to find out.
Test, test, test
Pressure to accelerate development and meet large-scale demand has led to a string of Covid-19 testing controversies and sparked widespread debate about regulators fast-tracking authorisations. In some cases, governments have been forced to return low-quality diagnostics and rethink their testing strategies. Irenie Forshaw talks to the director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the US National Institutes of Health Bruce Tromberg, and chief scientific officer at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics Rangarajan Sampath, about complex regulatory challenges and the steps being taken to ensure the latest tests are adequately assessed.
Control the flow
For all the research into microfluidics in healthcare, there’s been comparatively little innovation in actually moving liquids on the smallest scales. Most of the time, that still requires a not-especially micro syringe and a lot of off-chip technology. Stéphanie Descroix, a microfluidics researcher at Institut Curie, and Yuksel Temiz, research staff member at IBM research, talk Tim Gunn through the ways new types of valves can improve the functionality of labs-on-a-chip for point of care diagnostics.
Shaking the supply chain
The successes and challenges faced by original equipment manufacturers amid the Covid-19 pandemic have been attributed almost equally to their reliance on contract manufacturers and their distance from them, so what really makes the difference? And how are different companies meeting the rapidly changing demands of a world trying to recover? Jack Sandahl, global sourcing fellow at Boston Scientific, offers his personal views on what sets the most effective manufacturing strategies apart in times of crisis.
PPE for the planet
Several months into the worst pandemic in living memory, fears of spreading infection have largely overridden environmental concerns about plastic waste. Anna Demming reports on some of the emerging technology for personal protective equipment (PPE) that might better preserve the health of both people and planet.
India makes the leap
Indian manufacturing’s response to Covid-19 has shown the country’s potential to become one of the world’s top five medical device producers. Even so, though ‘Make in India 2.0’ aims at self-reliance, medical device imports have been rising steadily for the past five years. With a new stimulus package, more robust regulation and a host of other incentives, is India poised to compete with China? Abi Millar finds out from Rajiv Nath, forum co-ordinator at the Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry, and Rohit Anand, practice head of medical devices at GlobalData.
A helping hand
After years of tinkering with 3D printers to create artificial tissue, researchers across the world have engineered a range of different bioinks that could function as anything from bones to ovaries. Do any have the potential to succeed commercially, and could a ‘universal’ bioink be on the cards? Abi Millar asks Joshua Hunsberger, CTO of the RegenMed Development Organization, and Dr Akhilesh K Gahawar of Texas A&M University, about the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Personal space
Still blushing from the Covid-19 spotlight, which swung their way when the rest of the industry realised they were able to continue their work as if nothing had changed, OEMs’ computational modelling and simulation experts are in position to enable true personalisation and shape the industry for years to come. They just need to make sure the regulators are on board with it. Tim Gunn assesses the state of the art with Jeffrey Bischoff, director of biomechanics research for Zimmer Biomet, and Walter Schmidt, senior manager of the modelling and simulation team at Stryker Orthopaedics.