England’s NHS will provide artificial pancreas to thousands of diabetes patients
England’s National Health Service (NHS) said on Tuesday that “tens of thousands of children and adults” with type 1 diabetes will receive an “artificial pancreas” to help manage their insulin levels. The hybrid closed loop system — a sensor under the skin that sends wireless readings to an externally worn…
CRISPR-based gene editing therapy approved by the FDA for the first time
In a landmark decision, the FDA greenlit two new drugs for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 and older, one of which —Vertex’s drug Casgevy — is the first approved use of genome editing technology CRISPR in the US. Bluebird Bio’s Lyfgenia also is a cell-based gene…
The ARC nerve-stimulation system could help quadriplegic patients move their arms again
The ARC nerve stimulation therapy system from startup Onward Medical passed another developmental milestone on Wednesday, as the company announced the first successful installation of its brainwave-driven implantable electrode array to restore function and feeling to a patient’s hands and arms. The news comes just five months after the researchers…
Withings gets FDA approval for its upcoming Body Scan Connected Health Station
The Withings Body Scan Connected Health Station has received the go-ahead from the FDA and is set to launch this fall. Engadget’s Daniel Cooper tried it earlier this year and had “nothing but praise for” the luxury smart scale when trying it earlier this year, although he also described its…
FDA approves first oral postpartum depression pill
Biogen and Sage Therapeutics’ collaboration to develop Zurzuvae has proved fruitful. The FDA approved the oral pill specifically for the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD), making it the first of its kind in a class of antidepressants intended specifically for new mothers. According to research by the CDC, one in…
AI-enabled brain implant helps patient regain feeling and movement
Keith Thomas from New York was involved in a driving accident back in 2020 that injured his spine’s C4 and C5 vertebrae, leading to a total loss in feeling and movement from the chest down. Recently, though, Thomas had been able to move his arm at will and feel his…
Google is testing its medical AI chatbot at the Mayo Clinic
Google is already testing its Med-PaLM 2 AI chat technology at at the Mayo Clinic and other hospitals, The Wall Street Journal has reported. It’s based on the company’s PaLM 2 large language model (LLM) that underpins Bard, Google’s ChatGPT rival — and was launched just months ago at Google…