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Researchers at the University of Memphis-based Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to-Knowledge (MD2K) have introduced a new mobile app that may support physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. MD2K is supported by NIH with a grant administered by the NIBIB.

A new study has begun recruiting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus.

Engineers have created a tabletop device that combines a robot, artificial intelligence and near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to draw blood or insert catheters to deliver fluids and drugs. Their research results suggest that autonomous systems like the image-guided robotic device could outperform people on some complex medical tasks.

In the future, robots could take blood samples, benefiting patients and healthcare workers alike. A team has created a blood-sampling robot that performed as well or better than people, according to the first human clinical trial of an automated blood drawing and testing device.

After a patient swallows anordinary-looking capsule, the star’s six arms unfold inside the stomach and steadily release ingredients for a week; then the arms break off and leave the body like undigested food. The pill can deliver a variety of prescription medicines.

Millions of people are treated with antibiotics each year for infections or as a preventative measure. Two teams of NIBIB-funded scientists have been working to find alternative solutions for treating bacterial infections, especially antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Mothers and children in low resource communities often suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Now NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a system that can be used for tests to rapidly identify blood micronutrient levels in remote areas with limited healthcare infrastructure.

The annual awards ceremony at the National Academy of Engineering was highly unusual in that, of the 12 broad engineering categories represented at NAE – from chemical to mechanical and civil to electrical – three 2019 NAE awards were in biomedical engineering.

A metamaterial made of plastic and copper may be able to enhance the quality (signal-to-noise ratio) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by four times and speed up scan times by 14 times.

The winners of the 8th annual Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge developed simple but effective solutions that can make a significant difference to the patient population, such as a tool to make intubation easier and more accurate and a rapid screening test for C. difficile infections (CDI).