Developing Low-Cost Lab Techniques: Q & A With Abraham Badu-Tawiah
Credit: Ohio State University.
“I never thought I could make an impact on chemistry and students’ lives. But now, I’m the head of a lab with several Ph.D. and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral researcher; and we’re developing simple, low-cost lab techniques that can be adopted by labs across the world,” says Abraham Badu-Tawiah, Ph.D., the Robert K. Fox Professor of Chemistry at Ohio State University in Columbus. We talked with Dr. Badu-Tawiah about his career progression, research, and advice for students hoping to launch a career in science.
Q: How did you get started on the path to a career in sci...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 21, 2024 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Tools and Techniques Profiles Source Type: blogs
The 6 Most Exciting Medical Technology Breakthroughs Of Recent Years
Amidst the flurry of hyped technologies, it’s not easy to pinpoint which specific technological breakthroughs will have the most impact in the coming years.
Dr. Meskó, The Medical Futurist, reviews multiple reports, studies, and articles daily. Consequently, our days are filled with awe-inspiring developments. However, our aim here is to offer more than just a compilation of “wow, look how fascinating” stories.
To achieve this, we have selected technologies that:
Have undergone significant breakthroughs in recent years, be it in regulatory, technological, or scientific aspects
Are anticipate...
Source: The Medical Futurist - January 9, 2024 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF artificial intelligence digital health future Healthcare Source Type: blogs
Answer to Case 711
Answer to the Parasite Case of the Week 711: Plasmodium falciparuminfection with high parasitemia. Primarily early stage trophozoites are seen, but a single (somewhat) banana-shaped gametocyte and possibly later stage trophozoites are often seen. Given the high level of parasitemia, it ' s not surprising that we are seeing some some extracellular forms. If there happens to be concern about an alternate diagnosis of babesiosis (i.e., if the travel history wasn ' t known), then PCR could be performed. In this case, the presence of hemozoin and elongated gametocytes allows us to rule out babesiosis from the differe...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - February 20, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs
Automated Feeding Platform to Study Mosquito Disease Transmission
A team at Rice University has developed an automated feeding platform for mosquitoes that allows researchers to test different types of repellent and investigate mosquito-borne disease transmission. Traditionally, such mosquito research would require human volunteers or animal subjects for the mosquitos to feed on, but this is obviously inconvenient and a little distasteful. This new system dispenses with the need for human volunteers and associated laborious data collection and analysis. The technology consists of 3D printed synthetic skin with real blood that flows through small vessels. Mosquitos can feed through the sk...
Source: Medgadget - February 14, 2023 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Medicine Public Health riceuniversity Source Type: blogs
Practicing Medicine without a License: When Patients and Politicians Play Doctor
BY MICHAEL KIRSCH
We’ve all heard the adage, leave it to the professionals. It’s typically used when an individual has wandered out of his lane. How many folks go beyond their knowledge and skills with home projects, for example, who must then hire a real professional to mop up the mistakes? Luckily for me, the only tools that I – a gastroenterologist – know how to use are a colonoscope and an endoscope, so there’s no chance that I will be tempted to perform any plumbing or electrical tasks at home.
Although patients are not medical professionals, they routinely bring me results...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 1, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Medical Marijuana Medical Practice medical professionals michael kirsch politicians Source Type: blogs
“Virgin-Soil Epidemics” Covers a Multitude of Sins
BY MIKE MAGEE
Epidemics don’t appear in isolation of geography, social status, race or economics.
In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation article, the authors reviewed case numbers and death rates organized by race/ethnicity. It will come as no surprise that the most vulnerable populations death rate is nearly three times greater than the least vulnerable. But what may surprise you is that the population at greatest risk was neither self-identified as Black or Hispanic, but Native American.
Sadly, this is not a new story, but in the analogs of American history, it has been papered over by a partially true, but inco...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 25, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Public Health Jeffrey Ostler Mike Magee Native Americans Virgin-Soil Epidemic Source Type: blogs
mRNA Vaccines: From Tackling Pandemic To Treating Cancer
The story of the multi-decade uphill battle Katalin Karikó and her fellow researchers fought to prove messenger RNA can viably be used in medicine is widely known today. In just as little as two years, the world has learned about mRNA technology and how fast it can react when the need arises holding almost unlimited promises in future applications. As always is the case with “instant hits” in science, the ride was actually very long and bumpy, but more on that later.
What is mRNA?
In very simple terms: messenger ribonucleic acids (or mRNAs in short) are the body’s natural way to transport messages from o...
Source: The Medical Futurist - July 12, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Forecast Biotechnology Future of Medicine Nanotechnology cancer cancer research covid19 vaccine research HIV mRNA messenger RNA cancer vaccine malaria malaria vaccine HIV vaccine pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer va Source Type: blogs
mRNA Vaccines: From Tackling A Pandemic To Treating Cancer
The story of the multi-decade uphill battle Katalin Karikó and her fellow researchers fought to prove messenger RNA can viably be used in medicine is widely known today. In just as little as two years, the world has learned about mRNA technology and how fast it can react when the need arises holding almost unlimited promises in future applications. As always is the case with “instant hits” in science, the ride was actually very long and bumpy, but more on that later.
What is mRNA?
In very simple terms: messenger ribonucleic acids (or mRNAs in short) are the body’s natural way to transport messages from o...
Source: The Medical Futurist - July 12, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Forecast Biotechnology Future of Medicine Nanotechnology cancer cancer research covid19 vaccine research HIV mRNA messenger RNA cancer vaccine malaria malaria vaccine HIV vaccine pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer va Source Type: blogs
Fighting Fake Drugs With Miniscule Printed Watermarks: A Genius Idea
It is extremely difficult to tell how many people lose their lives due to counterfeit drugs every year globally. Estimates vary between hundreds of thousands to over a million. No matter which figure is correct, falsified medication and substandard drugs are causing significant losses in human lives.
The share of counterfeit drugs is around 10% globally. It is as high as 30% in some countries, while it stays below 1% in others. I am sure you can guess that the one-digit numbers belong to the richest countries, while the big figures are typical in Sub-Saharan Africa. But before you lean back assured, let me remind you: f...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 22, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Forecast Future of Pharma fake drugs counterfeit medicine watermarks QR code substandard drugs Source Type: blogs
Fighting Fake Drugs With Miniscule Printed Watermarks: An Ingenious Idea
It is extremely difficult to tell how many people lose their lives due to counterfeit drugs every year globally. Estimates vary between hundreds of thousands to over a million. No matter which figure is correct, falsified medication and substandard drugs are causing significant losses in human lives.
The share of counterfeit drugs is around 10% globally. It is as high as 30% in some countries, while it stays below 1% in others. I am sure you can guess that the one-digit numbers belong to the richest countries, while the big figures are typical in Sub-Saharan Africa. But before you lean back assured, let me remind you: f...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 22, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Forecast Future of Pharma fake drugs counterfeit medicine watermarks QR code substandard drugs Source Type: blogs
How Do We Know If COVID Is Over?
Is it the end of COVID? – we hear this very question more and more often these days. This topic has been analysed over and over in the past two years, I also wrote about it more than once. Here, at the beginning, we outlined possible scenarios on how the pandemic will develop. By now we can determine that we ended up somewhere between #2 and #3.
We also discussed how widespread vaccination is the way to go, and how it will contribute to getting back our lives.
The speculation on finally getting over it is not surprising. It is in line with recent reports, and the discussion about the pandemic entering the endem...
Source: The Medical Futurist - March 15, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Covid-19 public health covid19 pandemic endemic end of covid Source Type: blogs
Will Microbes Finally Force Modernization of the American Health Care System?
Mike Magee MD
Science has a way of punishing humans for their arrogance.
In 1996, Dr. Michael Osterholm found himself rather lonely and isolated in medical research circles. This was the adrenaline-infused decade of blockbuster pharmaceuticals focused squarely on chronic debilitating diseases of aging.
And yet, there was Osterholm, in Congressional testimony delivering this message: “I am here to bring you the sobering and unfortunate news that our ability to detect and monitor infectious disease threats to health in this country is in serious jeopardy…For 12 of the States or territories, there is no one w...
Source: The Health Care Blog - February 14, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Public Health Healthcare system infectious diseases microbes Mike Magee Source Type: blogs
Automatic Blood Smear Preparation for Reliable Malaria Diagnosis
Researchers at Cambridge and Bath universities in the UK, along with colleagues at the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, have created two devices, called autohaem, that assist in creating blood smears, a common technique for diagnosing malaria. A blood smear involves manually smudging a drop of blood across a microscope slide to allow observation of the blood in detail, enabling a diagnosis. While this sounds simple, it requires dexterity and skill to perform correctly, and these latest devices are intended to streamline the process and allow health workers in low-resource areas to replicate high-quality smears consist...
Source: Medgadget - January 19, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Pathology Public Health Source Type: blogs
Reflections on HIV
My post yesterday on the lunkhead senator from Wisconsin inspired some thoughts about Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the disease it causes, called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. The syndrome got its name before the viral cause was discovered, which is why it ' s called a syndrome, the word for a collection of symptoms when the cause is unknown or unspecified. It might be better to call the disease simply HIV disease, as it can have symptoms other than immunodeficiency, and many people nowadays do just that. I spent much of my career in public health, and then in academic research, focusing on HIV....
Source: Stayin' Alive - December 7, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
Multistep Lateral Flow Devices Perform Advanced Assays
Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a lateral flow test platform that can perform advanced assays that would otherwise require a laboratory. By controlling the flow of liquid through the lateral flow test, the research team designed it so that it can perform advanced multistep assays that do not require sophisticated lab equipment and significant periods of time. So far, they have designed advanced dipstick tests that can detect both COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously, and others that can perform immunoassays to detect Zika virus, HIV, hepatitis B virus, or malaria.
Lateral flow assays, otherwise ...
Source: Medgadget - November 10, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Medicine Pathology Public Health georgiatech Source Type: blogs
