Two Rice University students have transformed a simple salad spinner into an electricity-free rotation device that can be used to diagnose diseases. The device would be able to separate blood in order to detect diseases like anemia, which can be an indicator of HIV, malnutrition and malaria.

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Tags: Biomedical, Giving Back

Another important advancement is on the way in the world of 3-D bio printing. Biomedical engineers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have created an inkjet bio printer that sprays skin cells over wounds, helping them heal more rapidly.

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No one has conversed with Eric Ramsey since 1999, when a car crash paralyzed him, leaving his conscious mind trapped inside an unresponsive body. The rare condition is called locked-in syndrome, and it has left Ramsey unable to even blink. But now, scientists and engineers are helping him reconnect with the outside world.

Five years after the incident, scientists implanted a device in his brain linking it directly to a speech synthesizer.  After years of practice, Ramsey can now generate vowel sounds just by thinking of them.

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A neuron cell diagram – click the image for more details

Neural engineer Matthew Schiefer may have discovered an important lead in one of neurology’s most challenging problems: how to reanimate paralyzed limbs. Working at Case Western Reserve University, Schiefer was able to “hack” a nerve bundle in an unconscious subject’s leg using a small eletrode (image after jump), causing the leg to twitch .

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She’s inventing medical devices, helping babies and the elderly, getting her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, and founding a start-up company – all at the age of 24. Sanna Gaspard, recently named one of IEEE’s “New Faces of Engineering,” has been described by her coworkers as an “energizer bunny.” It’s true that she gets an incredible amount done, but she’s also driven by her compassion for others. Her pediatric technology may soon be helping infants – especially those born prematurely – stay healthy and happy.

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Tags: Biomedical, People