BME News

June 18, 2009

Autonomous Robot Detects Shrapnel

DURHAM, N.C. – Bioengineers at Duke University have developed a laboratory robot that can successfully locate tiny pieces of metal within flesh and guide a needle to its exact location -– all without the need for human assistance. The successful proof-of-feasibility experiments lead the researchers to believe that in the future, such a robot could not only help treat shrapnel injuries on the battlefield, but might also be used for such medical procedures as placing and ...

June 16, 2009

Potential For Non-Invasive Brain Tumor Treatment

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University engineers have taken a first step toward a minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors by combining chemotherapy with heat administered from the end of a catheter. The proof-of-concept study demonstrated that it should be technically possible to treat brain tumors without the side effects associated with the traditional approaches of surgery, systemic chemotherapy or radiation. The bioengineers designed and built an ultrasound catheter that can fit into large blood vessels of the ...

May 10, 2009

Duke graduates 523 engineers in May 2009

Duke University awarded degrees to 523 undergraduate and graduate engineering students on May 10 in ceremonies beginning with a university-wide commencement celebration in Wallace Wade Stadium and ending with a Pratt School of Engineering ceremony in Duke Chapel. Pratt Dean Tom Katsouleas Bachelor of Science in Engineering diplomas to 279 students, including 12 who completed their work in December and one last September, before a crowd of parents, relatives and friends in the Chapel. Pratt also awarded ...

April 30, 2009

Pratt Junior Spins the Wheel

When a crowd of students pack themselves in front of the big-screen television at the Armadillo Grill, it’s usually to watch the Blue Devils compete against another university on the playing field or basketball court. However, they also recently gathered to view another type of competition -- to cheer on a Pratt biomedical engineering junior against other university students on the set of Wheel of Fortune. Alaina Pleatman, a native of West Bloomfield, Mich., who had ...

April 30, 2009

Limping Rat Provides Sciatica Insights

DURHAM, N.C. -- A newly developed animal model for the painful nerve condition known as sciatica should help researchers diagnose and treat it, according to Duke University bioengineers and surgeons. Sciatica is not a single disorder, but rather a diverse range of symptoms, such as numbness or pain from the lower back to the feet, radiating leg pain or difficulty in controlling the leg. It is often caused by compression, or pinching, of any of the ...

April 22, 2009

BME Doctoral Student Talks About Bionic Arm on 60 Minutes

Jon Kuniholm lost part of his right arm as the result of a roadside bombing in Iraq in 2005. Since that time, the retired Marine Corps officer has been researching new designs for functional limb prostheses as a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering. As a vet and as a researcher -- he’s also co-founder of a company working on arm prostheses -- he was interviewed recently by the CBS program ...

April 1, 2009

Light Reveals Breast Tumor Oxygen Status

DURHAM, N.C. – Light directed at a breast tumor through a needle can provide pathologists with biological specifics of the tumor and help oncologists choose treatment options that would be most effective for that individual patient. Duke University bioengineers have developed a light-based system that can quickly and easily provide important information about oxygen levels within a tumor while it is still in place. The new system, based on diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, gives researchers important clues ...

March 24, 2009

Half of Americans See Other Country as Technological Leader

DURHAM, N.C. -– Half of all Americans expect another country to emerge this century as the world’s leader in addressing technological challenges that range from the economy to global warming, according to a survey of U.S. public opinion released March 3 by Duke University. Although only 34 percent of Americans gave themselves a grade of A or B for understanding “the world of engineers and what they do,” 72 percent nonetheless expect the technological advancements of ...

February 13, 2009

First Step to Autonomous Breast Biopsy Robot

Duke University bioengineers have developed a laboratory robot that can locate the earliest traces of a mass in simulated breast tissue and reach that mass with a biopsy needle – all without the need for human assistance. The results of proof-of-feasibility studies lead the researchers to believe that routine medical procedures such as breast biopsies will be performed in the future with minimal human guidance, and at greater convenience and less cost to patients. The researchers envision ...

February 11, 2009

New Brain Helmet Could Detect Stroke Earlier

A prototype “brain helmet” that provides real-time images of major blood vessels may enable emergency personnel to perform quick scans of potential stroke victims’ brains, according to a team of Duke University bioengineers who developed the device. For patients suspected of having a stroke, the speed of diagnosis and subsequent treatment can make the difference between survival and death or disability. Using 3-D ultrasound technology that they had earlier developed, the Duke team built a prototype device ...

February 2, 2009

Scattered Light Rapidly Detects Tumor Response to Chemotherapy

By interpreting how beams of light scatter off of tumor cell samples, researchers can determine if cancer cells are responding to chemotherapeutic agents within a matter of hours. The researchers said that the new technology, which was developed by Duke University bioengineers, will not only permit clinicians to more precisely detect whether or not specific cancer drugs are working, but should give basic researchers a powerful new tool to better understand the underlying mechanisms of cancer ...

November 10, 2008

Duke Engineering Contest Connects U.S. Students with National Problems

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering challenges college students in the U.S. to create a video and an essay in response to this question: Which of the 14 grand challenges identified by the National Academy of Engineering would you choose to address, and how would you do it? The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org) has identified 14 critical barriers to a sustainable way of life. They represent problems that will require ...