Brain Implant for Epilepsy

Daily Upsider on July 5, 2024

For thirteen years, Oran Knowlson suffered from treatment-resistant epilepsy. Thanks to a new brain implant, he can now look forward to days without seizures.

Oran is the first person to receive this implant as part of a pilot study for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy causing up to 100 seizures a day.

The 13-year-old from Somerset, England, needed constant care since the age of 3. Some seizures were so severe they stopped his heart, requiring resuscitation. After receiving the implant, his mother told the Guardian, “I definitely now have a teenager,” highlighting Oran’s newfound ability to ignore her.

“The future looks hopeful, which I wouldn’t have dreamed of saying six months ago,” she said.

“Epilepsy completely changed Oran and his family’s lives, so seeing him ride a horse and regain his independence is astounding,” said Martin Tisdall, a consultant pediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, where Oran was treated. “We’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”

During the surgery, Tisdall and his team inserted two electrodes deep into Oran’s brain, targeting the thalamus. Wires were connected to a neurostimulator on Oran’s cranium. Designed by Amber Therapeutics, it delivers constant neurostimulation to suppress seizures by blocking signals from reaching the thalamus. The device can be recharged with wireless headphones.

Oran is one of three children in the pilot study, which aims to recruit another 22 participants with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

“Deep brain stimulation brings us closer to stopping epileptic seizures for patients with very limited treatment options,” Dr. Tisdall added. “We hope to build enough evidence to make this a standard treatment for pediatric epilepsy in the future.”

The Hydrogen Era?

Daily Upsider on July 4, 2024

The young Swiss company HydroRide Europe has announced the launch of their hydrogen fuel-cell bikes, HYRYD, which can be refueled in just 3 to 10 seconds using built-in water tanks. The range includes three models: foldable, sport, and rental or sharing bikes. According to the company, these hydrogen bikes outperform e-bikes in refueling speed and are considered safe and secure.

To complement the bike series, HydroRide Europe plans to introduce a home hydrogen generator. This device can produce 20 grams of ‘green hydrogen’ from just 200mL of water, which is then stored in a removable tank that looks like a water bottle. Refueling the tank takes only 3 to 10 seconds, providing a range of 50 to 60 kilometers per fill. The company also intends to roll out solar-powered hydrogen charging stations, allowing riders to swap empty tanks in less than 10 seconds.

This is a fascinating concept that seems like it has a good chance of competing with the electric bikes, which seem to be getting quite popular.

Several companies are experimenting with hydrogen as a fuel source, even for vehicles like cars. A good example is the new Toyota Mirai, which runs on hydrogen and is very interesting. What do you think, is this the beginning of a hydrogen power era?

New Tech Revives ‘Unusable’ Organs

Daily Upsider on July 2, 2024

34 Lives, a medical innovation company, is making a significant impact in kidney transplants with their innovative technology that “revives” kidneys typically rejected by surgeons. So far, they have successfully saved ten kidneys and ten lives, with many more to come.

In the US, over 120,000 people await organ transplants, most needing kidneys. Patients on the waiting list often endure years of dialysis, risking their health and lives. Daily, 34 people die waiting. Choosing West Lafayette, near Purdue University, was strategic for 34 Lives. Purdue supports startups and offers top-tier facilities and engineering talent, enhancing 34 Lives’ life-saving efforts.

Around 30% of recovered kidneys are discarded, a loss for patients and donors’ families. 34 Lives aims to ensure donated kidneys save lives as intended. Their facility at Purdue Research Park includes custom-built Organ Rescue Labs, essential for quickly reviving and sending kidneys for transplant. Time is critical; delays in transport can render kidneys nonviable.

34 Lives ensures kidney viability using normothermic preservation, a technique that maintains organs at normal physiological temperature. This method allows for prolonged preservation and the ability to resuscitate organs after warm ischemia. This approach also enables more accurate assessment of the kidneys’ condition before transplantation, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

By collaborating with OPOs and transplant surgeons, 34 Lives identifies and rescues kidneys that would otherwise go unused the keeps them working with normothermic preservation.

Using Purdue’s regional airport, 34 Lives avoids delays common with commercial flights, which is crucial for their success. Their fifth kidney transplant was successful thanks to this proximity.

The partnership with Purdue exemplifies how collaboration can lead to world-changing solutions. Each saved kidney and life brings us closer to a future where no one dies waiting for a transplant.

A Device that Can Rewire Your Brain

Daily Upsider on July 1, 2024

Twenty million Americans with tinnitus might find relief with an over-the-counter device that has shown to improve symptoms in 84% of users.

This device, called Lenire, uses a combination of tongue stimulation with electricity and white noise played through headphones to help refocus the brain and reduce the perception of ringing in the ears.

Despite its $4,000 price tag and lack of insurance coverage, clinical trials support Lenire’s effectiveness. The FDA has approved it, and clinicians are already using it. While there is limited data on its long-term effectiveness, early results are promising: 80% of users would recommend it, according to NPR.

“It’s not a cure, but Lenire is a significant advancement in the standards of care,” said Ross O’Neil, founder of Neuromode Devices, the company behind Lenire. “It’s the first and only device approved by the FDA based on clinical data.”

Audiologist Brian Fligor, a consultant during Lenire’s development, explains that the device works by shifting the brain’s focus away from the ringing, like moving a spotlight on a stage from one actor to another.

Robotic Touch

Daily Upsider on June 28, 2024

A robotic sorting system that uses touch to identify different types of domestic waste achieved a 98.85% accuracy rate.

The inventors believe this advanced system could improve recycling efficiency and aid in treating hand disabilities.

Currently, sorting robots are used in over 40 of the 600 recycling centers in the United States, operating faster and more accurately than humans. Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing have shown that tactile sensing and logical reasoning enhance a robot’s ability to recognize and classify objects, even with advanced visual sensors.

Today’s intelligent robots can identify many objects through vision and touch, but tactile information, combined with machine learning algorithms, also allows them to recognize objects they have previously handled. However, they often struggle with objects of similar size and shape or new items.

To address this, the Tsinghua team integrated “thermal feeling” into robotic tactile sensing. Professor Rong Zhu explained that humans use thermal sensations to differentiate materials like wood and metal based on cooling sensations. The team replicated this by designing a tactile sensing method incorporating thermal sensations for better object detection.

They developed a layered sensor with material detection at the surface, pressure sensitivity at the bottom, and a porous middle layer sensitive to thermal changes. This sensor, paired with a cascade classification algorithm, efficiently categorized objects from simple to complex, such as empty cartons to orange peels.

The system, installed in a robot, sorted common trash items like cartons, bread scraps, plastic bags, bottles, sponges, napkins, orange peels, and expired drugs into categories like recyclables, food scraps, hazardous waste, and other waste. It achieved a 98.85% accuracy rate in classifying previously unencountered waste items, as reported in Applied Physics Reviews.