A new blood test for cancer will look for the signs of the disease by identifying white blood cells that have already sustained damage from fighting the cancer cells. The test will be based on theory that the stress caused to the white blood cells could be measured under the right circumstances. By exposing DNA to UV light and then prompting the DNA to move through an agar medium, it will be possible to determine the amount of damage the DNA has sustained by observing the length of...

An injectable, wound-filling foam could help to stabilize hard-to-tourniquet wounds for transport to a medical station. The system will be designed to staunch bleeding at the areas where the head or a limb is attached to the torso--areas notoriously difficult to tourniquet--by injecting two liquids directly and deeply into the wound. The two liquids, polyol and a diisocyanatein, will be held in separate sections within the syringe until injection into the body, whereupon they will...

New wound care material will be made of human skin, which will provide an ideal scaffold for the patient's own, healing cells. The material will be made of donor skin that will be decellularized (removed of all skin cells and traces of DNA). This process will allow the basic structure of the extracellular matrix to remain, resulting in a scaffold the patient's own cells can attach to for faster healing. The material will not need to be refrigerated or rehydrated and will be...

A new laser-based method of treating cavities could replace fillings by encouraging the tooth's dentin to grow back naturally. The method could be developed around the idea that specific wavelengths of light can trigger the body's healing properties. Beaming a dose of specifically-tuned laser light at a hole drilled in a tooth will set off a chain reaction that stimulate the stem cells to turn into dentin. This 'low-level light therapy' could also be used to trigger stem...

An implanted device that will electrically stimulate the spinal cord could allow people paralyzed by spinal injuries to learn to walk again. The device will be made up of thin, flexible microelectrodes that will be implanted in the spinal cord to stimulate its nerve pathways with electrical impulses. This stimulation will trigger the nerve roots to "provoke motion sequences of movements and support the motor function," potentially allowing the patient to learn to walk again. ...

The idea is to develop nanogel able to help burns wounds heal faster by creating a scaffold for skin cells to grow on. The gel will be based on a self-assembling ultrashort peptide technology. When water is added to the hydrogel, the peptides will react by self-assembling into a water-holding, fibrous gel that will mimic the extracellular matrix--a key part of skin tissue. This scaffold will provide the ideal environment for skin cells to grow, enabling the gel to heal burn wounds...

The sensor is designed to reduce respiratory-related flareups by making it easier for COPD and asthma sufferers to keep track of their medication use, symptoms and triggers. A small sensor device will be attached to the top of the user's current inhaler, where it will pair with a smartphone to keep a record of when and where the inhaler was used. The data will be used to help monitor symptoms and find trigger patterns, which will help to reduce the number of exacerbations.

A vibrating capsule meant to be swallowed may offer an alternative to medication for people who suffer from chronic constipation. The tiny capsule will be equipped with an electric motor that will cause the entire device to vibrate. The vibrations will be set to begin six to eight hours after the capsule has been swallowed, which will give it time to pass through the stomach and into the intestines. Once it has arrived at the intestines, the capsule's vibrations will stimulate the...

A dual-frequency ultrasound device will be able to determine when arterial plaque is in danger of breaking off, providing an earlier diagnosis of people at a high risk of stroke or heart attack. Current methods of detecting this vulnerable plaque rely on the use of a contrast agent, which is drawn to the areas of vulnerable plaque and highlights them in ultrasound images. However, the intravascular ultrasound devices used in this method are not very good at detecting the contrast...

The idea is to have a machine able to detect a range of diseases and health problems, including a hangover, from the user's breath. After the user blows into the device using the attached hose, an infrared laser within the machine will irradiate the breath. This will allow trace elements to be detected and identified.