9. A LAB ON A CHIP
If it’s taking too long to get samples to the lab, why not bring the lab to the samples? That was the idea of researchers at Stanford University, who recently developed what they call “a lab on a chip” based on CRISPR enzyme Cas12.
About half the size of a credit card, it contains a complex network of channels smaller than the width of a human hair and can deliver a coronavirus test’s results in under 30 minutes.
Researchers say that the test could be modified to detect other infections, too, by recalibrating the CRISPR enzyme for a different genetic marker. As the Covid-19 pandemic taught the world, testing is the first step in combating infectious disease. With a lab on a chip, that testing can be done quickly, safely, cheaply, and more efficiently.10 MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN 2022
10. WEARABLES WITH A PURPOSE
Fitness trackers have been on the rise for years: FitBit shipped 9.9 million of its wearable devices in 2019. But the next trend in wearables for medical technology is more specific. For diabetes patients, wearable continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are set to become thpe new normal.
Wearable CGMs remove the need for intermittent glucose testing and instead keep track of one’s blood sugar levels in real time.
This allows users to see the immediate impacts of food and exercise, and shape their lifestyles accordingly.
It can also catch cases of hyperglycemia immediately. Medical technology companies are jumping in with two feet: Dexcom, a CGM developer, had revenue of $1.9 billion in 2020 and expects a 15 to 20 percent jump in 2021.
