SensNews Nov 2017

Sensor100 November 2017 18 New oxytocin chemical sensor could be first step towards early diagnosis of autism Is it going to be possible to detect features of autism at birth? At the Institute of Physi- cal Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences inWarsaw a sensor has come into be- ing that means this may become a reality.The main recognition component of the new device is a polymer layer with a carefully designed structure. It recognizes molecules of oxytocin, a compound considered to be one of the biomarkers of autism. Reported by: News-Medical Life Sciences N ovember 16 A hard sell for soft sensors to pick up on the body’s changes The Irish Times interviews Prof. Dermot Diamond, Dublin City University regarding his work on sensor development, and other things! He reveals his leisure activities: “I play the fiddle. I grew up in Belfast playing traditional music – imagine being a teen in Belfast in the 1970s walking around with a fiddle and a banjo case! I still play a lot of traditional mu- sic sessions, particularly in Donegal, and there’s a group of us who play Bluegrass and country music in The Cobblestone pub in Dublin each Saturday afternoon.” Reported by: The Irish Times, N ovember 16 Flexible impedance sensor can fit inside urinary catheters; monitor and treat biofilm University of Maryland researchers have developed a new flexible impedance sensor brings several together in one device. It is a biofilm sensing and treatment microsystem for urinary catheters that combines biofilm sensing and the bioelectric effect treatment in a flexible cylindrical tube. The device is rolled and inserted inside the catheter, where its microfabricated polymeric substrate and electrodes seamlessly conform to the cathe- ter’s surface. Reported by: Phys.Org N ovember 29