Combining biological sponges with nanotechnology and semiconductors enables Rice University researchers to develop a diagnostic system for various diseases.

The realization of self-powered microsystems for medical implants, drug delivery, remote monitoring, or safety-driven applications forms the basis behind a new project being run at the UK's NPL by the Functional Materials Group.

Dolomite, microfluidic designer and manufacturer, expanded its range of temperature control systems with the Hotplate Adaptor - Chip Holder H, which allows control over internal temperatures of microfluidic chips without any disruptions to the fluid flow.

Bruker's compact, fully automated and fast toxin identification system, pTD, or portable Toxin Detector, is intended for smaller, field, and mobile laboratories for use by non-expert operators in homeland security applications.

Researchers at imec -- Danae Delbeke and Francesco Pessolano -- discuss announcements made in conjunction with Photonics West regarding the research consortium's NVISION program (for advanced imaging solutions) and silicon. Imec's silicon photonics platform allows for the miniaturization of complex photonic functions on a single chip.

A North Carolina State University endowment fund established to bridge pure research and product commercialization for entrepreneurs has awarded a $10k grant to a biomedical engineering project that will use MEMS to make catheters flexible, then stiff, for stent delivery.

Panasonic Corp. and Seiko Epson Corp. are leading Japanese companies' resurgence in the MEMS market. Japanese firms were global leaders back in the 1990s, making such parts as sensors for car airbags. But the 2000s saw major U.S. and European semiconductor companies enter the field, grabbing market share by making massive capital investments and sharply boosting production efficiency.

The University of South Florida received $5.45 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create advanced devices that mimic the human liver to better study the life cycle of the malaria parasite, and to develop effective therapies for the disease.

Fluidigm Corporation priced its initial public offering (IPO) under the symbol FLDM. Fluidigm develops, manufactures, and markets microfluidic systems comprising instruments and consumables, including chips and reagents.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) and bTendo Ltd. will jointly develop the world's smallest pico projector for smart phones and other portable consumer-electronics devices, based on bTendo's Scanning Laser Projection engine technology and ST's MEMS, video processing, and semiconductor process technology expertise.