Medical Design Briefs Podcast

Diagnosing pancreatic cancer and determining the risk associated with pancreatic cysts can be complex, often requiring multiple imaging studies, biopsies, and procedures.This episode explores advances in diagnostic technologies that can provide more precise information earlier in the clinical pathway. Dr. Anjuli Luthra discusses how real-time microscopic imaging and other emerging approaches can improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce unnecessary invasive procedures, and help physicians make more informed decisions about surveillance, intervention, and surgery.

Portable, practical diagnostic technologies can help closegaps in care where access to laboratories, specialists, and other clinical resources is limited. In this episode, Nick Lorenzo, MD, the CEO and President of University Medical Devices, discusses the diagnostic challenges facing rural and underserved communities and the technologies being developed to addressthem. He will examine specimen collection, point-of-care testing and the realities of designing medical technologies for environments where personnel,infrastructure, time, and resources may be constrained.

AI is reshaping medical imaging by helping clinicians interpret complex visual data faster, more accurately, and closer to the point of care. In surgical settings, AI-enabled imaging may support real-time decisions while the patient is still in the operating room, potentially reducing uncertainty and follow-upprocedures. In this episode, Adrian Mendes, CEO of Perimeter Medical, explores how applied AI is moving beyond hype and into clinical workflows, what separates meaningful AI from “AI-washing,” and how imaging technologies could improve outcomes in areas such as breast cancer surgery.

Continuous glucose monitoring has changed diabetes management by providing a steady stream of diagnostic information. The challenge is turning that data into clear, useful guidance without overwhelming the patient. Ali Dianaty, Chief Product and Technology Officer at MiniMed, discusses with us how sensing, algorithms, alerts, user interfaces, and insulin-delivery technologies come together to support better decisions. He also considers how connected diabetes systems can become more intuitive, personalized, and effective forpatients and clinicians.

AI-powered and computational design tools can generate intricate geometries for surgical instruments, drug-delivery systems, robotic components, diagnostic equipment, and other medical technologies. But a design optimized in software must still be translated into a reliable physical part. In this episode, Eric Utley, Applications Engineering Leader at Protolabs, explores how engineers take complex, algorithm-generated concepts from CAD model to prototype and, ultimately, production. He will help us understand the trade-offs required to balance design complexity with performance, repeatability, cost, and manufacturability.

If AI contributes to device design, development, or lifecycle decision-making, who is responsible for safety? In this episode, Ravi Nabar, CEO of QuAIZen, explores how manufacturers can govern AI-assisted innovation through validation, documentation, quality-system controls, post-market monitoring, and evolving regulatory expectations.

Virtual twins are reducing reliance on costly bench testing and early-stage prototypes. By simulating device performance across populations and environments, developers are shortening cycles and improving safety before physical builds. In this episode, Dr. Amanda Randles, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, looks at how simulation is changing medical device development.

Clinical trials are expensive, slow, and risky. AI promises to improve study planning, patient recruitment, endpoint selection, and evidence review, while also helping teamsextract and summarize complex clinical data. But in regulated healthcare environments, reliability is critical. In this episode, Ome Ogbru, CEO of AINGENS, examines how AI can support clinical trial workflows, why hallucinations and fabricated citations create compliance risks, and how evidence-grounded systems with human oversight may help sponsors and medicalteams use AI more safely.

Rapid diagnostics can determine whether care moves quickly or stalls in disaster zones, military operations, rural clinics, and global health settings where conventional laboratory infrastructure is unavailable. In this episode, Dr. Paul Yager ofthe University of Washington discusses the engineering behind low-cost point-of-care diagnostics, including microfluidics, paper-based systems, smartphone-enabled readouts, and lab-on-a-chip platforms designed to deliver actionable results closer to the patient. The conversation explores how thesetools are designed for ruggedness, usability, affordability, and reliability when sample handling, power, connectivity, and trained personnel are limited.

Devices in extreme settings must withstand vibration, heat, cold, humidity, and physical shock. Drawing lessons from battlefield medicine, polar research, and humanitarian crises, Emily Shaffer, Market Manager for Healthcare at Covestro,and Dr. David Duncan, president at MonuMedical, highlight design approaches that create more durable and universally reliable technologies.

Telehealth is only as strong as its connection. In this episode, Kelly Collins, Managing Director of SureAdhere by Dimagi, discusses how healthcare teams can deliver, document, and coordinate care in low-connectivity environments — from ruralclinics to global health programs — using offline-capable mobile tools, decision support, and delayed data synchronization.

What if the future of vision restoration depends on manufacturing in microgravity? LambdaVision is using theInternational Space Station to produce artificial retinas made from hundreds of layers of light-activated protein — a process that is difficult to perfect on Earth because gravity can disrupt layer uniformity. In this episode, Dr. Nicole Wagner, LambdaVision CEO and Dr. Michael Roberts, chief scientist of the International Space Station National Lab, discuss how space-based production could improve artificial retina quality, reduce material waste, support regulatory progress, and ultimately help patients affected by macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

Neurostimulators are moving beyond fixed, always-on stimulation toward therapies that can sense what is happening in the nervous system and adjust in real time. In this episode, we explore adaptive deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders with Dr. Simon Little, associate professor at the University of California San Francisco. He will talk with us about how neural recordings, biomarkers, and machine-learning-assisted personalization could help matchtherapy to a patient’s changing symptoms, medication state, movement, sleep, and daily life — and what this means for the future of responsive neuromodulation.

Neurological implants are evolving from static hardware into intelligent platforms that can do far more than provide structural support. In this episode, we explore how NeuFluent is thinking about next-generation smart implants and AI-enhanced robotics — technologies designed to improve surgical precision, generate actionable data, and help physicians make better decisions before, during, and after intervention. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Sam Browd, co-CEO and chief medical officer of NeuFluent, will discuss how advances in minimally invasive surgery, navigation, and implant intelligence could reshape neurological and spine care in the years ahead.

For implants designed to perform over time, it’s not always about electronics or batteries — it’s also about biology. There’s a new category of medical devices on the horizon that integrate with and leverage the body’s own tissue to function more effectively, heal more naturally, and dramatically reduce or eveneliminate the need for replacement surgeries. In this episode, John Schorgl, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Peytant Solutions, explores how advanced tissue-based approaches are enabling implants to perform better and remain longer inside the body, thus redefining what long-term success really means.

As AI and robotics rapidly advance surgical capabilities, a parallel transformation is reshaping how surgeons aretrained. This episode explores the convergence of artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR), and immersive simulation — and why training may be the most critical factor in unlocking the full potential of next-generation surgical systems. Richard Vincent, CEO and Founder of FundamentalXR, discusseshow scalable, data-driven simulation and haptic feedback are bridging the gap between technology innovation and real-world clinical performance.

As robots increasingly share workspaces with people, success depends not only on interaction design but on engineering discipline, safety certification, and reliable system integration. In this episode, Ernst Neumayr, Cobot Business Manager for ABB Robotics, explores how human-centered robotic systems aredeployed at scale, drawing on lessons from collaborative robotics in industrial and regulated environments. He examines how real-world constraints shape the future of robots designed to work alongside people.

In this episode, we explore how enabling technologies — connectors, sensors, and ruggedized electronic architectures — are redefining what robotic systems can safely and reliably achieve. From maintaining signal integrity during delicate microsurgery to delivering durable performance through repeated sterilization cycles, we examine the engineering challenges that make precision possible. Michael Klitze, SeniorPrincipal Architect at TE Connectivity, shares how advances in interconnect density, force sensing, and system integration are shaping the future of surgical and assistive robotics.

Robotics is rapidly advancing beyond the operating room into patient recovery. Devices paired with brain–computer interfaces and adaptive machine learning algorithms are helping stroke and spinal cord injury patients regain movement faster than ever before. In this episode, Owen Kent and Todd Roberts, Founders of ATDev, highlight the latest neurorobotic systems, their impact on neural plasticity, and the promise of personalized rehabilitation programs.

In this episode, we’re exploring how wearables are improving drug delivery. Matt Huddleston, chief commercial officer and executive vice president of Enable Injections talk with us about how these wearables are enabling personalized drug delivery, ultimately improving quality of life for patients with chronic conditions.