An international team, including the University of Tokyo, has created a sensor inspired by the lateral line in fish – their “sixth sense” organ – which measures the pulse of lab-grown 3D heart tissue (cardiac organoids). The device, called a biomechanical well plate, looks like a small white box containing four liquid-filled wells. When an organoid is placed in a well, each beat causes the liquid to bulge into an air cavity below, changing the air pressure. This change bends a cantilever sensor, which sends live data wirelessly to an app. The device is precise, reusable and less labor-intensive than some other methods. Due to its scalability, hundreds of tests could potentially be monitored simultaneously, with advantages for drug screening and future personalized medicine. 

New research suggests that although low hand grip strength is a valuable indicator of overall health and frailty, it is not a reliable standalone predictor of increased prostate cancer risk among older men.

Researchers from Italy conducted the SocialMS study, a nationwide questionnaire-based study involving 1,039 adults with MS receiving care at 68 MS centres across the country. Participants were asked about the impact of MS on four key social determinants of health: education, work, financial resources and social life.

Researchers at Okayama University of Science are advancing Veterinary Medical Engineering through collaboration between veterinary medicine and engineering to improve the health and wellbeing of both animals and people. As part of the university’s “Quality of All Lives” Project, the team has developed Makiyoru ONE, a compact bandage pressure measurement device that enables veterinary nursing students to visualize and quantify bandaging pressure during practical training. By transforming tacit skills into measurable data, the device improves learning efficiency and helps students acquire clinical techniques more effectively. Beyond education, the project is developing innovative technologies for animal healthcare, livestock production, disaster preparedness with companion animals, and veterinary clinical practice. Guided by the concept of One Wellbeing, the initiative aims to establish the emerging field of Veterinary Medical Engineering while creating practical solutions that enhance the quality of life for both animals and humans.

A new study led by the University of Plymouth has used more than six decades of data to show that plankton abundance is declining across vast swathes of the North East Atlantic – a region covering the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Norway, and the entirety of the North Sea.