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.