CURAM PhD candidate Dilip Thomas demonstrates the structures of the Human Brain (photo credit Enda O'Connell) — CURAM PhD candidate Dilip Thomas demonstrates the structures of the Human Brain (photo credit Enda O’Connell)

In the fifth in our series of NUI Galway Research Videos for 2016, Dilip Thomas, a final year PhD student in the CÚRAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices, describes the structures and functions of the human brain.

Dilip’s current research interest in CÚRAM is to develop ‘stem cell factories’, a next generation biomedical device that enables entrapped stem cells to produce the correct signalling molecules for repairing and regenerating blood vessels in vascular diseases. Dilip also recently took part in Famelab Ireland, and you can see his talk for the finals of that competition here.

Video by Claire Riordan, Scientific Engagement Associate at CÚRAM .

In the third of our series of Research Articles for 2015, Claire Riordan, Science Engagement Officer with the CÚRAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices in NUI Galway, writes about the history of medical devices and tells us about some of the exciting research being carried out at CÚRAM.

What is a Medical Device?

When you think of a medical device, what do you see? An inhaler? A stent? An artificial hip or a wound dressing?

Actually, one of the very first medical device inventions was the magnifying glass! It was designed in 1250 by Roger Bacon. It was the first convex lens designed for scientific purposes. In 1280, these lenses were used to correct farsightedness. Now, they are crucial in any surgical procedure.

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