The first drug to combat Alzheimer's disease as a result of ageing is on the horizon after scientists proved they can halt mental decline by clearing the sticky plaques from the brain that cause dementia. Patients treated with the highest dose of the antibody drug aducanumab experienced an almost complete clearance of the amyloid plaques that prevent brain cells communicating and lead to irreversible memory loss. If shown to be effective in larger trials, the first drug to prevent dementia could be available in a few years. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/alzheimers-breakthrough-drug-that-halts-mental-decline-hailed-as-be

University of Adelaide researchers in South Australia are developing the world's most precise clock which will be able to boost a key defence asset that safeguards Australia. The University?s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) has been awarded a $2 million contract by the Australian Government to adapt and develop its Sapphire Clock which is the culmination of 15 years of investment in leading-edge fundamental research. It can now deliver signals that are more than 100 times more precise than any competing technology. Scientists developing the clock have been participating in the CSIRO ON Innovation Program https://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news89202.html

Researchers at Newcastle University have created the first 3D printed cornea. Based on a digital scan, they combined healthy corneal stem cells with collagen and alginate to create a bio-based ink capable of setting in just 10 minutes. While still experimental, this project could eventually revolutionize how we treat the millions awaiting corneal transplants.

A number of mental health diseases (e.g. Alzheimer?s, schizophrenia, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, major depression) are associated with a brain age that is older than the person?s chronological age. A simple way to determine brain age could potentially serve as a marker for such impairments, but today brain age is measured using expensive MRI processes. Researchers in the US have shown that by measuring the patient?s EEG during sleep they can predict their brain age. With an ageing population, cheap predictors of potential impairments become more important. Measuring EEG?s is potentially something that could be done at home with relatively low-cost equipment. https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1805/1805.06391.pdf

MIT researchers have created a wearable device called AlterEgo that can recognize nonverbal prompts, essentially ?reading your mind.? We can't live without our digital devices. But at the moment, the use of those devices is very disruptive. MIT is experimented with new technologies to develop something that would allow us to benefit from the information offered by these devices, but in a way that allows us to "remain in the present." https://www.dezeen.com/2018/04/09/mit-media-lab-alterego-device-technology/

Hushme is a personal acoustic device that protects speech privacy and reduces noise pollution when you are speaking on your phone in an open space environment. www.gethushme.com