May these three inventions alter the course of your medical practices?
Updated Healthcare Technology - New Advances and Innovations in 2017
Get ready to dive into the frontier of healthcare technology! At the heart of innovation lies the patient, and that's the focus of this year's technological advancements. Check out some of the latest breakthroughs from the healthcare industry at the recent WIRED Health conference in London, United Kingdom.
One key topic weaved throughout the conference was personalizing care for each individual. Despite rapid technological advancements, common health issues still plague our society. Here's how innovative technology can be leveraged to address each person's unique needs.
Personalized Solutions for Better Healthcare
Micro-focus is crucial in battling sickness and disease, and that means taking a closer look at the individual. Whether you're seeking new ways to aid type 2 diabetes patients, interested in personalized molecular diagnostics for cancer, or looking to recommend soothing music for patients' anxiety and pain, here are some cutting-edge technological innovations that could change the landscape of patient care:
Verily - Putting Users First
Dr. Jessica Mega of Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences, spoke at the conference's main stage. She emphasized the importance of creating solutions with the user in mind:
"We're going to start leveraging technologies and place them in the hands of providers and patients."
In September 2016, Verily launched Onduo, a platform developed alongside Sanofi, focusing on type 2 diabetes patients. By combining technological devices, software, and traditional medicine, Onduo aims to improve parameters such as medication management, health goals, and healthy behavior. The approach involves collaboration with patients themselves, as well as clinicians, payers, and other healthcare professionals. The long-term goal is to extend this platform to type 1 diabetes patients and high-risk groups, to prevent disease onset.
Part of the technology aspect involves a miniaturized continuous glucose monitor, currently in development with Dexcom, to replace traditional bulky devices.
Continuous Data for Improved Care
According to a study in Diabetes Therapy, glycemic goals are achieved by less than 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes, which may be associated with decreased adherence to treatments.
Verily's patch promises to facilitate "subcutaneous monitoring of the interstitial fluid that may be less burdensome for those required to measure their glucose levels." This patch would wirelessly connect to a platform to securely share data and continuously track a wearer's glucose levels.
Could these continuous, accurate data paint a clearer picture of each individual patient, enabling better care?
Dr. Euna Chi, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System in Chicago, explained to Medical News Today that continuous glucose monitoring "may be particularly beneficial in patients with poorly controlled diabetes who are insulin dependent with labile blood glucose levels or asymptomatic hypoglycemia, or perhaps in patients who are nonadherent to frequent fingersticks." This would provide both the clinician and the patient with more data to help titrate medication and avoid hyperglycemia.
However, Dr. Chi stressed concerns remain, as interstitial fluid readings don't accurately reflect blood glucose readings, the cost of these devices remains high, and the long-term benefits are uncertain.
Guardant Health - Conquering Cancer with Data
Helmy Eltoukhy, CEO of Guardant Health, shared insights about the relatively slow progress in cancer diagnostics. In 2015, Guardant Health and collaborating oncologists across the United States and Korea published a study, showing high analytical accuracy in detecting somatic mutations in circulating tumor DNA from patients with stage III-IV solid tumors, using their digital next-generation sequencing platform.
The Guardant360 system is designed to identify a set of specific mutations associated with solid tumors, for which FDA-approved therapeutics are available. Continuous monitoring during treatment helps detect emergent resistance to targeted therapies.
Liquid biopsy systems provide this type of information while avoiding tissue biopsies, which can be invasive, expensive, and potentially risky. In fact, liquid biopsies "could provide a more comprehensive view of tumor characteristics, including aggressiveness and the overall molecular landscape" according to a recent study in Nature Oncology Reviews.
Guardant Health are currently conducting sample collections from multiple trial sites and expect data soon. They are also collecting genomic data from tens of thousands of people with or at high risk of early stage cancer as part of their ambitious LUNAR project.
Sync Project - Music, Machine Learning, and Medicine
Music therapy has been a part of medicine for a while, and Marko Ahtisaari, CEO of Sync Project, seeks to revolutionize it. Specifically, he and his team focus on "music as precision medicine" - that is, using sound and music for personal health and wellness as well as for clinical conditions.
Sync Project is looking at how certain aspects of music, such as beat, key, and timbre, can impact heart rate, brain activity, and sleep patterns. By applying machine learning to this data, they hope to develop personalized music therapeutics.
Speaking with Medical News Today, Ahtisaari explained that unwind.ai is "intended to relax the listener before sleep, using heart rate as a 'musical thermometer' to alter the soundtrack each time it plays." The project uses sensors in smartphones to detect the user's heart rate before and after music. The initial target conditions are sleep, relaxation, anxiety, and pain.
"I believe that in ten years, we'll consider it absurd that we did not use these non-drug modalities at near or drug-like effect as how we treat our health and how we live our lives," says Ahtisaari.
A future with technological innovations like these could mean post-operative music therapy replacing painkillers, offering a solution during the ongoing opioid epidemic. The intersection of technology and health is poised to change our lives in the years to come. Is your healthcare provider ready?
- Verily's platform, Onduo, developed alongside Sanofi, is a significant stride in personalized care, focusing on type 2 diabetes patients, aiming to improve medication management, health goals, and healthy behavior.
- Guardant Health's digital next-generation sequencing platform has shown high analytical accuracy in detecting somatic mutations in circulating tumor DNA from patients with advanced solid tumors, potentially revolutionizing cancer diagnostics.
- Sync Project, led by Marko Ahtisaari, is developing personalized music therapeutics using machine learning, targeting sleep, relaxation, anxiety, and pain, with the potential to replace painkillers in post-operative care.
- A nutritionist might benefit from integrating technology, such as continuous glucose monitoring, to help patients with chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes achieve glycemic goals more effectively, providing a clearer picture of each individual patient for better caremanagement.
