Cases in point
Examples of current & emerging medical device innovation:
• Micrima, whose handheld breast cancer screening system, MARIA, uses benign radio waves to detect cancer—in place of traditional mammography, which uses ionising radiation.
• Organovo, which developed ExVive, a 3D bioprinting of human tissue models that is designed to enable human-tissue-specific data to be captured for better evaluation of drug compounds than in traditional animal studies.
• Medtronic, which is partnering with Fitbit to provide a tracking platform for patients with diabetes. The iPro2 myLog app lets patients with type 2 diabetes capture their information and, combined with their glucose sensors, manage their glucose levels.
• Livermore, which partnered with BioLuminate to develop Smart Probe, which can distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue. Sensors on the probe measure optical, electrical and chemical properties. Similarly, Sandia’s smart scalpel aids surgeons in the removal of cancer cells, helping them reduce the amount of healthy tissue removed.
• Novartis and Qualcomm, which have been collaborating to develop connected inhalers that send the patient medication reminders and transmit real-time data to the physician.
• Apple, which has received FDA approval for an atrial-fibrillation-detecting algorithm and an electrocardiogram built into the Apple Watch. If this detects an irregular rhythm consistent with atrial fibrillation, it sends the patient a notification.