The wearables market is getting increasingly complex, particularly as would-be participants spot opportunities to apply their devices to remote patient monitoring. That’s leading to some interesting collaborations and aspirations. Biosensor developer LifeQ has agreed to work with semiconductor manufacturer Analog Devices to develop a new line of smarter sensors for medtech applications, according to a company statement.
LifeQ’s approach involves Computational Systems Biology — using sensors to pick up chemical changes in people’s bodies. Analog Devices has applied its technology to areas such as diagnostics, clinical monitoring equipment, life science and medical instrumentation, and health and wellness device designs, according to the statement.
The sensor collaboration will be aimed at flagging up changes that call for early intervention before an emergency situation develops for at-risk patients. The sensors will be designed to cover customized, continuous and accurate tracking for heart rate, sleep, blood lactate, 24-hour calorie intake and stress markers, such as salivary cortisol, according to the statement.
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LifeQ COO and Co-founder Riaan Conradie said the goal is to produce sensors that meet a higher standard of accurate physiological data for partners across consumer and employer wellness along with health insurance markets.
James Doscher, the general manager for Analog Devices’ industrial and business healthcare group said “LifeQ provides the bio-mathematical understanding needed to develop sensors that can make body monitoring devices even more effective in preventing, predicting and managing diseases. This, in turn, will impact how doctors and patients share information, interact, and make decisions about patient care. Patients can have greater access to vital data about their own bodies and be more involved in their overall health and wellness.”
Companies like Fitbit are interested in working with insurers to apply their direct to consumer fitness trackers to employer wellness programs, such as UnitedHealthcare. But with the shift from fee-for-service to outcomes-based care, there is a need for accurate and timely data that can trigger earlier interventions for patients recovering from surgery discharged or with chronic conditions to reduce the need for hospitalization. LifeQ and Analog’s collaboration reflects that push. It will be interesting to see how they address the challenge of providing a way to easily integrate that data into care team workflows.
