As much as the landscape for biotechnology startups has changed over the last decade, one thing that hasn’t changed is this: Intellectual property is the beating heart of a business.
Big Pharma has a reputation of being late to the digital health game. Slowly but surely, that’s changing. Pfizer is working with a game lab on a clinical trial of a video game designed to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Janssen Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson Innovation launched the Digital Health Masterclass Challenge to […]
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Gaming in healthcare has a new supporter in funnyman Will Ferrell, who’s the face of a new crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a charity that provides video games to children with cancer. Ferrell’s offering up the chance to win a one-on-one gaming session that will be broadcast live on video platform Twitch in exchange […]
After reading the AP story “Silicon Valley struggles to speak FDA’s language” yesterday, this graphic resurfaced on my Twitter feed and served as a reminder of one of the reasons why disruption in this sector can be challenging, especially for outsiders trying to break into healthcare. Let’s get this out of the way first: This […]
The latest addition to Google’s lineup of consumer health products is a small San Francisco design firm with a creative solution to make daily life a little easier for seniors with essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease. Lift Labs designed a spoon with some fancy electronics in the handle. The handle senses the movement of a […]
A new group of investors is backing big data startup Lumiata‘s analytics platform that combines “the brilliance of physicians with the analytical power of big data” to make care more proactive, informed and efficient. BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, Sandbox Industries and AmeriHealth Inc. have funneled $6 million into the company, Lumiata said today, joining Khosla […]
Epic Systems CEO Judy Faulkner tried to set the record straight last year when she told Forbes that criticisms about its EMR’s lack of interoperability were “totally wrong.” And other company leaders have been working on the Hill to try to overcome its closed-system reputation, too. Yet Epic, which generally tends to avoid the spotlight, […]
Consumers might not be all that excited about Apple’s plans for healthcare, but developers are already hard at work figuring out how to integrate their products into the Apple health ecosystem. Health tracking companies RunKeeper, Withings, Strava and iHealth told 9to5mac their apps will support Apple’s upcoming health data platform HealthKit, and today a more […]
It’s not quite as simple or noninvasive as swallowing a pill, but a new form of male birth control is on target to begin human clinical trials next year, according to its developers. It’s called Vasalgel, and it’s a non-hormonal contraceptive that’s similar to a vasectomy, except without any cutting involved. Instead, the technique involves […]
Images of health workers in full-body protective suits and frail, suffering civilians have become the faces of West Africa’s Ebola epidemic in the media. But today the Washington Post shows a different depiction of the outbreak, through murals painted on bright red backdrops and colorful posters decorating communal areas. It highlights how leaders in West […]
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Leana Wen knows the healthcare system not only as a doctor, but also as a caregiver. The emergency medicine physician at George Washington University noticed a startling disconnect between patients and doctors as she juggled medical training while also helping her mother undergo breast cancer treatment nearly a decade ago. Since then, she’s devoted […]
The product formerly but unofficially known as iWatch now has a name: Apple Watch. The wearable device unveiled at Apple’s event today puts a heavy focus on fitness tracking features, as well as payment and walkie-talkie capabilities and, of course, Siri. Among other things, the device will collect a user’s heart rate, steps taken and […]
Sweden may not be known for its vibrant medical sector, but healthcare innovation is definitely happening there. As the region’s largest life science partnering conference comes to a close this week, its organizers are calling attention to three young companies they say encompass the strength and innovation in their region. Check out the companies given […]
A team of paramedics rushes to the aid of a young man experiencing severe arrhythmia, while a cardiologist watches and advises from a computer in his office at a nearby hospital. This new video put together by a group at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland offers a glimpse at what emergency care might […]
The point of care is just one place where innovation is happening in healthcare. Behind the scenes, new technologies are being used to improve communication between caregivers, to make administrative tasks more efficient, and as Dr. Somesh Nigam will tell you, to help insurance companies be more proactive about their members’ health. Dr. Nigam oversees […]
