HealthMap

HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization). Through an automated text processing system, the data is aggregated by disease and displayed by location for user-friendly access to the original alert. HealthMap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers.

Technology Review has an article about HealthMap titled, "Tracking H1N1 through the Internet." HealthMap, a free online tracking system, keeps tabs on infectious disease.

A Cheap, Portable Wound-Healing Device

Technology Review has a very fascinating article about a medical device used to speed wound healing.

At first glance, this device does not look like a medical device. However, it's a bellows pump designed to generate negative pressure on a wound. According to the article: Negative-pressure devices, which act like a vacuum over the bandaged wound, have become a central part of wound therapy.

Current devices are heavy and expensive. Plus, they require electricity, so we're talking about a ton of batteries if you're in a crisis area like Haiti. Maybe you've seen a wound VAC in a hospital. You wouldn't want to carry that thing around for several miles.

Sometimes, medical innovation requires us to go "low tech." As we consider the medical needs of developing nations, it's critical that new innovations are designed to be practical in such economic climates. 

Brain implant reduces seizures

I've always had a passion for medical devices. This particular device is implanted in the brain and is made by Neuropace, a startup company in Mountain View, CA. The Neuropace system is called the Responsive Neurostimulator and the company will probably pursue FDA approval next year. Sounds very interesting. It's great to see advances in medical device technology. Soon, we'll have implantable devices for many conditions where electrical shocks and jolts will effectively manage conditions. Who needs drugs if you can be treated with electricity? You can read more about this device on Technology Review.

EmTech@MIT 2009

I wish I could be there. Some really exciting discussions will take place this year at EmTech (Emerging Technologies) at MIT. Maybe I'll get a chance to go next year and cover the meeting as a blogger.

As always, some of the topics this year revolve around healthcare issues and the world of biotechnology and medical advances. One of the hot topics revolves around the DNA-based universal flu vaccine. Technology Review has written a story about this novel concept. Dr. J. Joseph Kim and his team at Inovio are working on this vaccine technology and I'm eager to see it on the market.

I sure miss Boston and those MIT days. It's just not the same when you're watching a webcast from home.

Reducing cell phone radiation exposure

Technology Review - I love that magazine. It's published by MIT and I just got my copy today because I'm on the MIT alumni mailing list. On the Tech Review blog, there's a post titled, "How to Reduce Cell-Phone Radiation Exposure." The author writes that a new network architecture could dramatically reduce the radiation exposure from cell phones. Wouldn't it be great if we could reduce radiation and boost battery life? What if we could enhance existing networks by adding large numbers of base stations that only receive signals and are connected up to the rest of the network via a landline or a line-of-sight microwave link? There's an Israeli startup called Greenair Wireless and that's what they're trying to do. What's the big deal about radiation exposure? Chronic exposure to radiation may be linked to a higher risk of cancer. So do cell phones cause brain cancer? It's still a controversial topic and I don't think we'll have a clear answer for a while. In the meanwhile, anything that we can do to reduce that exposure would be warmly welcomed by all of us who are now so dependent on mobile phones and smartphones.

Medical "Smart Patch"

Would you wear a digital patch on your skin if it could help you lose weight? Let me rephrase the question. Would you be willing to wear a "smart patch" that determines your caloric intake and expenditure? How?

PhiloMetron is developing a digital "patch" that you can wear. It uses a variety of sensors, electrodes, and accelerometers (the type of technology that auto-rotates your iPhone) to calculate your caloric I's and O's (in's and out's). This information then gets transmitted via Bluetooth technology to your mobile phone. Image source: Technology Review

Technology Review Digital

Technology Review is now available in an environmentally-friendly format: digital. As an MIT alum, I get this periodical for free. At one point, I used to get two copies (that's because I'm also married to an MIT alum). I think it's time for us to go green. Time to sign up for the digital version.

The most recent edition has this on the front cover: "Can Technology Save the Economy? Yes. But take a deep breath."