Now, cancer diagnosis in 15 minutes

Diagnosis of life-threatening diseases such as cancer may become a matter of minutes as scientists have developed a new bio-sensor technology, which they claim provides results within 15 minutes.

“The technology uses antibodies to detect biomarkers – molecules in the human body which are often a marker for disease – much faster than current testing methods,” said co-researcher Paul Millner from the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds. The researchers are hopeful that the technology could be developed into a small device similar to a mobile phone into which different sensor chips could be inserted, depending on the disease being tested for.

“We’ve designed a simple instrumentation,” Millner said, “which will make the bio-sensors easy to use and understand. They’ll work in a format similar to the glucose bio-sensor testing kits that diabetics currently use.” Currently, blood and urine samples are tested for disease markers using a three-decade-old method called ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay). The method, considered costly, takes more than two hours to complete and requires technical expertise.

“The new technology could be used in doctors’ surgeries for more accurate referral to consultants and in hospitals for rapid diagnosis,” he said. Tests have shown that the bio-sensors can detect a wide range of diseases, including prostate and ovarian cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and fungal infections. It also holds prospects for testing tuberculosis and HIV, the researcher claimed. The technology was developed through a European collaboration of researchers and commercial partners in a project called ELISHA.

EU consults on ICT 2020 research strategy

The European Commission has launched a public consultation into its ‘no-holds barred’ ICT research and innovation strategy over the next decade up to 2020.

The new ICT strategy promises to address key weaknesses in Europe’s ICT industry and markets, as identified in the recent Aho report.

Contributions from industry, ICT experts, policy-makers and the wider public are sought to inform the new strategy for the new EU ICT research and innovation, to be unveiled next year. The Commission has specifically identified health and ageing as areas that will require imaginative ICT solutions. Over the past 15-years the EU has invested almost 1 billion in eHealth research and development.

The aim of the 2020 ICT strategy will be to put European ICT industry, especially SMEs, to the fore of the race for global competitiveness. The public consultation is open until 7 November 2008. “ICT is the primal force for innovation and development in the global economy, which is why Europe must attract investments in ICT research and development and the best minds and ideas,” said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. Reding added, “We also face challenges in energy, health and ageing that can only be tackled if we deploy ICT solutions.”

This consultation is part of the Commission’s response to the report by former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho (MEMO/08/430), which found key failings of current ICT research and innovation in Europe.

The Aho report found Europe is under-performing in both the level and intensity of its research and innovation investments. Internationally 33% of research and innovation in developed economies worldwide is in ICT, but in Europe it accounts for less than 25%, mainly because it is highly fragmented. Furthermore, the EU represents 32% of the global ICT market, but European firms only take up 22% of the global market.

Vodafone and Spanish Red Cross partner on 3G care

The Vodafone Espana Foundation, the Spanish Red Cross and Qualcomm, have joined together to launch a project using 3G broadband technology to trial new ways of connecting elderly people in Spain to their family and friends. Called ‘3G Connecting Generations’ the project will use 3G mobile broadband technology to deliver services through voice and videoconferencing using media devices already familiar to them, such as mobile phones and television. Some 180 elderly people will participate in the pilot, of which the majority live alone and far from their families. The initiative also involves family members or day centers from more than 10 provinces in nine independent communities.

The trial will test how improved communications will allow them to remain independent for longer in their own homes. By using the videoconference system, participants in this project can establish personalised video communications with the Spanish Red Cross’s Contact Center, which answers their questions and support them with consistent social interaction. Through the Contact Centre the Red Cross can also conduct personalised follow-up video calls to check the health and well being of participants in the trial. In addition to communicating with the Red Cross and family members, the project enables participants to use their 3G video communication platform to meet and communicate with other people in order to expand their social circle. They can also use the 3G links to download multimedia content, including physical exercise videos and interactive games, designed to help them stay active. Qualcomm is supporting 3G Connecting Generations through its Wireless Reach initiative, designed to bring 3G technologies to underserved communities around the world.

iSoft India gives shape to world’s largest health project

Healthcare software provider iSoft has said that its Indian R&D team is developing a solution that it described as the world’s largest civilian IT healthcare project.

The Lorenzo software application, which will link nearly two-thirds of the hospitals in the United Kingdom, will also be launched in Europe, Australia and Germany in November. Hospitals will also be connected to general practitioners, allowing patients in the UK to get themselves treated at any clinic in the country without the need for re-entering data. The solution can be extended to any part of the world, said the company. The entire solution, for linking up all the hospitals as well operations with the hospitals is being developed and rolled out from the India development centre.

Some 900 people from its Indian R&D team are working on the Lorenzo project. In India, iSoft has tie-ups with Artemis Hospital of Apollo Tyres in Gurgaon and the Satya Sai hospitals in Bangalore and Puttaparthi. The company is also installing solutions for the Medicity group in Gurgaon and is targetting adding 100 hospitals to its list of clients next year.

iSoft, which has 1,800 employees at its Bangalore and Chennai facilities, will hire 200 more by next year. It has grown by 50% in the last 12 months. Mr Govind said. The company closed its disaster recovery centre in Hyderabad early September and moved the operations to Bangalore and Chennai. About four-fifths of iSoft’s USD 500-million revenue in 2007-08 came from Europe, while Asia, Australia and New Zealand accounted for the rest.

GE announces healthcare initiatives

GE Healthcare, the USD 17 billion healthcare business of General Electric Company, has announced healthcare initiatives targeted at early health care in the country, including a tie up with four partners.

Speaking at the Early Health Care Summit, V Raja, President and CEO, GE Healthcare India, said GE has tied-up with Manipal Heart Institute for mobile cardiac screening and entered into a similar tie-up with Vivus to deliver cardiac care to rural patients.

GE has also tied up with the NGO NICE Foundation for sustainable healthcare in maternal infant care, diabetes and IP care and has partnered with Grameen Health, a part of the micro financing unit, to help address needs of four billion people globally living on annual income less than INR one lakh.

GE and NICE would work towards creating new benchmarking healthcare models for creating sustainable healthcare delivery model in maternal-infant care. Infant mortality is 56.72 for every 1,000 babies born in India; some 12 lakh infants die during the first month of life, which is one fourth of the global number; every minute a mother dies in India, which is otherwise preventable. Twenty five per cent of the world’s childbirth happens in India yet it is one of the most neglected care areas, he said. These new healthcare models while delivering quality care will explore the possibility of innovative new technology, which are simple to use, portable, battery operated and economical.

Dell, Intel and Motion team up on health IT

Global IT firms Dell, Intel and Motion Computing have launched a new service to assess, design and validate the quality and coverage of wireless networks soon to become the backbone of health care information flow.

The new Mobile Point of Care (MPOC) Wireless Assessment service enables health care customers to assess their wireless networks reliability and can provide 100% coverage and 24/7 access to patient information.

The service provides a comprehensive wired and wireless network analysis, design and validation to help ensure customers have a robust wireless network.

The ability to assess and treat patients using mobile technology is a growing trend across the healthcare industry. By 2010, 80% of hospitals are expected to have a wireless network, investing close to USD 10 billion in the next five years.

With that significant investment and patient care on the line, it is critical that hospitals have highly reliable wireless networks. Today’s hospitals are complex technology environments with many users on a variety of mobile devices that are continually moving from room to room. Making a service like this that helps ensure seamless connectivity that supports interoperability is key to caregivers’ ability to efficiently deliver high-quality care.

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