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Microsoft and 1910 Genetics are discovering health data’s hidden gems: Here’s how

In episode 2 of AI Meets Life Sci, DeviceTalks Managing Editor Kayleen Brown, and Pharma Editor Brian Buntz explore how Big Tech is developing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in a variety of healthcare organizations.

Elena Bonfiglioli, global business leader for Health and Life Sciences at Microsoft, weighs in on the subject, also sharing that she found her passion for technology while programming welfare policy simulations and being continually intrigued by finding the insightful hidden gems held within population data. She explains that changing the DNA of an organization and shifting mindsets are imperative for future businesses to enable the responsible use of AI in healthcare.

Jen Nwankwo, founder and CEO of 1910 Genetics and a Microsoft collaborator, holds an impressive pedigree in biochemistry and biophysics, eventually earning her PhD in pharmacology. She emphasizes that her goals with AI and machine learning (ML) are to solve longstanding p…

Quantum leaps in drug discovery? NobleAI joins forces with Microsoft while King’s College London aligns with Kvantify

[Production Perig/Adobe Stock]

The word “revolutionize” gets thrown around a lot in describing the potential of emerging technologies. But quantum computing could make good on the promise to disrupt healthcare applications ranging from drug discovery to medical imaging. Theoretically, a quantum computer with 300 quantum bits (qubits) could crunch more calculations in an instant than there are atoms in the visible universe. Because qubits can exist in multiple states at once, quantum computers can bring powerful parallel processing to fields where exploring a vast solution space is required, including drug discovery and material science.

It’s no wonder that the computing branch, which remains in its infancy, is attracting a growing amount of attention as it inches towards practical applicability. In May, Insilico Medicine said it was exploring the use of quantum computing and generative AI to help ide…

Medical imaging AI startup Flywheel wins Series D round backed by NVIDIA, Microsoft and HPE

[Image courtesy of Flywheel]

Minneapolis-based Flywheel has received $54 million in a Series D round backed by NVIDIA, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and other strategic investors.

Flywheel will invest the cash to fuel growth in core verticals, the pharmaceutical and public sector healthcare sectors. A notable Big Pharma customer is Genentech. The company also aims to ramp up expansion into emerging areas such as healthcare providers, payers, IT service providers and software vendors. Finally, Flywheel intends to extend its global footprint, especially in key markets in Europe.

Current challenges in medical AI

Medical imaging has long faced challenges with data complexity and a mosaic of metadata and formats, including DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) to JPG or TIFF and modalities spanning MRI, CT, PET and ultrasound. Despite some standardization, fragmented formats prevail fr…

Could mixed reality boost blood donations?

A blood donor wearing a Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset for a mixed reality experience while giving. [Photo courtesy of Abbott]

Mixed reality technology will aim to ease and entertain blood donors while they’re in the chair under a pilot program from Abbott and Blood Centers of America.

Blood donors will wear mixed reality (a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality) headsets. They will find themselves in “a whimsical garden while listening to soothing music, planting seeds that grow into colorful trees and flowers,” Abbott said in a news release.

It’s an effort to improve the blood donation process and attract new donors, particularly younger people. The goal is to bolster the nation’s blood supply.

“Not only is it an immersive and unique use of mixed reality controlled completely through eye tracking, it’s a high-tech and creative way to improve the d…

Abbott and Blood Centers of America tap mixed reality to boost donations

A blood donor wearing a Microsoft Hololens 2 headset for a mixed reality experience while giving. [Photo courtesy of Abbott]

Mixed reality technology will aim to ease and entertain blood donors while they’re in the chair under a pilot program from Abbott and Blood Centers of America.

Blood donors wearing mixed reality (a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality) headsets will find themselves in “a whimsical garden while listening to soothing music, planting seeds that grow into colorful trees and flowers,” Abbott said in a news release.

It’s an effort to improve the blood donation process and attract new donors, particularly younger people, to bolster the nation’s blood supply.

“Not only is it an immersive and unique use of mixed reality controlled completely through eye tracking, it’s a high-tech and creative way to improve the donation experience a…

The cloud is transforming medtech: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, J&J, Philips and GE Healthcare leaders explain

[Illustration via Adobe Stock] Leaders in medtech and cloud computing discuss payoffs and potential in device connectivity, product development and cross-industry partnerships.

If knowledge is power, that power comes from a steady stream of information, and we know there’s no shortage of that in healthcare.

The challenge has long been how to capture that information, store it, analyze it and deploy it to improve medical product design, manufacturing and the health of patients.

Then came the cloud, and with it a host of acronyms: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and — following the same convention — software as a medical device (SaMD).

Over the past few months, Medical Design & Outsourcing connected with leaders in medtech and cloud computing, including the three largest providers of cloud computing services: Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL).…

The cloud is transforming medtech: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, J&J, Philips and GE Healthcare leaders explain

[Illustration via Adobe Stock]

Leaders in medtech and cloud computing discuss payoffs and potential in device connectivity, product development and cross-industry partnerships.

If knowledge is power, that power comes from a steady stream of information, and we know there’s no shortage of that in healthcare.

The challenge has long been how to capture that information, store it, analyze it and deploy it to improve medical product design, manufacturing and the health of patients.

Then came the cloud, and with it a host of acronyms: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and — following the same convention — software as a medical device (SaMD).

Over the past few months, Medical Design & Outsourcing connected with leaders in medtech and cloud computing, including the three largest providers of cloud computing services: Amazon (Nasda…

May 2022 Issue: The cloud is transforming medtech

The cloud is transforming medtech: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, J&J, Philips and GE Healthcare leaders explain

How DeepWell is developing video games as tools for treating medical conditions

Digital therapeutics open up new opportunities in medicine

Harnessing the power of cloud computing

When Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft announced a deal earlier this year to use cloud computing to support digital surgery, executives on both sides spoke with Medical Design & Outsourcing about how the partnership could advance medtech.

That started a series of conversations with leaders at cloud computing giants Google, Microsoft and Amazon — and on the device side at Johnson & Johnson, Philips and GE Healthcare. We consistently heard that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated cloud adoption not only for medical records and telehealth, but also for manufacturing operations, supply chain management and making new vaccines, therapies and d…

Making biomedical data computable

Vik Nagjee is the vice president of product at nference [Photo courtesy of nference]

Cloud computing can power quantum leaps in human health.

Vik Nagjee, nference

A state-of-the art platform that supports real world evidence (RWE) and health economics and outcomes research can enable breakthroughs at an unprecedented scale.

This is achieved by making the de-identified, transformed information contained within the electronic medical record (EMR) available for data science and analysis at the aggregate and patient level. Add multi-modal data sources such as imaging and electrocardiograms as well as novel data assets like digital pathology and omics data to enrich the EMR data to provide a truly longitudinal view of the patient, and you have the beginnings of a world-class platform.

The keys are privacy preservation, harnessing longitudinal data, data enrichment and a data science platform.

P…

Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices drops ‘medical devices’ in rebranding

Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices has rebranded as Johnson & Johnson MedTech as the unit moves deeper into digital technology.

New Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) noted the coming change in its 2022 annual report published last month, saying the switch would take effect in the company’s first fiscal quarter.

That preview was followed by a March 7 announcement of approximately 100 words, mostly attributed to Johnson & Johnson MedTech EVP and Executive Chair Ashley McEvoy.

Johnson & Johnson MedTech EVP and Executive Chair Ashley McEvoy [Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson]

“Our business sits at the compelling intersection of medical devices and medical technology, and as the world’s most broadly based medtech company, we are committed to delivering breakthrough scientific innovation and reimagining health in an increasingly digital world,”…

Microsoft CMO: Using the cloud to improve medtech design, manufacturing and care

Dr. David Rhew is Microsoft’s global chief medical officer and VP of healthcare. [Photo courtesy of Microsoft]Dr. David Rhew, Microsoft’s global chief medical officer and VP of healthcare, has been studying how technology can improve health outcomes for nearly three decades.

His focus has long been on access to care, quality of care, patient safety, improving experiences for patients and providers, and finding ways to improve the overall efficiency of care.

He was previously CMO at Samsung and Zynx Health before that. But his role at Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) — one of the world’s cloud-computing leaders — offers his best opportunity yet to shape the future of medtech.

Rhew spoke with Medical Design & Outsourcing as part of an ongoing series of conversations about cloud computing’s contributions to medtech and the potential ahead.

Get the full story at Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Microsoft CMO: Using the cloud to improve medtech design, manufacturing and care

David Rhew is Microsoft’s global chief medical officer and VP of healthcare. [Photo courtesy of Microsoft]

Dr. David Rhew, Microsoft’s global chief medical officer and VP of healthcare, has been studying how technology can improve health outcomes for nearly three decades.

His focus has long been on access to care, quality of care, patient safety, improving experiences for patients and providers, and finding ways to improve the overall efficiency of care.

He was previously CMO at Samsung and Zynx Health before that. But his role at Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) — one of the world’s cloud-computing leaders — offers his best opportunity yet to shape the future of medtech.

Rhew spoke with Medical Design & Outsourcing as part of an ongoing series of conversations about cloud computing’s contributions to medtech and the potential ahead. The discussion that f…