Nanorobotics to be used in future cancer treatments

Nanorobotics includes sophisticated submicron devices constructed of nanocomponents. It has a promising potential in medication delivery technology for cancer. Nanorobots might transport and distribute vast volumes of anticancer medications into diseased cells without hurting normal cells, decreasing the adverse effects of existing therapies such as chemotherapy damage.

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Robots made from frog cells may define future of healthcare

Xenobots (robots made from frog cells) could play a key role in the future of healthcare, according to Dr Douglas Blackiston of Tufts University’s Allen Discovery Centre. Dr Blackiston’s team created xenobots in their third generation. With artificial intelligence, these self-powered robots are half a millimetre long and made from living frog cells. Dr Blackiston explains that a xenobot is a combination of two words. “Xenopus laevis is the frog species that we work with in the lab that translates roughly to ‘strange foot’ … and ‘bot’ from robot. A xenobot is basically a “micro-biological robot”, he tells ABC RN’s Future Tense. “It walks around, it swims, it can sense its environment. All of these are features that we programme and shape through the types of experiments that we do in the lab.” Blackiston says it’s hard to build a tiny self-powered robot of this design out of synthetic materials, so they used living cells. “We have a number of treatments that we’re investigating with xenobots, from all sorts of things like being able to seek out a damaged spinal cord and release pro-regenerative compounds, to being able to participate in other parts of regeneration in either mammals or in humans in the future,” he says. Are xenobots a life form? Yes and no. Dr Blackiston says that, despite the presence of living cells, xenobots don’t meet the “traditional biological characteristics” of a life form, like being able to produce offspring. He defines them as “computer-designed life forms”.

Reimagining the operating room of the future with robotics

NVIDIA Chief of Medical AI: “Robotic platforms will soon create digital twins of surgical procedures, building simulation platforms for surgical trainees that allow them to “rehearse” different scenarios in surgery. This provides a safe way to learn how to operate before ever putting patients under the knife. Robotics platforms can help detect the phases of surgery as they progress, including when surgery is almost done”.

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Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.