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Medical marvels
News on the medical technology breakthroughs transforming our health, from wearables and medical devices to biotechnology and medtech startups. Verdict brings you the latest medical technology news and breakthroughs, from game-changing medical tech and robotics to the software and AI-driven medical innovations shaping the disruption of healthcare. Technology has never played a greater role in your health.
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16 Jan
VC investment in digital health reached $9.5bn in 2018 – These are the areas attracting investment
Venture capital funding in the digital health market – which is focused on developing technologies that improve health and healthcare – fell just short of the $10bn mark in 2018, up 32% on the previous year.
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15 Jan
Majority of patients in favour of virtual doctors’ visits, study finds
Last week, the NHS published its long-term plan setting out how it intends to allocate an extra £2.5bn in funding.
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15 Jan
Health data consortium receives €8m EU backing in push towards personalised medicine
The iReceptor Plus consortium, made up of more than 20 partners from around the globe, has received €8.4m ($9.6m) in investment from the European Union and Canadian government as it pushes for advancement in human immunological data storage, integration and sharing across the healthcare industry.
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14 Jan
AI-driven DNA sequencing provides medical cannabis insights
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being paired with DNA sequencing to bring much-needed insight to the rapidly growing medical cannabis market.
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10 Jan
Second Chance for opioid users, a smartphone app to detect overdose
A smartphone app called Second Chance has been developed to detect overdose-related symptoms in opioid users by using sonar to monitor breathing rates.
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7 Jan
NHS long-term plan promises “digital first” approach to improve tech-led services
Today the National Health Service released the NHS Long-Term Plan, setting out how an extra £2.5bn in funding, provided to coincide with the NHS’s 70th birthday, will be allocated.
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7 Jan
Smart speaker solution to patient care debuted at CES 2019
With an ageing population, more people than ever are relying on carers, be it professionals or members of their family.
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7 Jan
Exoskeletons give lower limb paralysis sufferers the power to walk
A challenge by Toyota to find advanced mobility solutions for sufferers of lower limb paralysis has announced its finalists, which include two exoskeletons that give users improved motion and movement.
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4 Jan
Health tech company SOPHiA GENETICS raises $77m to fund data-driven diagnosis push
SOPHiA GENETICS has announced the closing of a $77m investment round, which will be used to grow the number of hospitals that the leading health technology company serves globally.
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4 Jan
Health data privacy: AI can be used to de-anonymise health data, experts warn
Improvements in the sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) is threatening health data privacy by making it possible to identify individuals from supposedly anonymised data.
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2 Jan
Addison Care, the world’s first virtual caregiver, to debut at CES 2019
Addison, the world’s first virtual caregiver, is set to make her first public appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show next week following seven years and millions of dollars of research and development.
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3 Dec
Realistic 3D printed bones promise lower rejection rates
Scientists from German research organisation Fraunhofer have devised a process to make 3D printed bones that are more realistic and less likely to be rejected by the human body than previous versions.
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29 Nov
Smartwatch prices to drop in 2019, driving wearables growth to $42bn
Smartwatch prices are set to reduce in the next year, fuelling 26% growth in the wider wearable device market, according to research by Gartner.
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27 Nov
AI “potentially game-changing” for synthetic biology, study finds
A study has found that artificial intelligence (AI) is well-placed to be used in synthetic biology to automatically design new DNA sequences with specific desirable qualities.
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26 Nov
Medical device regulation: Is a national database the right solution to unsafe devices?
An investigation led by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has found that many patients could have been fitted with devices such as pacemakers and hip replacements that are unsafe due to weak medical device regulation.
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15 Nov
Depression and obesity: How closely are they linked?
A genomic study conducted by the University of Exeter, UK, and the University of South Australia has found that higher body mass index (BMI) has a strong psychological association with depression, including in the absence of other health problems.
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14 Nov
World Diabetes Day: What is the connection between diabetes and CV conditions?
Diabetes remains among the world’s most serious and pervasive public health issues.
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14 Nov
World Diabetes Day: Three of the latest medical devices to help patients
It’s World Diabetes Day, a day that was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) due to growing concerns about the increasing health threats posed by the disease.
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12 Nov
World Antibiotic Awareness Week: How can pharma packaging solve the AMR crisis?
As part of its efforts to inform the public about best practice with antibiotics and the risks involved with their use, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated one week in November as World Antibiotic Awareness Week.
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6 Nov
Movember: the latest tech developments in prostate cancer
The start of November marks the beginning of Movember, a month set aside by The Movember Foundation to raise awareness of some of the biggest health issues faced by men: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide.
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6 Nov
UK government announces £50m funding for AI in healthcare
The UK government has boosted its investment in AI in healthcare, as Business Secretary Greg Clark announces five new centres of excellence for digital pathology and imaging, and £50m in funding.
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1 Nov
Movember testicular cancer: Reducing the adverse effects of treatments
Movember was established in 2004 to raise awareness of and funds for health issues affecting men globally.
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30 Oct
Brain hacking: Will our memories be safe?
Scientists expect to be able to electronically record the brain signals that make memories within the next five years – and cybercriminals could use that technology to hack your brain.
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29 Oct
World Stroke Day: Four technologies transforming stroke treatment
It’s World Stroke Day, the day set aside by the World Stroke Organization (WSO) to raise awareness about stroke and its symptoms.
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24 Oct
World Polio Day: Why we have almost achieved the eradication of polio
World Polio Day was established on the birthday of the creator of the first polio vaccines, Jonas Salk, to focus on educating and informing the world about polio and the success GPEI had had in eradicating the disease on a global scale.
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19 Oct
Following legalisation in Canada, UK CBD use is growing
Following a landmark ruling, Canada became the second country in the world to fully legalise marijuana, with adults now allowed to possess up to 30 grams, grow up to four plants, and smoke everywhere that cigarettes are permitted (apart from cars).
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18 Oct
World Menopause Day: The med tech solutions for menopause symptoms
It’s World Menopause Day, the main day during World Menopause Month which is set aside to focus on raising awareness of menopausal symptoms.
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16 Oct
First virtual reality medical platform launched in the EU
VRHealth, a healthcare technology company specialising virtual reality (VR) technology solutions and data analysis, will provide the first ever VR medical platform for healthcare facilities in the European Union.
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10 Oct
World Mental Health Day: Tech tackles anxiety and depression in the workplace
World Mental Health Day is observed on the 10 October every year.
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10 Oct
Transforming diabetes monitoring with AI and deep learning
It was seeing a girl with diabetes that inspired medical doctor Eduardo Jorgensen to set up health tech company MedicSen, which applies AI solutions to diabetes monitoring.