I made this announcement to 63,574 members of the Digital Health group on LinkedIn. If you’re on LinkedIn, please do join the group, which allows you to opt in to receiving these announcements in addition to connecting with thousands of other global stakeholders in digital health. I also send out a weekly Fourth Wave: Digital Health Newsletter, which you can sign up for and receive for free, here.
The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Update ⋅ Paul Sonnier ⋅ June 27, 2018 ⋅ #332
Announcement to 63,574 Digital Health Group Members
Dear Group,
I’ve published two issues of my newsletter since last week’s group announcement. Both are viewable via my website, discussions I’ve posted in the group (and on my LinkedIn profile) and, of course, by subscribing to receive them here.
The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Newsletter for Jun 22
The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Newsletter for Jun 27
BOOK
My book, “The Fourth Wave: Digital Health” is available in digital and paperback at Amazon.com, here. You can also learn more about the book, here.
TWITTER
Follow me on Twitter @Paul_Sonnier for all the news I share each day.
SERVICES
I’m available to deliver my keynote address at conferences and corporate events. I also offer event and entity advertising in my group announcements, newsletter, and on my website. Advertising with me puts your event, content, product, and/or service in front of tens of thousands of global readers each week. I’m also available for strategic consulting. Contact me for my media kit, standard plans, and pricing.
CALENDAR OF GLOBAL EVENTS
All events are viewable, filterable, and searchable here.
There are no featured events at this time.
EVENT PROMOTION
Please contact me for options on event promotion, including having your event featured at the top of this list, featured in my weekly Digital Health group announcements, newsletter, and on Twitter.
SUBMITTING AN EVENT
Please provide the event name, date(s), event website link (direct and not a shortened url), one-paragraph event description, the venue name, and location (city and country). Not all events are relevant to digital health and webinars are typically not allowed, but you can ask me about promotion options.
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The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Newsletter for Jun 22
New Featured Healthcare Report
I’m delighted to feature Philips’ new Future Health Index (FHI) for 2018. This year’s report focuses on the importance of healthcare moving towards value-based care and how digital solutions are fundamentally enabling this necessary transition. FHI 2018 is based upon analyses of primary research and third-party data measuring the value being delivered by the health systems of 16 developed and developing countries. The report presents a standard benchmark against which a health system’s progress towards value-based healthcare can be measured. One of the FHI’s key findings is that countries that deliver the most value tend to exhibit very high levels of connected care adoption in the form of advanced data collection and analytics, and technology-enabled care delivery models.
You can explore and learn more about the report — as well as download the full PDF version — here.
Juxtaposition…
In the new International Classification of Diseases, the World Health Organization has declared that digital games can be addictive and that people who are addicted to them should have access to treatment by healthcare professionals. The criteria for “gaming disorder” are characterized by a person having escalated or persisted in their gaming behavior despite clearly negative consequences, inlcuding job loss, and impacts on education, family and social live. The classification codes provide the foundation for health insurance billing in the United States.
In light of the WHO’s recognition of gaming disorder, it’s disconcerting to see a new “pretend” gaming set and companion doll for kids being offered by American Girl and Xbox.
REGULATORY APPROVALS
The FDA has approved the first-ever implantable continuous glucose-monitoring (CGM) system. Made by Senseonics, the Eversense system features an implantable sensor (which lasts for 90 days) that sends glucose level data to a smartphone every 5 minutes for viewing in an app. The implant is coated with a chemical that fluoresces when it comes into contact with glucose. According to the company, most currently available CGM systems last for only 5-7 days versus their 90 days.
FUNDING
Labstep, a startup that “lets you create a personal or shared timeline with your lab group to track your experimental progress in the lab” via a smartphone app and online platform, has raised £1 million in new funding. Researchers can create libraries of their experimental methods onto a protocol playlist, and then run and make edits to them whenever they like. This helps them keep track of changes and reproduce results in the future.
WEARABLE TECH
Bose has launched new noise-masking Sleepbuds that play soothing sounds to help people get a better quality of sleep. Available on Amazon, Best Buy, Bose, and other retailers for $250, the wireless earbuds play audio tracks (not music) that drown out background noises. The Sleepbuds are not noise-canceling, but “combine passive blocking of sleep-disturbing sounds with a choice of sounds engineered to mask what gets past the blocking by the eartips.”
LIVING & SOCIETY
While President Trump signed an executive order ending his “zero tolerance” policy that separated immigrant children and parents, his administration still has no plans for reuniting the families. In response, Anne Wojcicki, CEO at 23andMe tweeted: “We’ve heard from many of our customers that they would like to see 23andMe help reunite family members that were tragically separated from each other. Connecting and uniting families is core to the mission of 23andMe. We would welcome any opportunity to help.” Wojcicki added: “It’s inspiring to see the massive outreach around helping these families. 23andMe has offered to donate kits and resources to do the genetic testing to help reconnect children with their parents. We are waiting to see the best way to follow up and make it happen.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a cease and desist order against the manufacturer of Autopilot Buddy, a device that tricks Tesla’s Autopilot system into thinking a driver’s hands are on the steering wheel. The company markets its product as a “Tesla autopilot nag reduction device”.
HEALTHCARE
Dr. Atul Gawande, famed author of the book “The Checklist Manifesto”, will lead the healthcare JV formed by Amazon, J.P. Morgan, and Berkshire Hathaway. Reportedly, Gawande will not give up his medical and professor roles at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard, will transition to chairman of health system innovation center Ariadne Labs, plus wiill keep writing, including for The New Yorker. This unique situation for a CEO sparked a conversation thread started by Ethan Weiss, a scientist and cardiologist at UCSF.
GENOMICS
A research team has identified almost 5,000 new genes that haven’t been previously spotted, including nearly 1,200 that carry instructions for making proteins. The resulting new human gene tally of more than 21,000 protein-coding genes has reignited the debate around how many total genes exist in the human genome. The current estimate is around 20,000.
An experimental new gene therapy by Sarepta Therapeutics appears to be able to replace a missing protein in muscular dystrophy patients, with the result being an increase in the production of a muscle-making protein. Parents of a boy treated with the therapy posted a remarkable video on Facebook, which shows their son bounding up stairs he previously could only ascend slowly.
Jiahao Huang, Founder and CCO at Nuclera Nucleics, writes on LinkedIn that Enzymatic DNA synthesis is coming. According to Huang, “Scientists’ ability to manipulate the source code of life, DNA, hinges on the reliably (sic) access to sequence-specified DNA fragments. Traditionally, these synthetic DNAs are made using organic chemistry-based methods developed over 40 years ago. Only recently, multiple academics labs and startups (including Nuclera) are harvesting the power of enzymes to improve and potentially replace the way we make synthetic DNA. There are notable advantages of using enzymes – faster DNA writing speed, reduced cost, the ability to write longer sequences, the potential to miniaturize the writing process into a portable instrument, and the reduced environmental impact compared to the old methods, just to name a few. Over the last two weeks, there has been some exciting news that brought enzymatic DNA synthesis into the spotlight.”
Surpisingly NOT achieved using genomic science…
Costco is now selling avocados that stay ripe twice as long. The avocados are produced by Apeel Sciences, which achieves this otucome not with transgenic GMOs (adding a new gene from another species) or CRISPR gene editing, but by applying an external “peel to naturally reinforce the peel that’s already there.” The new, added layer is supposedly imperceptible and comprised of plant material that slows down the rate at which water is lost, while also creating a barrier to entry of spoilage-inducing oxygen.
INNOVATION
A new video released by NIH-funded researchers depicts the brain pulsating with each heartbeat. The video is made possible by a new, video-based approach to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called phase-based amplified MRI (aMRI). As NIH director Dr. Francis Collins states: “When the heart beats, the pumping force reverberates throughout the body and gently pulsates the brain. What’s been tricky is capturing these pulsations with existing brain imaging technologies.”
The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Newsletter for Jun 27
Privacy becoming ever more prominent
The City of Orlando, Flordia has ended its pilot program of Amazon’s facial recognition system called Rekognition. The project, which was launched without any public debate or notification, came to light after a a six-month investigation by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Before the pilot cancelation was announced, Nancy Abudu, legal director for the ACLU’s Florida branch, stated in a letter that “People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government. Face surveillance in Orlando threatens this freedom. The City Council has allowed the use of this technology by the Orlando Police Department without inviting public debate, obtaining local legislative authorization, or adopting rules to prevent harm to Orlando community members. We demand the City of Orlando to uphold that standard and end the use of a tool that threatens public safety, and that will endanger the rights of communities of color, protesters, and immigrants.”
Speaking of immigrants and privacy, a leading immigrant aid group has declined the offer made by Ann Wojcicki, CEO of the Silicon Valley genetic testing company 23andMe, to help reunite families separated along the United States border due to the Department of Homeland Security’s “zero tolerance” policy. According to Jennifer Falcon, communications director for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a Texas-based nonprofit that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees: “These are already very vulnerable communities, and this would potentially put their private information at risk. Essentially we’re solving one violation of their civil rights basically with another.” Falcon indicated that the best way to help is to have more attorneys and translators available to assist parents in locating and petitioning on behalf of their children, adding: “I think we need to be cautious of trying to make quick fixes because families being separated by this system is not a new thing. While we are all talking about this right now, families often get separated by the shuffle of the immigration system, and the current administration is just muddying this process even further by constantly changing the way that they’re doing things.”
PRIVACY
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that police must, in general, have permission via a search warrant from a judge to access telephone company cellphone records indicating the movements of individuals. The 5-4 decision is considered a victory by privacy advocates. The ruling still allows police to get these records without a warrant in the case of emergencies, such as “the need to pursue a fleeing suspect, protect individuals who are threatened with imminent harm, or prevent the imminent destruction of evidence.”
Following EU and US studies indicating that Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are ‘failing’ in the area of protecting consumer privacy, the Center for Digital Democracy has joined the Electronic Privacy Information Center and six other consumer groups in calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “investigate the misleading and manipulative tactics of Google and Facebook in steering users to “consent” to privacy-invasive default settings.” The groups say that the companies deceptively nudge users to choose less privacy-friendly options.
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
Leaders of the Democratic Party in California have reportedly caved to cellular industry group CTIA, AT&T, and cable company lobbyists by gutting their own net neutrality bill. The legislation would have provided the strongest net neutrality laws in the United States by banning paid data cap exemptions and access payments, key provisions that were removed from the bill. According to the bill’s author, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), “What happened today was outrageous. These hostile amendments eviscerate the bill and leave us with a net neutrality bill in name only.”
It appears that Facebook has permanently grounded its fleet of Aquila solar-powered Internet-service providing planes. The stated intent of the planes was to broaden the availability of the Internet, particularly to underserved communities. One can only wonder if all the privacy issues related to the company and the public in general played a factor in the decision.
HEALTHCARE
Microsoft has announced the creation of Microsoft Healthcare and the addition of two new leaders of the group. Based on the company’s Healthcare NExT initiative, the new group will be part of its AI and Research division. In response to the news, Linda Avey, co-founder of 23andMe tweeted a reply to my re-tweet: “Great. Three dudes.” Her point is well taken, as it is important to have women in leadership positions and 0 out of 3 is not a good ratio.
A 7-year study comparing the outcomes of robotic surgery to traditional open surgery in any organ has found that the two types of surgeries are equally effective in treating bladder cancer.
Dr. J. Craig Venter tweeted a news article about the risk and rates of cancer being higher in airline cabin crews (compared with the general population), pointing out that “This is why preventative screening will save lives.” Cited as a possible explanations are increased exposure to cosmic ionizing radiation (which is elevated at higher altitudes) and chemical exposure, including engine fluid leakages, pesticides, and flame retardants.
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FEATURED EVENTS
None at this time.
EVENT PROMOTION
Please contact me for options on event promotion, including having your event featured at the top of this list, featured in my weekly Digital Health group announcements, newsletter, and on Twitter.
SUBMITTING AN EVENT
Please provide the event name, date(s), event website link (direct and not a shortened url), one-paragraph event description, the venue name, and location (city and country). Not all events are relevant to digital health and webinars are typically not allowed, but you can ask me about promotion options.
Copyright © 2018 Paul Sonnier, Story of Digital Health
Paul Sonnier
Author ⋅ Speaker ⋅ Technologist ⋅ Social Entrepreneur
Book: The Fourth Wave: Digital Health
Founder, Digital Health group on LinkedIn
Creator, Story of Digital Health
Twitter: @Paul_Sonnier
San Diego, CA, USA
The post The Fourth Wave: Digital Health Update ⋅ Paul Sonnier ⋅ June 27, 2018 ⋅ #332 appeared first on Paul Sonnier - Story of Digital Health.
from Paul Sonnier – Story of Digital Health https://storyofdigitalhealth.com/the-fourth-wave-digital-health-update-paul-sonnier-june-27-2018-332/
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