The development of personalized medical technology

The criticality of the medical solution’s purpose is an important factor in avoiding interference. While wireless interfaces such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth low energy technology are inherently capable of larger scale network operations, and this low energy technology improves upon many of the components native to Bluetooth technology, the range and amount of interference in the device’s operating environment can make these interfaces unusable for some applications. Therefore, many implantable and critical care devices require dedicated solutions that provide better control and awareness of electromagnetic interference, sensitivity, and range requirements.

　　Personalized medicine

　　Today's society has a "disease care" system, but no health care system. In the next 15 to 20 years, technological innovation will shift more investment and responsibility for health care, early detection and prevention to consumers.

　　In the next 20 years, the vast majority of the world’s population will be able to monitor their own health using imaging and non-imaging diagnostic devices. For example, gastric regulators can be implanted in the human body to treat diseases such as obesity and alcoholism; digital band-aids can be used to monitor wounds and report signs of infection; and high-performance sensors built into toilets can continuously measure the number of bacteria in urine and feces, and warn of infections and other diseases. And these are just a few of them. Mobile phones can serve as a powerful platform to provide timely feedback to individuals and their health care providers based on pre-defined parameters. In the next 20 years, diabetic patients’ mobile phones may be able to warn patients and doctors of diabetic shock before they actually show symptoms. There are already hundreds of different applications that can help patients monitor their health status and take care of themselves through medical technology.

　　Data integrity and system flexibility and mobility are key features of most patient care systems. All devices in the hospital and at the patient’s home can be networked through interfaces such as Ethernet or wireless networks. Today’s interfaces allow doctors to remotely connect to wireless sensors worn by patients using the hospital’s internal network or the patient’s home security system or mobile phone, and the entire system continuously monitors the patient’s home using Ethernet or a medical call center. In addition to power consumption, data rate and range are two other key considerations when choosing a wireless interface. The high frequency range of 2.4GHz provides multi-channel high-speed data rates and duty cycles covering the entire world. However, lower frequencies increase the signal range, and for comprehensive multi-channel monitoring, the range can be limited to a fixed location and the data rate can be increased to the maximum. When monitoring multiple sensors, range becomes more important than data rate. In short, the solution must be selected to meet system power consumption and data transmission requirements.

　　Implantable mechanical devices

　　In the next 20 years, all implantable devices will use electronic devices to provide non-invasive assessments. For example, today's heart surgery stents can only be used to unclog arteries, but in the future, stents will have sensors using radio frequency identification technology installed on their walls. Simply sweeping the sensor rod across the patient's chest will wirelessly obtain feedback on the condition of the blood vessels.

　　Artificial disks containing sensors will be implanted in the patient's hip, spine or knee to non-invasively monitor the amount of force applied to that area and determine whether the implant is working properly. If the force is too high or the implant is not working properly, the sensors will alert the patient and health care provider so that adjustments can be made in time.

　　Today’s high-performance sensors are not widely used in medical devices because proteins and the immune system in the human body attack these devices, making them ineffective in the long term. In the next 20 years, innovative technologies in cell biology will be used to prevent the body from viewing sensors as foreign objects. For all implantable devices, biomaterial compatibility will become critical.

　　Optical Technology

　　In the near future, optical technologies will allow medical professionals to observe chemical changes in human tissue. By using certain light absorption and reflection properties to represent human tissue, doctors will be able to quickly and easily distinguish normal tissue from precancerous tissue in a non-invasive manner. This technology is particularly useful for observing critical conditions in the esophagus, skin, and mouth.

　　Spectroscopy will be widely used for early detection of rectal polyps in the next 20 years. An optical probe will be inserted into the patient's body to determine whether there are rectal polyps and whether a colonoscopy is needed. Currently, more than 100 million colonoscopies are performed each year, and this technology will eventually reduce the number of unnecessary medical procedures for patients, thereby reducing health care costs. At the same time, the non-invasive nature of the probe will facilitate preventive screening for patients who are unwilling to undergo colonoscopy to ensure good health.

　　Another future optical technology is the use of long light waves for medical imaging of subcutaneous tissue. This technology will be used for vascular inspection before controlling veins in laparoscopic surgery to distinguish nerves from blood vessels, etc. All of these technologies will use electronic devices, lasers, and optoelectronic devices such as LEDs.

　　Stem Cell Therapy

　　When discussing the future medical trends, we cannot ignore stem cell therapy, which will be widely used in the next 20 years. In the scientific community, we have gradually understood how to convert stem cells into cell types with different functions. Cultivating and isolating stem cells requires a variety of devices, among which biochemical reactors using electronic devices can create a suitable environment to distinguish cell types and place cells in the desired location.

　　Electronics also play a key role in differentiating between usable cell types. Innovative technologies will be used to deliver cells back into the patient’s body. Biomaterials will play a key role in placing cells into the body for repair and regeneration.

　　Innovation is difficult to predict, and medical trends in the next 20 years may be different from current predictions and may become more advanced. Therefore, innovative technologies that are not yet available may become the standard of care after 10 years of development.

　　The field of medical technology is vast, and the opportunities are endless. While many innovations are happening in the United States today, global collaborations in Western Europe, Russia, Israel, China, and India are facilitating the realization of these future trends.