What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Google announces funding for AI-enabled digital health projects Jessica Hagen’s article in MobiHealthNews kicks off the coverage this week. Google announced that it is funding 15 AI-powered projects, including digital health initiatives to improve provider experience and patient access to care, via its commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Fifteen projects, including eight digital health initiatives, received $3 million in cash, Google Cloud credits, and ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com A surprising finding about taking blood pressure lying down The simple act of having someone lie down for a blood pressure reading might reveal more than expected about their heart health, preliminary research has found. Michael Merschel, from American Heart Association News, reports on the investigation. Using data from a large, long-running study, researchers discovered that when compared with readings taken while someone was sitting, readings that showed high blood pressure in people wh ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com AI Revolution: Paralyzed Woman ‘Speaks’ via Digital Avatar Researchers created a groundbreaking brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows a paralyzed woman to communicate through a digital avatar. This advancement marks the first-ever synthesis of speech or facial expressions directly from brain signals. As reported in Neuroscience News online, Edward Chang, MD, chair of neurological surgery at UCSF, who has worked on the technology known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, for more th ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Digital Health App Helps Asthma and Depression, 2 Trials Find A new digital health app called juli proved effective in helping patients with asthma or depression, two randomized controlled trials showed. Marissa Plescia provides the details in her article in MedCity News. Boston-based juli is an AI-driven app that helps patients manage their chronic conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Experimental insulin implant uses electricity to control genes Genetically engineered human cells that produce insulin when stimulated by a small electric current could one day be used to develop better treatments for type 1 diabetes. Lilly Tozer reports on the development in Nature. Researchers generated cells that undergo a chain reaction in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) — unstable oxygen-containing radicals produced when a current is applied — that ultimately switch on the g ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Duke Health Forges 5-year Partnership with Microsoft to Reshape Health Care Duke Health is embarking on a five-year, innovative partnership with Microsoft to responsibly and ethically harness the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technology to redefine the healthcare landscape. As reported on the Duke Health News and Media site, by marrying Duke Health’s leadership in patient care and medical research with Microsoft’s technological expertise, this strategic par ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com New digital pathology system in Brisbane can raise pathologists’ productivity by 10 times Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, one of Australia’s largest diagnostic laboratories, is now using a new digital pathology system that generates faster and more accurate reports. Adam Ang in Healthcare IT News reports that the digital pathology scanner is from a decade-long research by SNP and the University of Queensland. The project seeks to automate a microscope scanning and analysis system to improve ..read more

What happened in health care technology this week, and why it’s important. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com The Next Frontier For Large Language Models Is Biology Rob Toews in Forbes writes that large language models like GPT-4 have taken the world by storm thanks to their astonishing command of natural language. Yet the most significant long-term opportunity for LLMs will entail an entirely different type of language: the language of biology. One striking theme has emerged from the long march of research progress across biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics over the past century: it tur ..read more