A
new generation of medical devices is set to have a profound impact on American
health - and wealth.
You see, I know from detailed research and
analysis that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. die each year from bad
reactions to drugs.
That's more than three times as many as those
who die from all street drugs, including heroin.
Fortunately, a better way is just on the
horizon.
Indeed, new "microchip medicine"
technology by itself could save as many as 1 million American lives roughly
every decade.
It's proof that you should never throw a good
idea away. The two researchers behind this new breakthrough device first
thought of it more than 15 years ago.
Now, their tiny product appears headed to
produce some big results.
Microchip
Medicine Breakthroughs
To reach this breakthrough, the two
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers teamed up with their
colleagues at a small biotech firm called MicroCHIPS. The firm is privately
held.
But if it ever goes public, you'll want to
keep an eye on MicroCHIPS as a potentially winning investment - one that also
will benefit millions.
Here's why: A new study showed that doctors
can safely implant a small semiconductor into a patient's body.
In turn, doctors can program the microchip to
deliver the correct doses of medicine at precisely the right times.
The chips operate wirelessly and can be
programmed as needed to change doses. How cool is this?
This particular study involved providing drugs
to women who suffer from osteoporosis. But I believe it could be used with
dozens of diseases treated with prescription drugs.
But don't take my word for it. Here is what
MIT professor Robert Langer had to say.
"You could literally have a pharmacy on a
chip," Langer told the college journal MIT News.
His partner, Michael Cima, also addressed one
of my main concerns, which is patient safety. Of course, he didn't directly
discuss saving lives.
But he seems to understand instinctively how
difficult it is for patients on multiple drugs to keep taking them in the
correct sequence.
The microchip technology avoids the
"compliance issue completely," Cima says, adding that it "points
to a future where you have fully automated drug regimens."
Bingo. That's what I'm talking about.
In the very near future, your doctor will no
longer bother with injections or pills. Instead, he will implant a microchip in
your body.
That chip - or something similar - will
deliver the right drugs at the right time.
To keep you safe, your doctor will get alerts
from your body delivered wirelessly from your chip directly to his computer
network.
Some obstacles remain, however.
Right now, the chips can only deliver 20
doses. But MicroCHIPS is working on a system that will increase that number to
100.
In fact, I predict that in the next few years,
patients will receive several different prescribed drugs from a single chip.
After all, we live in an Era of Radical Change
in which devices get ever more powerful as they get smaller.
Microchip
Medicine Means Longer Lifespans
The combination of new computers, software and
biotech will combine to help us live well beyond 100 with much better physical
and mental health.
More breakthroughs are on the way...
Take the "crab" that can eat the
cancer inside your body.
Actually, it's a crab-like robot brought to
you by researchers at National University of Singapore.
They designed these medical bots to enter a
patient's stomach through an endoscope. It's a small camera guided by a wire.
A surgeon then guides the "medbot"
to the cancer. Once on target, the bot uses a pincer to cut out the cancer,
which the robotic arm then removes.
This could have a major medical impact across
the board. That includes those stricken with stomach cancer.
Stomach cancer remains a leading killer
worldwide and is common in East Asia. Researchers said the robot recently
helped remove early-stage stomach cancers in five patients in India and Hong Kong.
The Singapore team also reported three other
benefits - no scars, less time in surgery and reduced risks of infection.
Bad
Vision?... There's an App for That
Finally, your smart phone may soon be able to
give you an eye exam. This new $2 app comes to you from MIT Professor Ramesh
Raskar.
He notes that some 2 billion people in the
world need glasses. But millions in developing nations can't get their eyes
checked.
His Netra system uses an eyepiece that clips
to the smart phone. It then measures your vision.
Raskar's team says Netra uses cheap optics and
interactive software to replace costly laser-based gear.
He talked about Netra's potential in a YouTube
video. He says the team is working with eye clinics and eye-glass firms to get
the new tech out in the field.
So, you can see that at the very least, some
of this new technology will improve human health. Others will help us live much
longer.
Still others will no doubt save millions of
lives someday.
And remember, as investors we will benefit as
well, since some new medical devices are bound to result in some very
profitable stock plays.
In the future issues I'll discuss them.
Michael Robinson
The Market Oracle
Business & Investment Opportunities
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