It is reported that “Currently, over 50% of us don’t get full benefit from the pharmaceuticals we use, because we take the wrong dose or inconsistently follow our prescriptions.” That is at least the conflict that the innovators at Proteus Digital Health are trying to address in their mission statement.
A new technology called the “Proteus Digital Health Feedback System,” a blend of MEMS and wireless data transfer, will allow doctors to know if their patients are taking their medications.
The Proteus Digital Health Feedback System is just an example of a larger technological concept. The Proteus contains MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical), also known as nanomachines, which serves as a micro sensor. According to MEMS.ORG, a community of experts on MEMS and Nanotechnology, describe the micro sensors as a device that, “typically converts a measured mechanical signal into an electrical signal.” In this case the Proteus will be able to relay a signal of binary code directly to a phone over Bluetooth. The technicalities are pretty awesome in terms of how they will work and how it got the green light from the FDA.
According to Mark J. Zdeblick, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer,
“The biggest question was, what types of materials would the FDA allow us to use? So we decided to use [ones from] a vitamin.”
The technicalities are as followed. “Small amounts of copper and magnesium conduct enough electricity (1.5 volts) to power a one-millimeter chip. When a pill containing the chip hits the stomach, the metals interact with stomach fluid to generate a current. The current transmits to a 2.5-inch patch on the patient’s torso, which relays the signal as binary code to his phone over Bluetooth.”
This system will help families better monitor loved ones. According to George M. Savage, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer stated that,
“the best applications will be conditions where missing a few doses can have dangerous consequences, such as schizophrenia and congestive heart failure.”
Already several companies have already invested in the Feedback System, including Novartis, maker of Ritalin and breast-cancer drug Femara. The FDA will need to approve drugs with the chip on a case-by-case basis, so the first ones probably won’t be available for another two years.
This technology is an example of how the Digital Revolution has impacted the medical field. Digital Technology has found its uses for working in conjunction to biology within the human body. The Proteus seems like a great application in being a helpful memory tool, but still it makes one think, where will this lead us when other applications arise with nanotechnology?
For more on nanotechnology, I have embedded a video which sums it all up in a nutshell.