Cleveland Clinic's 2016 Top 10 Medical Innovations Features Seamless Remote Monitoring; Company Behind Technology Files IPO

Each year, as the Medical Innovation Summit draws to a close, the Cleveland Clinic unveils its list of medical innovations poised to impact the world in the coming year. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this tradition. The 2015 Medical Innovation Summit already kicked off last weekend at the Cleveland Convention Center. The culture of innovation fostered by the Cleveland Clinic continues to give rise to new “game changers” each year, with healthcare professionals and researchers there continually discussing which medical innovations have the potential to transform the nation’s overall health.

Notably, telemedicine monitoring linked to smart wearable devices has made it onto this year’s list—a highly favorable development that industry players should take note of. VCBeat has promptly compiled and translated the final ten healthcare innovations announced at this year’s Healthcare Innovation Conference:

1. Vaccines for the Prevention of Public Epidemics

One notable aspect of the top ten medical innovations in 2015 is that scientists, physicians, and public health officials in this country are developing vaccines to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases faster and more efficiently than ever before. This urgency stems largely from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Africa and the sudden surge of meningococcal B (MenB) cases in the United States. In both instances, doctors, scientists, companies, and government agencies moved new vaccines from the laboratory to clinical trials at an unprecedented pace of innovation.

2. Genomics-Based Clinical Trials

Genomics-based clinical trials are shifting toward accelerating the development of new targeted therapies. They screen potential study participants based on genetic criteria and match them with experimental treatments targeting specific molecules associated with their disease. Genetic analysis shortens patient recruitment time, thereby increasing the likelihood that patients will benefit from clinical interventions.

3. Gene Editing Using CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)

Not long ago, the modification of DNA in any organism, including human embryos, was merely a concept confined to science fiction and the imaginations of film directors. Then came the emergence of CRISPR, a new technology that not only demonstrated the feasibility of such modifications but also made them easier and more affordable to attempt than previous gene-editing methods. As a result, this technology has become ubiquitous in laboratories.

4. Water Purification Systems for Infectious Disease Prevention

In the developing world, it is all too common for sewage to accumulate on streets with nowhere to be discharged, ultimately becoming the drinking water for local residents. This intractable problem accounts for 10% of global disease burden annually. It is estimated that more than 700 million people worldwide consume unsafe water every day. According to the World Health Organization, over one million children under the age of five in developing countries die each year due to water pollution and poor sanitation.

5. Cell-free) Fetal DNA Testing

The market for healthy pregnancies has now reached nearly $2 billion, as an increasing number of new parents invest in books, infant nutrition, and yoga classes to ensure their children grow up as healthily as possible, mirroring their condition at birth. However, the likelihood of genetic disorders such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome remains beyond maternal control, imposing significant coping stress on parents, particularly given the current uncertainty surrounding ambiguous prenatal screening results.

6. Cancer Screening Through Protein Biomarker Analysis

To understand cancer risk, scientists have long been limited to observing changes in the concentration of proteins in biological fluids such as blood or urine, or genetic variations. However, the relatively poor sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of these tests have limited their diagnostic accuracy and clinical application.

7. Freely Controllable Artificial Limbs

Over the years, artificial prosthetics installed to improve the quality of life for amputees and paralyzed individuals have advanced to the point where they can be used much like natural limbs. However, there are still more than 6 million people with paralysis and 100,000 above-elbow amputees in the United States—a substantial patient population. Innovations in the field of artificial prosthetics will bring about revolutionary changes to society.

8. First-line Treatment for HSDD (Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder)

Libido differs from sexual performance, and various medications are currently available to treat male sexual dysfunction. However, to date, there have been virtually no drugs specifically approved for treating low libido in women. In 2015, the FDA approved flibanserin, the first medication indicated for hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) or premenopausal low libido in women.

9. Seamless Remote Monitoring

In recent years, wearable technology has taken off and rapidly integrated into our daily lives. A recent study estimates that nearly 20% of American adults wear smart devices that monitor heart rate and blood pressure by collecting exercise data and sleep patterns. The growing preference for wearable devices among health-conscious consumers is exciting. Beyond general wellness, monitoring data collected from clothing, every breath, sweat droplets, or chemical changes within the human body will directly benefit millions of patients. In many cases, subtle changes can mean the difference between life and death.

10. Endovascular Neurovascular Therapy for Stroke (Neurovascular Stent Retrievers)

For patients with ischemic stroke, time is critical. To prevent long-term disability, brain damage, or death, blood clots obstructing the vessels must be removed within 3 to 6 hours. For many years, the only FDA-approved treatment for dissolving cerebral thrombi has been tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This medication is administered intravenously to dissolve clots and restore cerebral blood flow. However, in cases of large vessel occlusion, tPA is effective in fewer than one-third of patients. Scientists have long sought adjunctive therapies to help tPA safely eliminate proximal thrombi, and stents have ultimately emerged as the solution.

Further Reading:Cleveland Clinic: Top 10 Medical Innovations of 2015