In times of crisis, immense creativity often comes to the fore, precipitating major changes. This has been the case in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. Healthcare technology has leaped to the fore to help healthcare providers manage their patients better by reducing the dangers inherent in personal contact, waiting in crowded waiting rooms or laboratories, and hospitalizations.

This article was originally published in the July/August edition of CERN Courier magazine. Today, the tools of experimental particle physics are ubiquitous in hospitals and biomedical research. Particle beams damage cancer cells; high-performance computing infrastructures accelerate drug discoveries; computer simulations of how particles interact with matter are used to model the effects of radiation on biological tissues; and a diverse range of particle-physics-inspired detectors, from wire chambers to scintillating crystals to pixel detectors, all find new vocations imaging the human body. CERN has actively pursued medical applications of its technologies as far back as the 1970s. At that time, knowledge transfer happened – mostly serendipitously – through the initiative of individual researchers.

MedTech Europe has called for the urgent clarification of a proposed artificial intelligence regulation because it uses an overly broad definition and is misaligned with existing regulatory frameworks. The European Commission outlined its plans to regulate AI, including medical devices and in vitro diagnostics that feature the technology, earlier this year. Under the proposal, the European Union would require high-risk AI systems to "comply with certain mandatory requirements" before coming to market. The Commission acknowledged a risk of overlap with existing regulations but envisioned the framework complementing requirements such as the Medical Devices Regulation. However, MedTech Europe contends the proposal falls short of that vision.

Prisma Health on Tuesday announced a 10-year partnership with Siemens Healthineers to use artificial intelligence to help physicians better diagnose their patients and devise treatment plans. The partnership means employing the latest technology across all Prisma sites, said CEO Mark O'Halla. "The whole goal of this relationship is leveraging technology and our relationships with each other to significantly improve access … by improving productivity and throughput," he said. "We are leveraging all the artificial intelligence expertise that Siemens is bringing to the table and teaming up with clinicians." The idea is that clinicians will make more informed decisions, ultimately allowing for faster and more precise diagnoses and treatment plans, he said. The arrangement, whose financial details were not disclosed, will focus on next generation medical technology, said Dave Pacitti, president and head of the Americas for Siemens Healthineers, the parent company for several medical technology companies.

The medical device remains a crucial component in improving the quality of life. Key players in the medical technology arena are going on the AI track to invent cutting-edge devices with high precision and automation. Expectations are high as the future of healthcare delivery is poised for steady growth with AI onboard. Picture a smart sensor device that estimates the possibility of a heart attack or an imaging system that uses algorithms to spot a brain tumor – these are real-world evidence of AI medical technologies in action. Application design teams harmonizing AI technologies into medical devices made these realities.

This virus has held global healthcare delivery at a standstill for over 18 months, despite the promising vaccine roll-out. The U.S. "passed the hospital breaking point" in December, as a headline in The Atlantic put it. Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that a recent increase in coronavirus cases could herald a "fourth surge." If we do not act quickly to resolve the situation, the result could be thousands of untimely deaths. In just one example, clinicians around the world are using artificial intelligence auto-contouring tech to automate and optimize the time-consuming task of pinpointing organs at risk.

The Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (CAIM) will be officially opened in January 2021 in Bern, Switzerland. The center, founded by the University of Bern and the Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, is intended to be a platform for research, teaching and transfer of medical technologies using AI, aimed at improving the provision of patient care and facilitating the work of physicians and caregivers. The healthcare sector today generates more data than healthcare professionals are able to analyze. AI allows us to use this data to determine the characteristics that doctors, caregivers and other health professionals need to make more accurate diagnoses and better treatment decisions. With AI, treatments become more accurate – unnecessary interventions can be avoided and treatment successes improved. In cancer therapy, for example, treatment plans can be designed more specifically for the patient to minimize radiation exposure.

Acquisition Expands Medtronic's Artificial Intelligence and Data Capabilities, Becoming the First Company to Offer an Integrated Spine Solution Including AI-Driven Surgical Planning, Personalized Spinal Implants and Robotic Assisted Surgery DUBLIN, Nov. 16, 2020 /CNW/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), the global leader in medical technology, today announced that it has completed its friendly tender offer for France-based Medicrea International (Euronext Growth Paris: FR0004178572 – ALMED Medicrea; OTCQX Best Market – MRNTF), a pioneer in the transformation of spinal surgery through artificial intelligence (AI), predictive modeling and patient specific implants. On July 15, 2020, the parties announced a friendly voluntary all-cash tender offer at the price of €7.00 per Medicrea share. As a result of completion of the tender offer, Medtronic currently owns in excess of 90% of Medicrea's share capital and voting rights and will shortly request the implementation of a squeeze-out procedure under French law, which will result in Medicrea becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic. This is Medtronic's seventh acquisition completed in 2020 and furthers Medtronic's strategic expansion into AI, machine learning and predictive analytics. Medicrea's product portfolio consists of 30 510(k) cleared or CE Marked implant technologies, utilized in spinal surgeries for adult deformity, pediatric deformity and degenerative disease.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been working to improve the state of global health through his nonprofit foundation for 20 years, and today he told the nation's premier scientific gathering that advances in artificial intelligence and gene editing could accelerate those improvements exponentially in the years ahead. "We have an opportunity with the advance of tools like artificial intelligence and gene-based editing technologies to build this new generation of health solutions so that they are available to everyone on the planet. And I'm very excited about this," Gates said in Seattle during a keynote address at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Such tools promise to have a dramatic impact on several of the biggest challenges on the agenda for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created by the tech guru and his wife in 2000. When it comes to fighting malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, for example, CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene-editing tools are being used to change the insects' genome to ensure that they can't pass along the parasites that cause those diseases.

For the second year in a row, Elevate TechFest, Canada's largest technology and innovation festival, took over downtown Toronto in September as over 10,000 members of the tech community, including investors, government, media, start-ups, talent and next generation innovators all gathered to "disrupt together, celebrate diversity and inclusiveness, and proudly showcase the best of Canadian innovation." As a community driven festival, Elevate provides a shared stage for Canada's booming high tech startup ecosystem to showcase their work, and to learn and network through numerous events, educational presentations, award ceremonies, and social gatherings. The result is an exceptionally inclusive and collaborative entrepreneurial platform which highlights Canada's greatest competitive advantage to attract talent and investment for the next generation of innovation. This is particularly relevant in the fields of AI and health/medical technology, with Canada being uniquely poised to drive AI innovation in the healthcare field as a global leader in AI technology with its universal healthcare system. Canada's strength in AI and medical technology was emphasized throughout the various Elevate events and tracks by the prevalence of growing companies developing machine learning and digital health solutions with the goal of democratizing AI powered medicine.