NICE has launched an app to give healthcare professionals mobile access to the British National Formulary.

Prescribers will be able to gain offline access to medicines information using the new iPhone and Android app with a password.

The new initiative reflects growing NHS investment in facilitating healthcare outside the clinical setting.

Sir Andrew Dillon (pictured), Chief Executive of NICE, said that the launch of the NICE Guidance app in March had been “phenomenally successful”, leading to this initiative.

“The growing use of smartphones has created a new culture and means for people to access information while on the move,” he commented.

Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the DH, said: “I am delighted NICE has taken this step. The new NICE BNF app gives those who have prescribing and medicines responsibilities fast, reliable and convenient access to the most up-to-date prescribing information.”

NICE is currently developing a similar app to give clinicians access to the British National Formulary for Children.

Mobisante has launched its MobiUS SP1 in the US, the world’s first smartphone-based ultrasound imaging system.

The device joins other portable point-of-care diagnostics that have recently entered the mobile health sector, including GE’s handheld visualisation tool Vscan and Siemens' Acuson P10.

The £4,700 MobiUS SP1 is designed for use in foetal, cardiac, pelvic, paediatric, musculoskeletal, peripheral vessel and abdominal imaging, providing the potential for enhanced patient care in any location, even remote areas.

The mobile health technology uses both cellular and WiFi networks, and consists of a Windows Mobile 6.5-based Toshiba TG01 smartphone, an ultrasound probe and computer software.

The manufacturer claims that the system could also be more suitable for use in low-income regions than traditional ultrasound equipment due to its lower operating costs and the increased convenience it would provide for patients.

Mobisante actually received FDA clearance for the device in February 2011, but it took eight months to implement necessary FDA-mandated controls.

The company is exploring the option of making a version of the product for healthcare-specific tablet computers as well.

Nanotechnology holds the key to a new generation of medical devices and diagnostics. Mike Fisher of the Nanotechnology KTN looks at how miniaturisation is changing the face of healthcare.

Over the past decade there has been significant interest in the promise that micro and nanotechnology holds for life sciences.

An estimated 40% of US nanotechnology venture capital is being allocated to life science start-ups – and over 2008 and 2009, according to a study carried out by Lux Research, healthcare and the life sciences saw an increase in investment of 42%, while other areas such as manufacturing and materials saw a decline.

Europe has a number of leading biotechnology companies, as well as world-renowned R&D facilities. Traditionally the emphasis of these companies has been exclusively on biotechnology – but more recently the lines between biotechnology and the electronics industries have become blurred, creating a new and exciting field of new applications and markets using techniques acquired in the semiconductor world.

The electronics industry has been transformed by the strategy that ‘smaller is better’, and using these same techniques and applying them in medical and pharmaceutical contexts has opened exciting new market opportunities. The next level of miniaturisation, into nanoscale dimensions, is a booming area of R&D with significant funding being invested worldwide.

Mobile diagnostics

Using miniaturisation, medical diagnosis equipment can now be used outside of the lab: in doctor’s surgeries, remotely, and even on mobile phones. The applications are endless.

Imagine a world where all you need is your smart phone to detect any disease through blood analysis, without the need for costly and lengthy analysis in the lab. That could be real in five or ten years’ time.

Ten years ago the ‘lab-on-chip’ was a concept without a viable market entry point, but now point-of-care diagnostic systems are starting to show clear benefits in disease detection and cancer therapy.

By using these applications to analyse samples of blood, interstitial fluid, urine and saliva, medics are able to use minimally invasive techniques to obtain quick results that are easily collected, with minimal stress and discomfort to patients.

Using miniaturisation in diagnosis means that the size and cost of equipment can be reduced dramatically. Sensors can be made available at the point of care, in many cases providing a diagnosis while the patient is with the doctor. Providing early diagnosis means that the right treatment can be given early, avoiding complications caused by delays.

Micro and nano diagnostic devices can also provide closed-loop systems that continuously monitor patients and respond immediately to physiological changes. This is particularly important in the intensive care unit, where simple parameters such as oxygen levels can be critical.

In the future, as medical systems become fully integrated with semiconductor technology, we can expect lab-on-chip devices that measure information on disease markers, cell count or DNA-RNA from a very small quantity of blood or other biological fluid sampled by pain-free needles, and ways to receive and transmit real-time information from sensors located inside the human body.

With applications such as point-of-care diagnostics already emerging with huge benefits to patients, there is no doubt that the next generation of healthcare technology will be enabled by the use of miniaturisation.

Taking a simple and effective concept from the semiconductor world has already delivered a dramatic effect on medical diagnostics and is now moving into drug discovery, creating new and exciting applications across a wide variety of markets.

Chain reaction

Getting these applications to market has been hindered by a lack of potential investors and early adopters willing to take a leap of faith. However, there are now a significant number of international companies developing these new application technologies, as they have begun to see the clinical effectiveness offered by nanotechnology and miniaturisation.

The current interest in the use of miniaturisation in the life sciences has been driven by the many advances this new concept promises. Individuals, companies and funding bodies are looking for ways to invest in this newly commercialised technology. To ensure success, nano-companies need to secure support from venture capitalists and other funding bodies, which can be difficult in the current economic climate.

However, despite the advanced developments in miniaturisation in the life sciences, the industry is still relatively new and there are a number of gaps in the supply chain that prohibit products from getting to market in an effective manner. It is crucial with any new technology to ensure that all parts of the supply chain interact and keep each other informed of developments and capabilities.

One of the Nanotechnology KTN’s main remits is to analyse this supply chain, determine where the gaps are and encourage companies to recognise the commercial gains that can be reaped from bridging them.

Connecting members of the supply chain with one another means that academics, research specialists, industrial practitioners and funding sources can meet to discuss ideas and business opportunities, thus ensuring the developments in this application of nanotechnology continue.

Clearly, many of the applications in these new markets are novel and as a result have yet to be fully developed and become economically viable. In the quest to make these technologies and applications available to a wider market, clinical efficacy and value to the healthcare payer are ultimately the deciding factors.

Increasingly, products need to be cost-effective – and the materials used to produce each device represent a significant part of the cost. It can be expected that as the use of miniaturisation in life sciences becomes more widespread, the associated costs will reduce and the applications will expand much more widely.

Given the economic benefits it promises, it is inevitable that the use of miniaturisation in the life sciences will continue to be adopted and supported.

Mike Fisher, PhD, is Theme Manager – Life Sciences & Healthcare at the Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

Suggestions for new health mobile phone applications (apps) to inform patients have been elicited by the Department of Health for an autumn showcase.

Patients, healthcare providers and app developers are invited to submit new ideas for health apps and online maps, and to vote for ideas suggested by others.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “We want to give people better access to information that will put them in control of their health and help make informed choices about their healthcare.

“We want to hear from patients, health professionals and budding app developers on their ideal new app. This is a unique opportunity for the NHS and those who develop apps to not only showcase their work but bring to life new ideas and realise true innovation in healthcare.”

Over the next six weeks, the public can visit the DH website to suggest ideas for health apps or online maps and to vote for their favourite among the ideas submitted.

The suggestions and votes are divided into five categories according to theme: personalisation and choice of care and support; better health and care outcomes; autonomy and accountability; improving public health; and improving long-term care and support.

A panel of judges will select the best entries to be showcased at an event in the autumn. The judges include Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of the NHS; Dr Shaibal Roy, an investigator for the National Institute for Health Research; and Jenny Ritchie-Campbell, Director of Cancer Services Innovation at the Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

Dr Shaibal Roy, a champion of digital healthcare, said: “Useful and easy to use smartphone apps and information maps will surely support both patients and clinicians in their shared decisions to improve outcomes. I hope this work will help the NHS understand completely new ways to help improve outcomes for individuals and their families.”

Mr Lansley visited Evelina Children’s Hospital in London to experience a number of existing health apps together with patients, clinicians and panel members. These included the Breakthrough Breast Cancer iBreastCheck app, which helps women to check for breast abnormalities.

A clinical warning system using wireless sensors to track at-risk patients is undergoing a feasibility study in the US.

The device takes blood oxygenation and heart rate readings once or twice every minute, transmitting the data to a base station, where the readings are combined with the patient’s electronic medical record.

The incoming data will indicate clinical deterioration, in which case a nurse will be called to check on the patient.

Dr Chenyang Lu, the principal investigator for the trial at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St Louis, said the idea is to create a virtual intensive care unit (ICU) where patients can move around freely without being wired to beeping machines.

Dr Lu believes it won't be long before any serious medical condition can be tracked using virtual ICUs. He claims that patients would wear a wireless medical device that monitored their health on a smartphone, which would call doctors or relatives if clinical deterioration occurred.

The study is supported by the National Institutes of Health's Clinical and Translational Science Award through the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences and the BJH Foundation.

Clearbridge BioLoc has unveiled a prototype of its new blood testing equipment, AssayQuest.

The product is a fully-automated, portable analysis platform that performs complex and cost effective point-of-care testing from a finger-prick blood sample.

Its aim is to enable healthcare professionals to conduct laboratory-quality tests and receive results within minutes.

Dr Lee Smith, CEO of Clearbridge BioLoc, said that AssayQuest will provide healthcare professionals with “fast and affordable results at the point of care”.

The system consists of a disposable Test-card and Reader. The Test-card contains blisters filled with customisable reagents connected by a microfluidic matrix. The Reader’s roller pump mechanism processes the Test-card by rupturing the blisters in an automated sequence.

AssayQuest will connect to smartphone devices through the use of the AQroid mobile application. The smartphone will control the system, capture the result and analyse it. The application enables transmission and sharing of test data over 3G cellular networks as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS location tagging.