i-calQ's Smartphone-Based Diagnostic Testing Makes Finals of Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE

Innovative sensing technology makes essential diagnostic tests available

anywhere, anytime… using a smartphone.

A new technology developed by award-winning inventor Dr. Joel Ehrenkranz and the team at i-calQ has just received international recognition by a panel of industry experts as one of 12 finalists in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE (a new XPRIZE competition focused on health sensors).

How i-calQ is changing mHealth… for the better

i-calQ’s portability will change the face of public health, making it possible to provide critical diagnostic testing in third world countries, remote rural areas, and underdeveloped areas where poverty reduces access to doctors.

i-calQ performs essential diagnostic tests on a smartphone that are normally done in a medical laboratory. A drop of blood or saliva is collected and then analyzed using the smartphone’s camera lens. Unlike traditional lab tests, which often take days, the results of the i-calQ testing are available in minutes. Physicians and consumers can easily perform the tests, and when the test is complete, the results can be immediately added to the patient’s digital medical record via Internet.

Another groundbreaking aspect of the i-calQ technology is the inclusion of an expert diagnostic system. The i-calQ software analyzes the test results with medical decision support algorithms to interpret the results and recommend additional tests or treatment. 

Diagnostic testing anywhere, anytime

“We’re so excited about being named a finalist in the Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE,” says Pamela Turbeville, co-founder and CEO of i-calQ.  “Some of the most innovative companies in the world are participating, all with the goal of delivering better, more affordable healthcare to consumers everywhere. The fact that our smartphone-based concept for essential diagnostic testing is recognized as one of the 12 best entries validates our work and increases our dedication to making i-calQ a universal tool for medical professionals and consumers.”

About XPRIZE

Founded in 1995, XPRIZE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prize competitions that stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize itself. The organization motivates and inspires brilliant innovators from all disciplines to leverage their intellectual and financial capital for the benefit of humanity. XPRIZE conducts competitions in five Prize Groups: Education; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life Sciences. Active prizes include the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $10 million Archon Genomics XPRIZE presented by Express Scripts, the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and the $2.25 million Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE. For more information, go to www.xprize.org. 

About i-calQ

During his medical fieldwork during the 2007 Ebola epidemic, Dr. Joel Ehrenkranz saw the urgent need for mobile diagnostic devices. He realized that smartphones were the future of medicine, and would eventually be the ideal medical tools for “comprehensive disease management.” He envisioned a smartphone that could perform quantitative, lab-quality testing, and then execute medical decision support algorithms to help interpret the test results. As a result of that insight, Dr. Ehrenkranz co-founded i-calQ in 2011 to develop smartphone technologies for integrated point-of-care testing and testing result analysis.

In 2013, i-calQ launched its first three diagnostic projects: 1) thyroid disease management based on point-of-care TSH measurement, 2) stress management based on salivary cortisol measurement, and 3) antenatal healthcare management using point-of-care HIV, syphilis, glucose, blood pressure, hemoglobin, and urinary albumin measurements.

mHealth Predicted To Help 40 million patients in Brazil and Mexico

It's been reported that over 40 million additional patients could be treated in Brazil and Mexico alone in 2017 through the use of mHealth-related services.

"The implementation of mHealth services in Brazil and Mexico is expected to extend healthcare to 28.4 million additional patients in Brazil and 15.5 million patients in Mexico in 2017; as well as quip around 16 million citizens to improve their lifestyle and reduce the impact of chronic diseases, prolonging lives'" the GSMA report states (www.gsma.com).


It's also estimated that the cost savings of mHealth implementation could save the two countires a total of $17.9 billion. Even better, mHealth will create 200,000 jobs as its deployed.

According to GSMA, the four main barriers that will limit the adoption of mHealth across Latin America include regulatory, economic structure and technology-related obstacles.

Like many parts of the world, the healthcare in Brazil and Mexico focus on individual treatment and drug therapy rather than preventive medicine and patient monitoring.

"The fragmentation of healthcare systems in Brazil and Mexico restricts the sharing of information and alignment of processes, preventing mHealth from scaling effectively. The lack of interoperability and standardization of mHealth services can localize the implementation, limiting the scalability of mHealth."

‘mHealth’ – Biometrics Renamed?

The use of smartphone technology to empower consumers is the future of healthcare, if only because of the time and money saved with in-home monitoring. And the technology is itself is improving… with advances being announced seemingly everyday with things like monitoring stress via salivary cortisol.
 
For some consumers, however, the use of the term ‘biometric’ is extremely prejudicial.
A quick Internet search of ‘biometrics’ will lead you to the use of the technology to identify terrorists and/or enhance security through fingerprint, iris and facial recognition… important technologies to be sure, but hardly consumer friendly. And of course, when used in this venue, biometrics could be construed as an invasion of privacy.
 
How, then, to accurately explain the need for and advantages of in-home biometric testing?
 
The answer: mHealth… with ‘m’ standing for mobile.
 
This term is replacing ‘biometric health screenings’ to better describe the value of smartphone-based, in-home health measurements.
 
What exactly is mHealth? Here’s what WikiPedia has to say.

mHealth (also written as m-health or mobile health) is a term used for the practice of medicine and public health, supported by mobile devices. The term is most commonly used in reference to using mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers and PDAs, for health services and information, but also to affect emotional states. The mHealth field has emerged as a sub-segment of eHealth, the use of information and communication technology (ICT), such as computers, mobile phones, communications satellite, patient monitors, etc., for health services and information. mHealth applications include the use of mobile devices in collecting community and clinical health data, delivery of healthcare information to practitioners, researchers, and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and direct provision of care (via mobile telemedicine).

So get ready for mHealth… as one trade publication (Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology) asked its readers: MOBILE HEALTH: The Revolution Has Started… Are You Ready?

Biohacking Gains Strength

If you haven’t heard of ‘biohacking’ you’re not enough of a nerd. But chances are in the coming months you’ll start seeing the word more frequently. In fact, biohacking may become an important player in the future of personal healthcare and is already pushing the use of biometric testing devices.

Based on the philosophy of personal responsibility, biohacking is a new approach to health and wellness that includes self-study and the use of various analog and digital devices to measure, monitor and tweak important health parameters. Biohackers collect data about themselves… anything from calories to salt intake, exercise and blood pressure to cortisol levels and daily supplement intake.

According to Glen Martin of the San Francisco Chronicle, biohacking refers to “managing one's own biology using a combination of medical, nutritional and electronic techniques.” His article, Biohackers' mining their own bodies' data, is a good place to begin learning about the trend http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Biohackers-mining-their-own-bodies-data-3668230.php.

Here’s the theory: measure yourself, because what we measure improves.

As Martin’s article says, we're now capturing more data on what it means to be a human being than at any time in history and what we're learning isn't just telling is what we are. It's telling us what we can be."

Biometric Health Screenings Lower Insurance Premiums

In growing numbers, health insurance providers are offering discounts to plan members who complete a series of biometric tests linked to an online health assessment questionnaire.

So why aren't more people participating?

Privacy issues remain paramount in the U.S., Europe and Asia. But much like the early days of the Internet, when people were reluctant to submit credit card information online, it appears that these privacy fears are abating, albeit slowly.

In many ways, convenience overcame the fear of stolen credit card information and that's really the key for biometric modalities. Smartphone based health screenings are making it easier for patients to be tested and less expensive (of course) while delivering better, healthier outcomes.

In win-win. And because personal biometric screenings make life easier for government, it's certain the industry will grow as new , federal health mandates come into effect.

Smartphone Monitoring of Non-Lethal Cardiac Arrhythmias

It's called The BodyGuardian System, a bringing together of Samsumg's Galaxy smartphone and a monitoring system from Preventice.

According to press releases, "The BodyGuardian System will enable physicians to monitor key biometrics in patients with cardiac arrhythmias outside of the clinical setting, allowing patients go about their daily lives while remaining connected to their physicians. According to Preventice, Samsung Mobile will customize the Galaxy S II smartphone for use in the BodyGuardian RMS by creating a dedicated mobile environment that will ensure a secure, reliable wireless connection for the transmission of biometric data. Patient data is captured using a small wearable sensor and delivered via Bluetooth communication to a dedicated Galaxy S II smartphone. The Galaxy S II then transmits the physiological data via cellular network to the Preventice Care Platform in the cloud. Physicians and/or monitoring centers then access the data via a web or tablet-based portal."

The idea to bring remote patient monitoring to smartphones is being driven by the need to reduce patient costs and positively influence care delivery. Reports indicate that the U.S. market for advanced patient monitoring, including smartphones, will reach $20.9 billion by 2016... up from just $8.9 billion in 2009. 

Interested in the Future of Smartphones for Healthcare?

… then have a listen to this podcast interview by Dr. Eric Topol, the Scripps Health Chief Academic Officer, as he speaks with the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC).

“As we move forward over these next several years, the smartphone will be increasingly the hub of medicine,” said Dr. Topol, who authored the book “The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care.”

Dr. Topol went on to say that smartphone apps and add-on gadgets will use saliva, cheek swabs, breath and even tears to run diagnostic screenings that now require a blood sample sent to a laboratory.

Listen to his podcast interview with the AACC here: The Future of Laboratory Medicine — Dec. 6, 2012

Wellness Programs Turn To Biometric Screening

Biometric screenings are an increasingly important part of corporate wellness programs where employees monitor their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, blood glucose, and any other measurement that corporations and their employees choose to measure.
 
There are many reasons to do biometric testing such as health promotion, health awareness, and health education; however, the primary factor motivating organizations to have this service performed is economics. Health screenings have been shown to reduce overall medical expenditure by identifying risk factors and employees that need added health coaching services.
 

With a goal of early risk detection and intervention, biometric screening can help evaluate health and are geared toward encouraging healthy lifestyles. And now with the advent of in-home smartphone biometric screening, these measurements can help consumers take control of their healthcare destiny by prioritizing their well-being and help generate a personal healthcare regimen.
 
The biometric data you can collect at home can easily be stored digitally for years or decades, helping you build better health risk assessment baselines that you can use to analyze the success or failure of particular wellness protocols. Collected biometric data can even allow your doctor to assess your health over many years, helping him or her spot trends and more accurately diagnose problems.

Personal Biometric Testing Comes ‘Home’ to Your SmartPhone

Inexpensive testing/monitoring encourages healthy lifestyle and promotes peak performance. 

Your smartphone just got a whole lot smarter… at least when it comes to maintaining your health. Over the next six months and starting as early as April, at least one innovative company will be bringing biometric testing of stress/cortisol levels into your home. And for a few dollars you’ll be able to gauge cortisol (a stress hormone) peaks and valleys, track your stress and monitor the success of your anti-stress programs -- from cortisol mitigating supplements to meditation to yoga.

It seems that a clever device, patented by a company called i-calQ, easily attaches to your iPhone (Android models will follow). And by optically testing a small drop of saliva, the machine will accurately determine your cortisol levels… and cortisol levels are a direct reflection of stress.

Using your smartphone to track cortisol levels will give you a full picture of your daily peaks and valleys. If the difference between top and bottom numbers is too great, stress is indicated; and whether you feel stressed out or not, your body can take a real beating from stress: poor skin health, obesity, circulatory problems, the works.

Using your personal biometric tests, you’ll monitor the peaks and valleys to find out when you’re most stressed… so  you can take steps to cut anxiety. And, for example, if you take a supplement to mitigate cortisol production or try exercise or meditation to lessen stress, you’ll be able to chart your progress to see which activities work best for your system.

And while stress-related testing is about to hit the market in a month or so, as 2013 progresses other tests will be coming online -- able to measure lactate buildup to track peak exercise performance, hormone levels in men and women, cholesterol health and more… many more as personal biometric testing via smartphones is about to become a multibillion dollar segment of the healthcare industry.

It’s mind-blowing in a way. Less than a year ago, biometric testing was done in a doctor’s office or a lab, and the cost per test was enormous. I guess that’s why people like Tim Ferris were the ones who could afford weekly testing. (See Ferris’ video on biometric testing at http://www.hulu.com/watch/352863 -- begin at approximately 3:48.)

 In a few short months, biometrics has gone ‘personal’ and has come right into your home, into your pocket via a very smart smartphone attachment. The sky’s the limit here. And whether your a 20-something looking to maximize your fitness or a 60-something trying to take back some control of your healthcare destiny, personal biometric testing is the newest, best answer. 

Stay tuned.

Is 2013 the Year of Smartphone Biometric Screening?

The confluence of new technologies and consumers’ desire to take control of their healthcare destiny is pushing personal biometrics into the medical mainstream.

Imagine your smartphone as the first, best tool in your quest to get fit, stay healthy and optimize peak athletic performance. Well, from iPhones to Androids medical professionals and hardware developers have joined forces to move personal biometric testing from the physician’s office to your mobile phone.

In what seems like a matter of months, this new field of smartphone biometric testing/screening has blossomed into a multimillion dollar industry headed to multibillion in the next year or so.

Early adapters and serious fitness trainers will be using their smartphones to test personal health parameters in important areas such as stress levels (via cortisol), testosterone and estrogen production, fertility, cholesterol health, lactate levels (to track recovery after exercise) and more.

For personal biometrics, tests are being developed that use a drop of saliva and a small measuring unit that attaches to your smartphone. Results are instantaneous and can be stored and tracked on your phone.

Right now, these units are being sold to physicians, particularly those in rural areas and under developed countries, as a kind of portable lab. (The physician units can also test a number of parameters in the blood.)

As a local Salt Lake City physician explains, “Americans are concerned about their health and fitness levels and are also wary of upcoming changes in medical services and costs as ‘Obamacare’ begins to roll out. The idea of testing for fitness levels, stress levels and early signs of a potential healthcare concern is attractive for physicians, insurers and individuals. If used wisely, these tests could reduce the number of doctor visits, help lower insurance costs, help individuals improve their health and fitness and give consumers some control over their healthcare options.”

Already in 2013, a patented test for cortisol, which can tell you a lot about stress levels (and consequently the numerous problems exacerbated by stress – including weight gain), is being rolled out in the first quarter. Other tests will follow as the year progresses.

Not so long ago, in fact just a few months ago, personal biometric testing was done in a doctor’s office and those taking advantage of the service were more likely to be California fitness fanatics, starlets and athletes.

In 2013, the rest of us will get this health advantage in our homes, on our phones and for just a few dollars per test.

If you want to see a testing unit (blood) in use by a physician traveling in the Kalahari Desert in Africa, visit http://youtu.be/pLcDQNaR84U

The unit is a patented smartphone device from I-calQ (www.I-calQ.com).