MIT Medical Electronic Device Realization Center (MEDRC)

The vision of the MIT Medical Electronic Device Reali- zation Center (MEDRC) is to revolutionize medical diag- nostics and treatments by bringing health care directly to the individual and to create enabling technology for the future information-driven healthcare system. This vision will, in turn, transform the medical electronic device industry. Speci c areas that show promise are wearable or minimally invasive monitoring devices, medical imaging, portable laboratory instrumentation, and the data communication from these devices and in- struments to healthcare providers and caregivers.

Rapid innovation in miniaturization, mobility, and connectivity will revolutionize medical diagnostics and treatments, bringing health care directly to the individual. Continuous monitoring of physiological markers will place capability for the early detection and prevention of disease in the hands of the consumer, shifting to a paradigm of maintaining wellness rather than treating sickness. Just as the personal computer revolution has brought computation to the individual, this revolution in personal medicine will bring the hospital lab and the physician to the home, to emerging countries, and to emergency situations. From at-home cholesterol monitors that can adjust treatment plans, to cell phone-enabled blood labs, these system solutions containing state-of-the-art sensors, electronics, and computation will radically change our approach to health care. This new generation of medical systems holds the promise of delivering better quality health care while reducing medical costs.

The revolution in personal medicine is rooted in fundamental research in microelectronics from materials to sensors, to circuit and system design. This knowledge has already fueled the semiconductor industry to transform society over the last four decades. It provided the key technologies to continuously increase performance while constantly lowering cost for computation, communication, and consumer electronics. The processing power of current smart phones, for example, allows for sophisticated signal processing to extract information from this sensor data. Data analytics can combine this information with other patient data and medical records to produce actionable information customized to the patient’s needs. The aging population, soaring healthcare costs, and the need for improved healthcare in developing nations are the driving force for the next semiconductor industry’s societal transformation, Medical Electronic Devices.

The successful realization of such a vision also demands innovations in the usability and productivity of medical devices, and new technologies and approaches to manufacture devices. Information technology is a critical component of the intelligence that will enhance the usability of devices; real-time image and signal processing combined with intelligent computer systems will enhance the practitioners’ diagnostic intuition. Our research is at the intersection of Design, Healthcare, and Information Technology innovation. We perform fundamental and applied research in the design, manufacture, and use of medical electronic devices and create enabling technology for the future information-driven healthcare system.

The MEDRC has established a partnership between microelectronics companies, medical device companies, medical professionals, and MIT to collaboratively achieve needed radical changes in medical device architectures, enabling continuous monitoring of physiological parameters such as cardiac vital signs, intracranial pressure, and cerebral blood flow velocity. Since its founding in 2011, MEDRC has grown from 2 to 5 sponsoring companies with several other companies in serious discussions. There are currently fifteen MEDRC funded research projects that are defined by ten MIT faculty, ten clinicians, and our sponsoring companies supporting approximately twenty students. A visiting scientist from a project’s sponsoring company is present at MIT. Ultimately this individual is the champion that helps translate the technology back to the company for commercialization and provide the industrial viewpoint in the realization of the technology. MEDRC projects have the advantage of insight from the technology arena, the medical arena, and the business arena, thus significantly increasing the chances that the devices will fulfill a real and broad healthcare need as well as be profitable for companies supplying the solutions. With a new trend toward increased healthcare quality, disease prevention, and cost-effectiveness, such a comprehensive perspective is crucial.

In addition to the strong relationship with MTL, MEDRC is associated with MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), that has been charged to serve as a focal point for researchers with medical interest across MIT. MEDRC has been able to create strong connections with the medical device and microelectronics industry, venture-funded startups, and the Boston medical community. With the support of MTL and IMES, MEDRC will serve as the catalyst for the deployment of medical devices that will reduce the cost of healthcare in both the developed and developing world.