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Innovating to Prevent Neglected Diseases

Jul-16-11 By Aminda
Last month, German health authorities identified the most likely source of the deadly E. coli bacteria that killed 22 people and made more than 2,000 ill across Europe.
With this development, came the release of the genomic data to the international community for ‘crowdsourcing’ alongside a site for people to download up-to-date analyses and a Twitter feed.
From that data, BGI and the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology have developed a PCR-based diagnostic protocol to rapidly identify the outbreak strain. They have released a detailed protocol of the method and will provide the designed and synthesised primers free to any disease control and research agency worldwide.

The Future of Global Healthcare Innovation

Jul-15-11 By Aminda
The race is on to improve healthcare systems and there are plenty of opportunities for innovators to get involved.
Private-Government Connections
In the U.S., a private sector-government partnership called Health 2.0  is focused on using government data sets to build apps that will make information more accessible, encouraging disease prevention and improving the quality of health care.    
There are several ways to participate. Health 2.0 sponsors events such as online code-a-thons and in person conferences. Upcoming conferences will be held in San Francisco in September and Berlin in October.

A Challenge to Big Pharma

Jun-28-11 By Aminda
As discussed in a recent post, medical industry innovation is a hot topic. From making the patient experience better through communication to moving the drug development process into the future, like companies like Sanofi are doing. Sanofi is using technology licensed from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary along with a development pact with Audion Therapeutics to combat hearing loss. The goal is to discover small molecules to treat hearing loss through regenerative medicine. There are currently no disease-modifying prescription drugs for hearing loss, which affects nearly a third of people aged 65 to 74 and half of those over 75

Advances in Patient Care

Jun-27-11 By Aminda
The field of medicine development and medical care seems to have no end to the potential for innovative solutions for making it better: more effective, more efficient, more accessible. This year, several U.S. based initiatives have focused on improving health care through advancements in information management.

Creative Governments – Part 2

Jun-22-11 By Aminda
Yesterday’s post highlighted some political organizations around the globe that are creatively adapting practices to today’s technologies. However, a recent report indicates that despite these efforts, most governments still have room to grow. The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council this year published a report titled The Future of Government: Lessons Learned from Around the World. The report makes recommendations for governments striving to adapt to today’s complex, fast-changing environment.

Innovation Important to Global CEO’s

Jun-08-11 By Aminda
The unsurprising results from a global CEO survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers indicate that innovation, along with increasing their existing business, now outstrips all other means of potential expansion, including moving into new markets, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures and other alliances. Nearly 80 percent of CEOs surveyed believe innovation will generate ‘significant’ new revenue and cost reduction opportunities over the next three years.

The Impact of Business on Education

May-28-11 By Aminda
Social media and public crowdsourcing of ideas has become the norm for tasks from deciding if you’re ready to have children, to making decisions on business strategies. We're not only used to asking input from others but also to being able to give our opinion on just about anything. Given this shift, it’s interesting to ask what the impact will be on future generations and the education system.

Recruiting the Next Generation of Innovators

May-27-11 By Aminda
For graduating American university students, the good news is that many companies plan to hire more entry-level workers this year than last. Unfortunately, while the job market is improving, many grads are still finding it tough to get work. Creativity, connections and hard work are imperative to standing out from the competition.
Businesses are also recognizing that recruiting the best from the next generation requires a different approach. Ketchum, a global communications firm, created a unique open innovation community for college students that has proven to not only be a valuable service for their clients but a valuable recruiting tool as well.

The Creation Challenge

May-25-11 By Aminda
The legendary, 30-year old story of the race between Xerox and Apple to revolutionize the PC industry has been exposed to new light in a recent New Yorker piece titled The Creation Myth which chronicles Steve Job’s 1979 visit to Xerox’s innovation center and how it changed his direction for Apple’s next generation of personal computers.

Comparing Corporate and Consumer Innovation

May-19-11 By Aminda
The New York Times recently reported on a large-scale survey of consumer innovation, financed by the British government. What the team discovered, was that the amount of money individual consumers spent making and improving products was more than twice as large as the amount spent by all British firms combined on product research and development over a three-year period.