Presentations featuring virtual reality medical device models, donated human hearts and various student medical device projects were featured Tuesday at the Design of Medical Devices Conference at the University Hotel on light-rail construction obstructed Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.
Ellis Meng, a University of Southern California researcher, talked about ongoing work to develop wireless, implantable "smart pumps" to better deliver therapy to specific areas of the body. For the past seven years, Meng has worked to bring together microtechnology and integrated circuitry in what she hopes will soon become a "closed system" pump that includes sensors to read just how much of a drug is being delivered.
It is all meant to give physicians a more precise way to help patients deal with chronic conditions. Meng said an estimated 50 percent of all Americans will suffer from some kind of chronic condition by 2030. The drug delivery market in 2008 was worth about $134.4 billion in 2008. Meng said estimates put the number at 196.4 billion in 2014.
