MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Steve Jobs, technology visionary and founder of Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL), passed away from complications tied to his long and public struggle with pancreatic cancer, but not without leaving his mark on health care.
Apple’s iPhone and iPad have become a regular presence in clinics, and apps designed to help patients and doctors manage care further blur the lines between entertainment technology and information technology.
Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple in August, saying only that "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know."
Click here to read about lessons that health care CIOs can learn from Steve Jobs.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the U.S. and globally, and the prognosis for patients is grim once the diagnosis is made, but there are several devices in the works that may be able to help.
Check out MassDevice’s list of five med-tech companies who have set their sights on pancreatic cancer and have developed tools to aid in the detection, monitoring and treatment that might have saved Steve Jobs’ life.
Human cloning creeps closer to reality, offers hope for stem cell treatments
Scientists created 13 early stage embryos that were partial clones of diabetic patients, marking the closest that science has come to cloning humans for therapeutic treatment, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Medtronic’s Ishrak says patients need economic value from their devices
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) CEO Omar Ishrak argued that medical devices need to demonstrate economic value to their patients, Industry Week reported.
Swiss company launches first commercially available robotic arm exoskeleton
Swiss med-tech company Hocoma unveiled the first commercially available robotic exoskeleton for neurorehabilitation of the arm, according to a press release.