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About WLSA
The Inspiration 
The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance is an exciting opportunity for life sciences and wireless companies to explore the many opportunities to use wireless technologies to advance the delivery of healthcare. We're working to close the major gap between wireless information technologies commonly used in other industries and the systems used by healthcare facilities and the pharmaceutical sector. Though health care consumes a greater proportion of the GDP of the United States than any other nation, the industry remains behind the country's other leading industries in the use of cost-saving information technologies. This disparity affects all sectors of the life sciences industry, including healthcare services, health care information technology, biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
The Alliance focuses special attention on the application of wireless cellular technology to enable new business models and business process improvements in all sectors of the life sciences industries, including the healthcare services, healthcare information technology, biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
Why Here?
San Diego is at the heart of the world's technology markets, a great portion of which is dedicated to wireless enterprises, making it the perfect focal point for the ongoing and expanding dialogue among companies, professionals, academia, entrepreneurs and capital sources on the convergences of wireless technologies, the life sciences and consumers.
Why Now?
Considering that over the course of a patient's care he or she may visit a number of facilities - including hospitals, off-site labs, outpatient centers, doctors' offices and imaging centers - doctors and other clinical staff spend a great deal of time, effort and money ensuring the timeliness and integrity of health information. Faxes, voicemail, e-mail and pages help, but they are outdated, unsynchronized methods that, faced with the rising costs in healthcare, generate unnecessary expenses that may be eliminated. Commercial and in-clinical-trial wireless solutions already in use for the life sciences include:
- monitors for glucose, EKG, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, calorie burn, activity level, and body mass index
- weight management/dieting pedometers
- dermatology diagnosis
- video teleconferencing
- EMS cardiac monitors communicating with cardiologists in hospitals
- RFID technology to ID patients
- storing and reading medical history in RFID implants
- patient, staff and asset tracking
- implanted pacemakers and defibrillators
- smart bandages (power, RF and processor on disposable bio-sensor pad) for EKGs, heart rate, skin temperature, pulse oximetry
- 24/7 EKG monitoring
- heart attack detection
- smart medication bottles
- medication dispensing
- ultrasound
- clinical trial diaries
- wound management via digital cameras
- medical devices to find patients, staff, Alzheimer's patients and kids
What’s Next?
It was a wonderful event with great networking value. The only suggestion I have is to add some investment elements to the mix, which will attract top management and make it more vibrant. San Diego is the epicenter of wireless technologies and a hotbed for biotech. There's a potential to establish this Summit as the event for high-caliber investors and companies in the wireless health area.
- Joel Zhou
Business Development Director, General Atomics
Read More >> Creative thinking, collaboration, and discussion are vital elements to technological innovation, progress, and market growth. The Alliance is dedicated to fostering relationships, cross-industry education, and the creation of business opportunities that will accelerate the convergence of these dynamic sectors. We look forward to providing these benefits to our members and creating a forum for our event attendees to share, learn, collaborate, and – accelerate!
For information on joining the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance or attending an event, please contact program director, Karen Winston, at Kwinston@connect.org.
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