Proteus Biomedical has developed chip-in-a-pill technology that transmits patient data directly to a smartphone. Novartis has partnered with Proteus to investigate applications of this technology. C&EN senior editor Rick Mullin discusses how the nontraditional partnership is part of a larger trend.
A fascinating report from Science Friday on chips and cameras we might put on a pill so they could be swallowed for diagnostic purposes. Results would be transferred to an iPhone, and from there they could be sent to a doctor or shared wherever. (Dunno about that last. I've seen some devices on which the data is pretty well isolated and locked down.) I think I'd like to see technology like this used widely.