ARM chief gives biotech vision

SAN FRANCISCO — Smaller and more powerful embedded microprocessors will play a key role in the transformation of health care through biotechnology, said the head of ARM Ltd. in a speech Wednesday at the Embedded Systems Conference.

ARM, which sells processor core designs to makers of chips used in mobile phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), printers, and other devices, expects to see its technology becoming even more embedded in peoples’ lives, said Robin Saxby, executive chairman of ARM, based in Cambridge, England.

“There are some nice little gadgets. This will enable us to get a lot more ARM processors in your body. It is possible,” Saxby quipped to a few hundred developers who filled a hall at the conference here.

Being able to pack more intelligence into smaller processors with lower power requirements is making health monitoring easier, can enhance senses such as vision and hearing, and can revolutionize disease treatment, he said.

Drawing on examples both currently available and in development, many built with ARM-based microprocessors, Saxby envisioned a bright future for the use of IT in medicine.

Early examples include the use of smart cards for a patient’s medical records and the use of handheld devices and tablet PCs by doctors and nurses to access and input information over a wireless network. Information input is going beyond those everyday devices, though: A “data knife” that uses an ARM-based processor has sensors in the blade for analyzing the tissues being cut, Saxby said.

However, chips will also find their way into devices that stay with — or in — the patient. For example, a person with diabetes can wear a patch that detects their current blood glucose level through “micropores” about the size of a human hair that are surgically created in the skin. In the future, diabetics may be able to read that level just by checking a wristwatch. Aerosol dispensers already exist for people with diabetes to breathe in insulin rather than using a needle, and the next generation will keep track of dosages so the user won’t lose track, he said. Eventually, it should be possible to implant an insulin pump in the person’s body that will automatically dispense the right amount of insulin in the blood, he said.

Likewise, a future monitor could be inserted in the body and record information about the heart in a repeating “loop” for as long as 14 months, he said.

There is also help on the way for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. A “brain pacemaker” now in limited use sends weak electric shocks to the brain on a regular basis. A similar implanted device could give ongoing relief for chronic pain, Saxby added. A key remaining issue for implanted devices is battery life, because changing a battery requires surgery.

Embedded microprocessors may even help restore damaged eyesight and hearing. Saxby discussed a system under development that would use an electrode in the eye to send signals to the brain. Also on the way are technologies that can serve as a “bionic ear” for people with various kinds of ear damage.

The new medical technology could have broad benefits, Saxby said. Home health monitoring systems can make patients happier by minimizing the number of days they need to spend in a hospital, a move that also could cut costs dramatically. In addition, automation and better information systems, as well as biometric identification systems in hospitals, could cut the number of mistakes made in health care, he said.