Futuristic Diagnostic Tools to Help Healthcare Professionals

The first University-Industry Cooperative Research Venture, Conecson Co., Ltd. has been officially launched at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea, on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016.

The inauguration ceremony took place in the afternoon and was attended by President SungChul Bae of Academy Industry Research Corporation (AIRC), Hoon Kang of Commercializations Promotion Agency for R&D Outcomes, and associates from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

This joint venture, established by Prof. Woonggyu Jung (School of Life Sciences) of UNIST in conjunction with Adic Co., Ltd. has recently developed a new diagnostic system that is connected to a mobile platform to collect medical data and patient diagnosis information. Their new portable medical tablet pc, UNI-Pad, enables the transmission of medical data from patients directly to health professionals.

Prof. Jung states, “Information and communication technologies (ICT) are being widely used in the healthcare industry and there has been also the rapid advancements in ICT-based medical services and systems.” He continues, “Soon virtual physician visits will replace many office visits in the near future.”

Conecson’s new diagnostic system can turn any smartphone into a portable medical diagnostic device. Moreover, when compared to the current endoscopic tools, their mobile device based instruments are 50% cheaper. Also, with the recent development of their own Android app for endoscope, the sharing of patient diagnosis information has become more convenient. Soon, it can be used at home, clinical or remote settings, and send you a diagnosis including a suggestion for a medication or a recommendation to see a doctor within minutes.

In recognition of this, Conecson has obtained research grants of 1.35 billion won last December from Commercializations Promotion Agency for R&D Outcomes to support the next five years of medical-based R&D.

“To revive stagnant economy, promoting biomedical industries in Ulsan is pivotal,” says Prof. Jung. He adds, “We hope that Conecson can lead the biomedical market with its advanced technology. This will, in turn, create more employment in the region.”

Currently, this device can take blood pressure readings, pulse, temperature, and electrocardiogram. By 2018, they plan to commercialize this to be used in diagnosis of oxygen saturation level, ear drums, nasal cavity, heart and lung sounds, and ultrasonic waves. This is going to reduce the costs of high-level healthcare and make it much more accessible.