Point-of-Care Technology Research Network: An evolving model for collaborative translational research in biomedical engineering

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Penny Ford Carleton, Consortium for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology; Steve Schachter, Consortium for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology; Tiffani Bailey Lash, National Institutes of Health; Jue Chen, National Institutes of Health; Todd Merchak, National Institutes of Health; Oliver Brand, Emory University; Bryan Buchholz, University of Massachusetts; Charlotte Gaydos, Johns Hopkins University; Wilbur Lam, Emory University; Yukari Manabe, Johns Hopkins University; Gregory Martin, Emory University; Sally McFall, Northwestern University; David McManus, Univ Massachusetts; Robert Murphy, Northwestern University; John Parrish, Consortium for Improving Medicine with Innovation & Technology
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-09-01
• Publisher: ELSEVIER
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cobme.2019.10.011
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
• Volume: 11
• Start Page: 145
• End Page: 148
• Grant/Funding Information: C-THAN is “supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Fogarty International Center and the Office of AIDS Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54EB027049. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”; Appropriate funding sources need to be acknowledged, including all theU54 Center grants, and the grants to the coordinating center.; Additional support for DDM was provided by NIH grants U54HL143541, R01HL126911, R01HL126911, R01HL137734, R01HL137794, R01HL135219, R01HL141434, and National Science Foundation grant NSF-12-512. DDM has received research support from Apple, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Flexcon, Samsung, Pfizer, Philips, Biotronik, and Boehringer Ingelheim. DDM has received consulting fees or honoraria from Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Samsung Electronics, and FlexCon.
• Keywords: Point-of-Care; Collaboration; Technology; Network; Engineering; Science & Technology; Translational research; Engineering, Biomedical; Innovation

Abstract

As the healthcare system evolves from a centralized, hospital- and office-based model to an emphasis on patient-centric care delivered in decentralized settings from the community and/or home to low resource settings domestically and internationally, some Point-of-Care Technologies (POCT) have become important and others may soon become important in facilitating care. These portable diagnostic and monitoring devices enable moving care closer to the patient. We review recent developments in a national model to accelerate the development of POCT, specifically the Point-of-Care Technology Research Network (POCTRN), comprising a multi-center scientific network supported by a coordinating center. We summarize the history of the Network, and then describe the primary objectives and key activities of the Network and highlight the role of a new coordinating center providing administrative and infrastructure support. POCTRN is committed to building evidence-based best practices for high-quality translation and commercialization in biomedical engineering to maximize clinical impact of Point-of-Care Technologies.