Biologists and physicians notorious for cyberphobia, but this year's TR100 honorees in biotechnology and medicine are erasing that stereotype—and the boundaries between the life sciences and information technology along with it. Many are pioneering fields intimately connected with or influenced by computing, areas as diverse as bioinformatics and brain-computer interfaces. Some of the most exciting advances are happening in electronic health care, synthetic biology, and ultrasensitive diagnostics. With the addition of computers," I see the whole medical process being very different—much less haphazard, much more rational," says Colin Hill, founder of Gene Network Sciences, which uses computer models of cells to predict how well potential drugs will work."Ultimately, I see this future world of medicine where doctors can measure molecular activity in the body, feed it into a computer model, and determine the right treatment for the person." Even before that day arrives, mobile computing will change the nature of medical practice, says Vikram Kumar, a resident at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. He believes that simple, portable computer programs can encourage people to adhere to treatment regimens—one of the biggest challenges in medicine today. As a medical student, Kumar started a company called Dimagi to develop such tools. One example is a PDA-based game that helps diabetic kids understand how their behavior affects their blood-glucose levels. Kumar hopes that one day his management systems, combined with cheap, at-home diagnostic tests that give patients up-to-the-minute data on their physical conditions, will keep people with chronic ailments from landing in the hospital. "The biggest dream I have is that one day we can close all the hospitals," he says.
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