4. Bio-driven convergence

with Nanda Ramanujam¹

Because the field of biosciences lies at the intersection of biology and other scientific or technological disciplines, solutions to many important health problems are likely to emerge from a variety of innovative, sometimes seemingly unconnected, technological platforms. We term this special confluence bio-driven convergence. Here are some examples:

• Transferring medical data over communications networks (telemedicine)

• Using sensors and wireless technology to monitor patients outside the hospital setting or when the patient is mobile in the hospital (remote diagnostics)

• Cloning genes in plants and microorganisms to produce medicines and vaccines

• Using tiny semiconductor chips as miniaturized platforms for rapid DNA and other biochemical analysis (biochips)