Hacking Event Reveals Patient Outcomes

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ‘Hacking Medicine’ event, the first to take place in Ireland, was held at DCU Alpha (Dublin City University’s Innovation Campus) during September, with nine teams competing to develop their new concepts in treatment outcomes for patients.
 
3R, a post-stroke recovery and rehabilitation platform for assisting and monitoring rehabilitation of stroke victims in their own homes, beat off strong competition from eight other teams to claim the top spot.  The team behind the project intend to meet with the relevant stakeholders including patient groups to see how the concept could be rolled out in the near future.
 
Over 100 participants competed in the Hackathon, part of the Dublin 2016 International Biopharma Ambition Convention, organised by Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), BioPharmaChem Ireland (BPCI) and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) in partnership with DCU Alpha.
 
The nine teams, were supported by 37 mentors from a variety of sectors including biopharma, health, technology, and software. The judging panel for the event included John Pugh, Accenture Digital UK & Ireland Innovation Lead for Life Sciences, Kieran Daly, CTO & Co-Founder at Health Beacon, Audrey McDonnell, CEO & Founder of Vanguard Health and Gerald Kierans, Director of Technical Services at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals

Commenting at the event, MIT Hacking Medicine Co-Director, Khalil Ramadi said; “We were delighted to bring the MIT Hacking Medicine concept to Ireland for the first time, and have to commend all of the teams that participated.  Each came with great ideas and worked all weekend to deliver really impressive concepts and pitches.”

Matt Moran, Director of BioPharmaChem Ireland added; “The biopharma industry in Ireland is all about innovation, with over 25,000 talented people within the industry in Ireland, delivering innovative solutions to patients both here and globally.  We are delighted to have MIT Hacking Medicine and DCU Alpha work with us on this event to demonstrate innovation in this sector at its best, with the ultimate goal to improve patients’ lives.”