Big Data Healthcare, CSR, and Google's Next Driverless Car

Big Data Analytics Advancing the 'Precision Medicine' Field

Personalized or 'precision' medicine is not a new concept to healthcare experts, but until recently costs and logistics have made it out of reach for most consumers. However, the growth of big data analytics technologies, embraced by industry professionals is allowing personalized diagnoses through the use of genomics, predictive algorithms, and clinical analytics. There are already some interesting and broad scale applications of this interesection of technology, math, and health science:

• Mayo Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine study drug metabolism through genomics: This week, the two institutions announced they would study the underlying influence of genomics on drug metabolism, examining the DNA of 10,000 patients from May Clinic's data repository and focusing on 69 genes associated with drug metabolism and pharmaceutical reactions
• California invests $3 million in precision medicine demonstration projects: Governor Jerry Brown and UCSF have announced a $3 million investment in a new state-wide program called the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, which will start with two demonstration projects focused on identifying the genetic components of chronic disesase develoopment and drug effectiveness.

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Why Risk Managers Should Get Involved in Corporate Social Responsibility Programs

A new joint research report between RepRisk, a data provider of ESG risk analysis and metrics, and CSRHub, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ratings and information database, has found a correlation between perceived CSR performance and reputational risk. The data showed that companies with the most sources of sustainability ratings also tend to have the highest risk exposure, regardless of factors like company revenue or market capitalization. These sustainability rating sources can play a role in discovering and communicating corporate risk events. The report found that companies with strong CSR programs in the areas of human rights and supply chain, leadership ethics, and resource management seem to have lower risk exposure. Full story at Environmental Leader...

Next Iteration of Google's Driverless Car Hitting the Road this Summer

It looks a little bit like your toddler's pedal driven toy automobile, and it has no gas pedal or steering wheel: It's Google's protoype driverless automobile, the first built from scratch with the intended purpose of self-driving. Set to drive on public roads, mostly around Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters, 25 prototype "pods" will be tested this summer. The cars will not carry passengers, as they don't possess the specifications to do so per California law, but are intended more to educate the local population and help eliminate the fear of future driverless commuting. "This vehicle is really all about us learning," said Chris Umson, who directs Google's self-driving car project, "This vehicle could go on the freeway, but when we think about introducing technology, we want to do that very thoughtfully and very safely." Full story at Manufacturing.net...

Samsung Enters IoT Market with Low-Cost Chips

Consumer tech giant Samsung has unveiled Artik, a new platform built around a family of low-cost, low-energy chips optimized for IoT use. Currently designed to run between Samsung appliances, with the $15 billion investment Samsung is investing in IoT R&D, the company has its sights set much more broadly than just this arena.

Be sure to join us this coming Tuesday, May 19 at 1:00 pm EDT for a free webinar that dives deep into the Internet of Things as it applies to industry, what's holding it back, what the misconceptions are, and what manufacturers need to do to reach the next stage in ther IoT journey.