Rush University Medical Center https://www.rush.edu now offers the FDA-approved medical device called “Proteus Discover” that pairs medication with an ingestible sensor the size of a grain of sand which works together with a wearable sensor patch and mobile app.
The sensor communicates with a programmed wearable sensor patch worn on the upper left side of the patient’s abdomen. Each time a patient swallows each sensor-enabled medicine, the patch can record personalized patient data such as average heart rate, steps, and sleep time.
Rush is the first healthcare provider in Illinois to offer Proteus Discover and one of only eight health systems across the country using the innovative medications. Right now, Rush is using Proteus Discover to help patients manage hypertension. If a patient misses a dose of their medicine, the patient will then receive a text notifying them that they need to take their medication.
Rush is also moving forward to help cancer patients. To do this, the medical center is greatly expanding their biorepository of tissue samples taken from cancer patients. The expansion is in collaboration with the technology company Tempus www.tempus.com which will house the biorepository in their headquarters in Chicago.
This project builds on Rush’s existing partnership with Tempus which provides genetic analysis of Rush cancer patients that helps to let them know their doctor’s treatment decision. Advances in genetic science and cancer care are enabling researchers and clinicians to design treatments for cancer which specifically can target genetic mutations that can play a role in the development of the disease.