Rapid advances in medical technology, and the increasing need to store and rapidly access data are making sensors an important part of the medical landscape. At the Medical Sensors Design Conference June 25 through 26 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, attendees will learn about the impact current and future sensor technologies will have on the medical world.

Sensors in wearables and other medical electronics systems continue to transform the availability of healthcare at one’s fingertips, while clinicians and patients benefit from the value of real-time data they can now receive. The conference will provide insight from experts on case studies and real-world applications. Not surprisingly, wearables will be a frequently covered topic, with themes such as battery-powered wearable fitness, medical grade wearables and wearable sensors. Additionally, a few sensor subjects include biosensors, critical care sensor devices, low-power sensors and sensors currently in clinical trials. Other conference topics include artificial intelligence, drug delivery, non-contact measurement, and the future of healthcare.

Here are a few highlights of the keynote and technical sessions at the conference:

Keynote: Making Sense of Security and Applications in Sensors for Medical Devices

Rapid growth in IoT sensors for medical device applications will continue as these sensors play a role in monitoring vital signs, providing notifications and giving data to different IoT platforms. In this Monday Keynote Session, Michael Sullivan, Senior Editor of BCC Research, will explain how sensors can provide a broader sense of quality information to the medical field and how end-users will have more interactivity with the data they receive. The session will also address the security challenges that go hand-in-hand with technology and online data.

Ultra-Small Catheter Sensors and Sub-Assemblies for FFR and Other Medical Applications

There is now a high-demand for minimally invasive medical procedures, which in turn will boost the need for catheters in areas such as cardiovascular, urology and specialty catheters. In this Monday afternoon session, Dr. Nickolai Belov, Wafer Fab Engineering Manager of Amphenol NovaSensor, will provide an overview of the basic design, fabrication process and performance of a family of ultra-small assembly-friendly MEMS piezoresistive sensors suitable for wide variety of applications, It will include examples from manufacturers such as Boston Scientific and Tanaka, including pressure sensors for Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and force sensors that detect contact with tissue.

AI and IoT in Healthcare: Identifying Key Value Drivers

Despite the constant hype of AI and IoT, there are few real-world applications that utilize these elements. In this Monday session, Wasim Malik,  Chief Digital Strategist of Roivant Sciences, will discuss the impact that AI and IoT approaches have on the science and business world. Malik will discuss how wearable sensing and automated diagnostics can provide pertinent information to drug development in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Keynote: Transforming Care Models and Business Models with Digital Medicines

In this Tuesday Keynote, David O’Reilly, Chief Platform Officer of Proteus Digital Health, will discuss the emergence of digital medicine, using the example of ABILIFY MYCITE, developed by Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Proteus. The companies created the first NDA for a medicine that included an ingestible sensor approved by the U.S. FDA, representing a new way to treat patients with severe mental illness. The digital medicine provided a new business model for the pharmaceutical industry based on the convergence of medications with hardware, software and analytics. O’Reilly will provide insights on the opportunities for digital medicine, and the upcoming challenges for developing products and commercializing them in the medical field.

Wearable Health: The Next Generation of Monitoring

The global market for medical wearables is projected to be nearly $12 billion by 2021, according to Markets and Markets. In this Tuesday session, a panel t will discuss wearables used in clinical settings that track and manage different conditions such as pregnancy, heart disease and diabetes. They will also address the challenges associated with wearables such as accuracy, regulatory hurdles and security.

Managing Privacy & Security in an IoT World

This Tuesday panel session will discuss how cybersecurity and privacy are being tackled when it comes to sensor-based devices. They will address how cyberattacks motivate the design and production of medical devices, and the legal responsibility from all parties involved, including the users. The panel will offer guidance on privacy and security best practices for faster market adoption of medical sensors.