JMIR Publications released three feature News and Perspectives articles this week, covering an emerging application of drone delivery, the implications of AI tools used in early education, the nascent field of cancer neurotech, and the future of consumer wearable devices.
Drone Initiatives for Faster (and Cheaper) Transplant Organ Delivery
JMIR Correspondent Michelle Falci reports on recent efforts to deliver organs between medical facilities in " How Drones Can Connect Organ Donors With Recipients Faster ". According to kidney/pancreas transplant surgeon Dr. Mekhola Hoff of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, organ delivery is complicated by the distance between Edinburgh and other United Kingdom cities, often requiring transplant teams to "charter an expensive overnight flight and then navigate rush-hour traffic in the morning in order to connect a donor organ with a recipient", writes Falci, prompting Dr. Hoff's "own mission to incorporate drones into transplant logistics in the United Kingdom". Falci also speaks with Dr. Shaf Keshavjee on his initiative to connect Toronto Pearson International Airport with Toronto General Hospital with a drone corridor—which in 2021 successfully transported lungs for transplant—cutting down the last leg of the journey and minimizing the associated risks.
AI In the Classroom
In " Reckoning With AI in Primary and Secondary School Education: Impacts on Learning and Development Remain to Be Seen ", JMIR Correspondent Simon Spichak speaks with education researchers and one teacher on the rapid integration of AI tools in K-8 education. The implications of how these tools may affect childhood and adolescent development, writes Spichak, is so far poorly understood, though experts worry that their design—which measures success through engagement and allows users to offload cognitive tasks—is not appropriate for students, posing "risks to children's cognitive development, creativity, mastery of school subjects, and social and emotional development." One source, grade 6-8 teacher Sara Baldassar, emphasizes the importance of teaching AI literacy to children and training educators on how to do so effectively; another, researcher Mary Burns, says that moving too quickly to adopt AI into education may come at the cost of thoughtful integration.
Early Developments in Cancer Neuroscience Tech
Spichak reports on early cancer neurotechnology research and development in his second article this week: " Can Neurotech Help Tame Brain Tumors? " Following findings of electrical integration of brain tumours in neural circuits—meaning that tumour growth can be driven by neurological activity—"researchers and companies are developing neurotechnology to map and target hard-to-treat brain tumors," writes Spichak. These early developments include Dr. Nuri Ince's neural interface research, which could one day help surgeons map the areas of tissue around brain tumors with greater precision; the possibility that SetPoint Medical's vagus nerve stimulator device for cytokine reduction could also halt glioblastoma progression; and Coherence Neuro's in-progress brain implant to treat tumours via electrical stimulation and record their associated brain activity, potentially opening up the possibility of monitoring and predicting cancer initiation.
What's Next for Wearables
The consumer wearables industry may have measured itself into a corner, according to MedTech expert and strategist Blythe Karow in " From Measurement to Meaning: The Next Decade of the Quantified Self ". As wearable devices become increasingly sophisticated, collecting more kinds of physiological information and approaching medical-grade reliability, they also create what Karow calls an interpretation gap: an overabundance of data that consumers can't easily translate into meaningful knowledge or action. "The data is both too much and no longer enough," she writes. "It's exhausting. We don't only want data anymore, we want someone or something to help us crunch that data and figure out what it all means and what to do about it." What may need to come next, according to Karow, is for wearable platforms to begin interpreting the data in earnest, making "good on the health claims increasingly attached to their products"—signalling a shift in how consumer wearables could integrate into health care systems.
About JMIR Publications News and Perspectives
JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research. The News and Perspectives section is the newest addition to its portfolio, established to bring the rigor and integrity of academic publishing to scientific journalism. The section features well-researched, expert-driven content from the Scientific News Editor, Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD, and a network of specialist JMIR Publications Correspondents to keep the digital health community informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.
About JMIR Publications
JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research and a champion of open science. With a focus on author advocacy and research amplification, JMIR Publications partners with researchers to advance their careers and maximize the impact of their work. As a technology organization with publishing at its core, we provide innovative tools and resources that go beyond traditional publishing, supporting researchers at every step of the dissemination process. Our portfolio features a range of peer-reviewed journals, including the renowned Journal of Medical Internet Research.
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