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Hackers had their day at BIO 2015 conference

Computer hacking is still generally frowned upon. But hackathons, once the province of programmers and cool coders, have spread like viruses to almost every human domain, even health care.

Shirlene Liew of MIT Hacking Medicine (far left) leads a group discussion on retaining and engaging patients in clinical trials for testing drugs at the BIO International 2015 convention. (DAVID SELL/Staff)
Shirlene Liew of MIT Hacking Medicine (far left) leads a group discussion on retaining and engaging patients in clinical trials for testing drugs at the BIO International 2015 convention. (DAVID SELL/Staff)Read more

Computer hacking is still generally frowned upon. But hackathons, once the province of programmers and cool coders, have spread like viruses to almost every human domain, even health care.

No gathering seemingly can exist without one, even if the brainstorming mostly uses such old-school materials as paper and Post-it notes instead of laptops.

Such was the case Thursday when the new MIT Hacking Medicine Institute held a four-hour Idea Hack on the final day of BIO International 2015 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The BIO convention this week attracted people in biotech, pharmaceutical, and other health-care industries. Creating molecules for a new medicine is cutting-edge technology, but other parts of drug discovery, much less health care overall, have been technology averse. Aside from fear of new things, the reasons include the payment system and patient privacy concerns.

And while there has been an explosion of digital apps and devices, co-founder Zen Chu said the nonprofit institute began because "we are tired of waiting for other institutions to lead a forum to decide how to measure digital health and 'digiceuticals' outcomes and what's working best."

Shirlene Liew of MIT Hacking Medicine led one hacking group Thursday that included Doylestown resident Michael O'Brien, president of the clinical trials division of New York-based AMC Health. The group discussed what type of device or app might keep more patients in clinical trials, which are essential to test for safety and efficacy before the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug.

"I've seen the same problem with all studies; it is difficult to enroll and retain patients and collect data that is relevant to making the drug significantly different than other ones," O'Brien said.

Liew spurred and focused the discussion, scribbling ideas on notes until her fingers were blue with Sharpie ink.

"I killed a Twitter bird," she joked.

Liew grew up in Singapore, got mechanical engineering degrees at Brown and Stanford, and now is pursuing a second master's degree in the MIT System and Design Management Program.

After attending a more computer-oriented hackathon, where participants had to make something of a data dump, Liew joined a health-care hackathon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"What got me hooked was that someone came to the stage and said, 'My wife is a nurse. She comes home from work grumpy because patients don't know how to show appreciation, directly and appropriately,' " Liew said.

Saying "thank you," is the obvious solution, but some patients are overwhelmed during treatment and forget their nurse's name once discharged. Sending cookies to all nurses on a floor doesn't give the individual nurse direct and positive feedback for exceptional care. Starting with the question of "How to help patients thank their providers," Liew's group devised a digital way of connecting former patients with their nurses.

"I got hooked because it is such a happy problem to solve," she said.

Because such idea sessions are often meant to solve a problem and potentially generate a profit, the eight groups at Thursday's session presented their solutions in 60-second elevator pitches. Some stood and held the 2-foot by 3-foot sheets of paper with Post-it notes attached.

Drexel anesthesiologist Anita Gupta was in a group with Laval University entrepreneur Yves Plourde, who did have a laptop and used his iPhone to make slides for the presentation.

"We hacked the hackathon," Gupta said with a laugh. Their group strategized how to use digital technology to interpret genetic data for the average doctor and patient.

"I do genetic testing, but people say to me, 'What are you talking about, Dr. Gupta,' " Gupta said. "Most people can't even interpret the information and apply it to patient care. It's a big problem. With all the genetic testing that is going on, people are struggling to absorb all that information."