© Sierra Wireless. All rights reserved.
top
The company developed devices that use electric fields to disrupt cell division and inhibit the growth of brain tumors.
The company needed a solution that allowed it to transmit data securely from its medical devices to a clinical operation center. In particular, the company was looking to simplify development, connect globally and lower the cost of data transmission.
The company developed an innovative new therapy for treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a malignant and lethal form of brain tumour found in adults.
This approach uses electric fields tuned to the frequency range of 100-300kHz to penetrate cancer cells that are dividing and then disrupt their processes. The company’s portable medical device delivers these alternating electric fields through a series of attachments placed on the patient’s scalp that are specially configured to target the tumour area. By using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, data from the device is then transmitted back to a clinical operation center where a number of patient indicators can be monitored.
By inhibiting tumour growth, the device has been shown to increase survival rates in people with newly diagnosed GBM. Also, this approach does not damage healthy cells, side-effects are reduced, giving patients a better quality of life when receiving treatment.
The device provides an innovative approach to cancer therapy that is transforming patient’s lives. However, as the company looks to expand around the world, it has a number of IoT challenges to overcome in order to optimize the performance of its equipment and maximize patient benefits.
The device requires secure and stable connectivity layer to ensure there is no break in the transmission of data to back-end systems.
As the company expands its geographic footprint, connectivity is becoming more complex. Different countries have their own network providers and pricing plans. Managing multiple SIMs across a range of territories is both challenging and a drain on resources – Europe alone has hundreds of separate operators. When it comes to global deployment, there can also be issues with reliability, due to localized network disruptions or coverage gaps. These may require local troubleshooting in order to get back online, which can be costly and difficult to organize. The company wanted a simple way to connect its devices anywhere in the world, with a single platform to manage them all.
Finally, patient data is sensitive and confidential and the company needed an IoT solution that ensured the highest standards of security. Cellular connectivity is both highly secure and data is encrypted by default which helps provide an extra layer of protection.
By leveraging Smart Connectivity by Sierra Wireless, the company was able to build a reliable, easy-to-manage global solution for its products.
Smart Connectivity solution includes a single global SIM that securely connects to cellular networks in 190+ countries. This has made it easier for the company to deploy its devices around the world as it only has one SIM vendor to manage.
The Smart Connectivity solution also provides an extremely resilient connection wherever the devices are deployed. Sierra Wireless’s Core Network maintains secure access to multiple networks in each country. As a result, we are able to eliminate local coverage gaps. Sierra also maintains direct lines to all of the major network operators around the world, so if there is an outage, we can pro-actively troubleshoot the situation, this has taken the burden and cost of local management away from the company.
All of Sierra’s solutions are built from the ground-up with security in mind. Our e-SIMs are designed to be concealed so as to prevent tampering or theft. We also have SSL encryption in our SIMs and at our multiple points of presence (POPs), which combines with encryption capabilities in the cloud to provide end-to-end integrated protection for sensitive data.
NAM
Patient Monitoring
Connectivity
Other
Smart Connectivity
© Sierra Wireless. All rights reserved.