KC Business Journal: Children's Mercy Investigates Medical, Research Use for Smartglasses
Potential benefits of the technology could include 3D surgical planning and drug design, as well as visual explanation of medical issues
By Elise Reuter
Mark Hoffman pulled up a 3-D model of a protein in his office. With a small gesture, he could rotate the floating model, or remove its bumpy surface to reveal the spiraling ribbon structure underneath.
That's because Hoffman, chief research information officer for Children's Mercy, had donned a pair of Microsoft Hololens smartglasses. After two years of work with the tech, he's investigating its potential for better understanding gene mutations, surgical planning and drug design.
Hololens is a transparent headset that displays 3-D images in the surrounding space, alluding to the idea of a hologram. Hoffman said they first began experimenting with the technology about two years ago.
"We see huge potential for visualizing molecules," Hoffman told the Kansas City Business Journal. "You can better understand the scope of what you're working with."
The technology can help Hoffman and his team better understand how different proteins work, by examining the how a potential mutation might change the protein's structure, or identify potential sites for a drug to bind to its surface.
Read the full article via the Kansas City Business Journal.
Learn more about the Children's Research Institute at Children's Mercy.