An AS$20 million grant from the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF) has been awarded to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Imperial College in London to develop ways to better protect health data and wearable devices.
Imperial’s new overseas research center, Imperial Global: Singapore, is collaborating with NTU Singapore researchers on the IN-CYPHER program to “address existing security challenges and protect new sensing technologies and their data from breaches”. They are cooperating, the press statement said. . Ultimately, the aim is to position Singapore as a “world leader in medical cybersecurity and medical AI.”
“Data and AI offer great potential to improve healthcare around the world, but the rapid adoption of technology brings risks and challenges. More data is needed to reach an era of truly personalized healthcare. As we incorporate more and more technology, our “attack surface” for both increases. There is a risk of leakage of devices and sensitive data,” said Professor Anil Anthony Bharath of Imperial University, who is co-leading his IN-CYPHER program with Professor Liu Yang of NTU Singapore.
The four-year grant will support research that could potentially be applied to a wide range of medical devices, including continuous blood glucose monitors, smart electronic skin patches, and activity monitors.
larger context
More and more medical devices are being connected to hospitals, home networks, and the Internet. For example, in public health facilities in Singapore, approximately 15%, or more than 16,000 medical devices, have internet connectivity. This increased connectivity allows for improved patient monitoring inside and outside the hospital, but it also increases cybersecurity risks, compromising patient personal and medical data and disrupting treatment protocols and hospital operations.
To increase the level of cybersecurity of medical devices available in the country, the Cyber Security Authority of Singapore last year announced a cybersecurity labeling scheme for medical devices. The system, which is currently voluntary, encourages manufacturers to take a security-by-design approach when creating products. It also helps healthcare providers and consumers make informed purchasing decisions by identifying products according to cybersecurity regulations.
Interestingly, a recent report by the Asia-Pacific Healthcare Technology Association and LEK Consulting that looked at the cybersecurity landscape across the Asia-Pacific region found that: Customize and evaluate medical devices for telemedicine based on risk level rather than a comprehensive assessment. This is because devices connected to the network are at a higher risk of data leakage than devices that are not connected. “Thus, for medical devices with a low risk level, a less rigorous evaluation process can be applied to ensure sufficient innovation and competition in the remote care medical device market,” the report said.
The report also noted that data transfer policies remain unstable and existing cybersecurity frameworks across the region are not suitable for telemedicine. This report calls for a “targeted approach” in aligning these cybersecurity frameworks to support telehealth management to better mitigate the risk of cyber incidents and protect patient data. ” was raised.
The medical device cybersecurity market is expected to become more profitable and valuable as healthcare systems become more exposed to cybersecurity threats as healthcare systems become more integrated and dependent on medical devices. It has been. $1.1 billion by 2027growing at a CAGR of 12% from 2022.
Meanwhile, IN-CYPHER is Imperial Global: Singapore’s first research program to help scientists “rapidly scale up” new scientific advances and technologies for further commercialization across Southeast Asia. It is an object.
The center is located at the NRF Campus for Research Excellence and Technology Enterprise and builds on Imperial and NTU Singapore’s long-standing partnership. They founded the Lee Kong Chian University of Medicine in 2010 and established the virtual NTU-Imperial Health, Sustainability and Technology Hub. In 2022.
Imperial’s academic connections extend beyond NTU Singapore. It is also collaborating with Singapore’s National Center for Infectious Diseases on pandemic preparedness and response.