Five Minutes in Healthcare is where I discuss current events with some of the industry's most influential leaders, as well as innovative thinkers who are working to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week I sat down with a friend who I've known for a long time, professor Michael Friebe. He is the kind of person who is always thinking about ways medical technology can be improved, so I asked him to tell me about some of his recent projects.

According to Michael, "innovation is invention times commercialization." Over the course of the conversation, we discuss five innovations he has been working on.


Easy Jector, a device that can save time administering contrast media in the MR suite.

Surgical Audio Guidance, where a microacoustic signal on the tip of a needle creates sound as it moves through tissue, supporting better placement within the body.

BodyTune, which uses biometric monitoring to measure activities like swallowing and coughing, creating a personalized baseline reading for individuals, which can be used to detect deviations over time, which may indicate changes in health.

RadPrint, which 3D prints radioactive material in the shape of a dermatological issue such as skin cancer, and can be applied directly to the area with a bandage for superficial treatment of the specific lesion.

Ultraclear, a gamma detector that combines with point-of-care ultrasound to allow for observing anatomical information along with molecular information. Use cases could include central lymph node biopsies or other procedures that use radiation as a guiding tracer.

We hope you enjoy the conversation. Please tell us what you think, and let us know who you would like to see interviewed next.