Research & Technology

October 18, 2021

Spectrum Health – Michigan State University Partnership to Study New Treatment Options for Cystic Fibrosis

July 28, 2021

Spectrum Health First in Nation to Treat Epilepsy Patient with New Device

Grand Rapids, Mich., July 28, 2021 – Spectrum Health has employed a new and sophisticated medical device to ease some symptoms associated with medically refractory epilepsy and certain movement disorders, making it the first hospital in the nation to use the device to treat a patient with epilepsy and the first in the state of […]

February 2, 2021

Spectrum Health Offers COVID-19 Treatments to Promote Recovery

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 2, 2021 – Spectrum Health West Michigan will open an infusion clinic at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital on Feb. 10 that uses monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19 under a U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization.    The infusion treatment features Eli Lilly’s Bamlanivimab and Regeneron’s Casirivimab and Imdevimab combination. Bamlanivimab also is being used at Spectrum Health Lakeland to treat COVID-19 patients as part of their COVID-19 Medication Therapies […]

January 28, 2021

Spectrum Health Offers New Treatment for COPD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 28, 2021 – Spectrum Health is the first health system in West Michigan to offer targeted lung denervation, an investigational treatment option for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Targeted lung denervation (TLD) is a bronchoscopic intervention designed to disrupt pulmonary nerve reflexes, which may have the potential to […]

October 29, 2020

Spectrum Health Enrolling Patients in Clinical Trial for Inpatient COVID-19 Treatment

GRAND RAPIDS Mich., Oct. 29, 2020 – Spectrum Health is partnering with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to enroll patients into a clinical trial evaluating REGN-COV2, the company’s investigational antibody cocktail for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Spectrum Health is the only health system in West Michigan and one of only two in the state to offer […]

October 27, 2020

Spectrum Health to Participate in the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, the First of Its Kind for ALS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 27, 2020 – Spectrum Health is one of 54 sites of the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS), which has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with administering three proposed drug regimens in the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial – the first trial of its kind for amyotrophic […]

May 8, 2020

Minority Children with Cancer in PICU’s Show Higher Death Rates

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 8, 2020 – A new study led by Spectrum Health physician researchers shows that minority children with cancer admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) throughout the nation have higher death rates than their Caucasian counterparts. The study found that mortality rates for African American (8.5 percent) and Hispanic children (8.1 […]

January 15, 2020

New Study May Lead to Fewer Hysterectomies in Women with Uterine Fibroid Tumors

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 15, 2020–Uterine fibroid tumors are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the U.S., yet little is known about what causes them. A new study, however, has taken researchers one step closer to understanding how these tumors develop and grow. Researchers at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Van Andel […]

January 2, 2020

Study Describes a New Complication in Systemic Juvenile Arthritis

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 2, 2020 – A Spectrum Health rheumatologist took part in a multi-center study that is the first to describe a deadly set of complications of systemic juvenile arthritis (SJA). In the United States, up to 300,000 children have some form of arthritis or pediatric rheumatic disease. The most common type is […]

November 21, 2019

Attacking cystic fibrosis at its roots

November 6, 2019

New technique lays foundation for regenerative cardiac therapies

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Nov. 6, 2019 — Scientists have devised a technique to sort out which heart cells can replicate and which cannot, a critical step toward treatments that may one day help the heart heal itself after injury. The method, published in the journal Circulation Research, removes a significant roadblock to developing ways to regrow […]

October 16, 2019

MSU and Spectrum Health Researchers Team Up to Find New Treatments for “Orphan Diseases”

Grand Rapids, Mich., October 16, 2019 – The National Institutes of Health has awarded a Michigan State University researcher a $2.1 million, five-year grant to search vast databases of existing drugs. Many of the drugs are already approved for treating other disorders, but some could be adapted to treat what often are called “orphan diseases” […]

October 8, 2019

Spectrum Health Earns 2019 CHIME HealthCare’s Most Wired Recognition

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 8, 2019 – Spectrum Health is proud to be recognized as a 2019 College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Most Wired health care organization at a certified level nine. The Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively health care organizations apply core and advanced technologies into […]

April 11, 2019

OST and Spectrum Health Announce CareCircle to Keep Patients Connected to Loved Ones

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 11, 2019 – OST and Spectrum Health announce the launch of CareCircle, a software platform that helps patients communicate with loved ones as they make their way through their health care journey. OST, a Grand Rapids-based technology firm, developed the secure CareCircle website (www.carecircle.com) for patients to safely provide updates on […]

April 5, 2019

Spectrum Health Innovations technology awarded biomedical grant to improve patient care

October 19, 2018

Spectrum Health Ventures Invests in Gauss Artificial Intelligence Triton Technology to Better Identify Postpartum Bleeding

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 19, 2018 – Spectrum Health Ventures is joining nine other investors as part of a $20 million Series C investment in Gauss Surgical’s Triton artificial intelligence technology. Triton estimates patient blood loss in real time by using computer vision and machine learning algorithms to analyze images of surgical sponges and canisters. Triton […]

September 21, 2018

MSU-Spectrum Health Researchers Identify New Genetic Disorder

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 21, 2018 – Researchers from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and physicians from Spectrum Health have identified for the first time in a human patient a genetic disorder only previously described in animal models. The disorder is caused by mutations in a gene known as ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) and […]

June 12, 2018

Hunt for a Cure Foundation Provides Lead Gift of $500,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Research at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 13, 2018 – Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is pleased to announce the creation of a research partnership between Spectrum Health, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Hunt for a Cure Foundation that will help find a cure for cystic fibrosis patients. Today, the Hunt for a Cure […]

May 1, 2018

Spectrum Health joins NIH in launching the All of Us Research Program to advance precision medicine

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 1, 2018– On May 6, the National Institutes of Health will open national enrollment for the All of Us Research Program—a momentous effort to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds—in collaboration with Spectrum Health and other partners. People ages 18 and older, regardless of health status, […]

March 15, 2018

Spectrum Health Study Finds Delay in Initial Dementia Diagnosis

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 15, 2018 – A study conducted by a multidisciplinary Spectrum Health neurology team has found that dementia patients are not undergoing evaluation at the onset of the dementia process, a delay that prevents early, beneficial treatment. The study also suggests that home-based, patient-centered care may improve early screening and detection of dementia. […]