PORTLAND — The world has entered a period of technological revolution that will reshape a range of industries, Idexx Laboratories founder David Shaw told about 200 business people Wednesday at a breakfast hosted by the Portland Regional Chamber.

Shaw, who now runs the Black Point Group, a private equity firm, said advances in information technology, the rise of the Internet and mobile communications, and a better understanding of genetics will reshape health care.

Soon, doctors will be practicing personalized medicine and identifying gene variations in individual patients. It won’t be long, he said, until mobile devices like smart phones can monitor blood pressure, heart arrhythmia and drug compliance.

Shaw said such technology may help treat diseases like cancer, diabetes and depression.

Although Maine is home to a few health care and biotechnology organizations — Idexx, The Jackson Laboratory and ImmuCell, for example — some who attended Wednesday’s Eggs & Issues breakfast said Maine has a shortage of workers with the high-tech engineering skills needed by expanding companies.

“At the rate we are graduating engineers, we will not be able to maintain the current work force,” said University of Maine Dean of Engineering Dana Humphrey after the event.

Humphrey said the lack of workers with the right skills may lead companies to move out of Maine. “If you can’t grow here, you grow somewhere else,” he said.

Humphrey said the number of engineering students enrolled in Maine is at a record level, but universities need financial assistance from government to meet the demand.

“We are pedaling the bike as fast as we can,” he said.

Jonathan Hemmerdinger can be reached at 791-6316 or:

jhemmerdinger@mainetoday.com

 

Copy the Story Link