Advancing Health Outcomes Through Technology

👋🏼 Healthcare Innovators ❤️

👉🏼 Here in case you missed last week edition: Tech Breakthroughs, Funding Surges, and Transformative Therapies

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🌐 Healthcare | News

FDA Establishes New Super Office for Digital Health and Cybersecurity

The FDA has elevated and expanded the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Technology Innovation (OST) into a "super office" to increase oversight of device cybersecurity, digital health, and supply chain issues. The reorganization creates 5 new offices and 14 divisions under the OST to raise the profile of digital health regulation and optimize efficiency. A new division dedicated solely to device cybersecurity will enhance preparedness and response. The changes support FDA's goals around health equity, innovation, and cybersecurity laid out in its MDUFA V commitments and 2022-2025 strategic priorities. The Digital Health Center of Excellence will also have greater prominence to drive responsible innovation in digital health. Read More

Reducing Newborn Deaths in Africa Enters Phase 2 with $65M

The NEST360 alliance has launched the second phase of its mission to reduce newborn mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, backed by $65 million in funding. In its initial 5-year phase across 4 countries, NEST360 helped improve care for 100,000 babies admitted annually.

Phase 2 will expand the network to 144 hospitals in 5 countries, including Ethiopia, aiming to impact UN SDG 3.2 to limit newborn deaths. Taking a systems approach, NEST360 focuses on 3 pillars: delivering innovative technologies suited for low-resource settings, establishing educational ecosystems to train healthcare workers, and implementing evidence-based care through data monitoring. With strategic partnerships across sectors, NEST360 exemplifies impactful collaboration to create sustainable improvements in African newborn health. Read More

L’Oréal Invests in Longevity Biotech

L’Oréal has acquired a minority stake in Swiss biotech Timeline through its venture capital fund BOLD. Timeline develops solutions to prolong longevity, spun out of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 2007. The company has created Mitopure, a molecule that rejuvenates aging mitochondria - the powerhouses of cells. Backed by 10+ years of research and multiple clinical studies. For L'Oreal, longevity is the next horizon for beauty and skin health. The investment enables potential future collaboration. L'Oreal continues biotech investments, acquiring water tech startup Gjosa last month. Other recent investments include Shanghaihigh Innovation and biotech firm Genomatica. Read More

💰  Healthcare | Startups

Biorithm Raises $3.5M for Remote Maternity Monitoring

Biorithm, a healthcare startup focused on connected maternity care, has raised a $3.5 million Series A round led by Adaptive Capital Partners and SEEDS Capital.

The company will use the funds to advance its Femom remote monitoring solution for obstetrics, including completing clinical studies for FDA 510(k) submission. Biorithm aims to improve maternal health outcomes through personalized, protocol-based monitoring of biometrics and predictive analytics to identify early complications. The investment comes as Biorithm looks to expand in the U.S. and Southeast Asia after completing trials in Singapore and the UK. Founder Amrish Nair said the funding validates Biorithm's mission to provide proactive, personalized care to improve maternal health globally. Read More

Motif Neurotech Raises $18.75M to Advance Miniature Brain Pacemaker for Depression

Motif Neurotech, a neurotech startup developing bioelectronic treatments for mental health, has raised an oversubscribed $18.75 million Series A round. The funding will support development of Motif's lead product - the DOT, a tiny implantable brain pacemaker designed to precisely stimulate the brain to treat disorders like treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Placed via minimally invasive outpatient procedure, the wireless, battery-free DOT aims to restore healthy brain circuit activity. Motif believes the device will greatly improve quality of life for those with TRD and other difficult to treat conditions. The financing was led by Arboretum Ventures, with new investors including Satori Neuro. Read More

🕰️ Blasts from the Past | This Week in Medical History

January 30, 1896: Discovery of X-rays. Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays. Revolutionizes medical diagnosis and treatment by allowing doctors to see inside the human body for the first time.

January 30, 1980: Eradication of Smallpox. The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the eradication of smallpox. Marks the first successful elimination of a human infectious disease, showcasing the power of global health efforts.

February 2, 1953: Polio Vaccine Development. Jonas Salk announces the development of a safe and effective polio vaccine. A turning point in the fight against polio, preventing the spread of the crippling disease.

February 2, 2001: Launch of Wikipedia. Becomes a valuable online resource for health information, shaping how individuals access medical knowledge.

February 1, 2013: Launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative. President Barack Obama signs an executive order to launch the Precision Medicine Initiative. Focuses on personalized healthcare and individualized treatment approaches, ushering in a new era of precision medicine.

🧠 Healthcare | AI

Study: AI Surveillance Predicts Sepsis, Saves Lives

Researchers at UC San Diego Health found that using an AI algorithm called COMPOSER to continuously monitor patients in the ER reduced sepsis mortality by 17%. COMPOSER tracks over 150 variables like vitals and labs to predict sepsis before obvious symptoms appear. Once high risk is detected, it alerts staff to intervene. The first study showing an AI deep learning model improving outcomes, COMPOSER's early warning system allows quicker treatment. With AI integration growing at UC San Diego Health, the researchers believe these smart tools can enhance patient safety and quality care. Read More

AI Can Illuminate Effective Mental Health Therapy

A new study by Lyssn and Talkspace analyzed 20 million text therapy messages using AI to evaluate effectiveness. The goal was to use AI responsibly to understand how human interactions impact outcomes - not replace therapists.

Key findings:

• Empathetic counseling led to greater patient satisfaction and engagement.

• Supportive techniques like open questions and reflective listening drove better results.

Researcher Christina Soma: AI can "enhance the therapeutic work happening with a person and provide more tools." AI analysis helps crack open the "black box" of therapy at scale to advance training. The human connection remains vital. Study suggests AI can actually help strengthen therapist-patient bonds. Read More

Google’s New AI Is Learning to Diagnose Patients

Google's DeepMind has developed a new AI model called AMIE that can diagnose patients and explain conditions, though it isn't meant to replace human physicians according to lead researcher Vivek Natarajan. To train AMIE, the team fed it real medical dialogues and texts as well as simulated patient scenarios where it refined its skills through "self-play" loops. Natarajan believes this approach enables "superhuman diagnostic performance," noting AMIE can see 10,000 patients in training compared to a human doctor's career experience of that amount. In blinded trials, AMIE outperformed human doctors in accuracy and planning though had lengthier responses. Dartmouth's Thomas Thesen sees AI like AMIE increasingly supporting doctors in the next decade but says "expert judgment of a trained doctor will remain crucial." As AI advances, medical schools must incorporate AI literacy so future physicians use it responsibly. Read More

🗣️ Healthcare | Conferences | February

Feb. 6-7: Digital Healthcare Innovation Summit (West Coast - La Jolla, California)

Feb. 11-14: AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference (Orlando, Florida)

Feb. 25-28: ViVE 2024 (Los Angeles)

Feb. 27-29: America's Health Insurance Plans 2024 Executive Leadership Summit (Phoenix)

That’s all for this week.
The Pulse Disruption Team