Healthcare Innovations Taking Flight

👋🏼 Healthcare Innovators 

👉🏼 Here in case you missed the latest edition: Beyond the Device

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🌐 Healthcare | News

Memorial Hermann to Pioneer Drone Deliveries for Specialty Prescriptions and Medical Supplies

Memorial Hermann Health System plans to collaborate with Zipline, a drone delivery system provider, offering patients a pioneering service for direct home delivery of specialty prescriptions and medical supplies starting in 2026. The autonomous red-winged drones, called Zips, will enable scheduled real-time deliveries, with the drone hovering and lowering a delivery droid on a tether to the patient's doorstep. "As a system, we are continuously seeking ways to improve the patient experience and bring greater health and value to the communities we serve," said Alec King, Memorial Hermann's Chief Financial Officer. Zipline's service promises up to seven times faster deliveries than automobiles, even in adverse weather conditions. Read More

New mRNA Cancer Vaccine Triggers Fierce Immune Response Against Malignant Brain Tumor

In a groundbreaking clinical trial, an mRNA cancer vaccine developed at the University of Florida has rapidly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal brain tumor. The trial involved four adult patients and 10 pet dogs suffering from naturally occurring brain tumors. The vaccine, utilizing mRNA technology and lipid nanoparticles similar to COVID-19 vaccines, employs a patient's own tumor cells to create a personalized vaccine and a newly engineered complex delivery mechanism. Notably, the vaccine triggered a vigorous immune-system response within 48 hours, shifting the tumors from "cold" to "hot," with an active immune response. "That was very surprising given how quick this happened, and what that told us is we were able to activate the early part of the immune system very rapidly against these cancers, and that's critical to unlock the later effects of the immune response," said lead author Dr. Elias Sayour. The promising results pave the way for a Phase I pediatric clinical trial to further evaluate this potential new paradigm for treating notoriously treatment-resistant cancers. Read More

Auto Company Agrees to Pay $325,000 to Cancer Patient They Fired

In a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Gregg Orr Auto Collections, Inc., a Texas-based company, agreed to pay $325,000 in monetary relief to a former employee who was terminated after being diagnosed with cancer. The EEOC contended that the firing violated both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

The auto company, which had a self-insured employee health care plan, allegedly terminated the long-time, highly qualified 65-year-old employee to avoid paying for their ongoing medical expenses. They replaced the employee with a worker in their mid-30s. The EEOC argued that the company's actions constituted discrimination based on disability and age, as the ADA prohibits firing an employee for having a medical condition lasting longer than 6 months, and the ADEA prohibits basing employment decisions on an employee's age if they are over 40.

As part of the settlement, in addition to the $325,000 payment, Gregg Orr Auto will provide training for its management on age and disability discrimination to prevent future occurrences. Birmingham District Director Bradley Anderson stated, "The EEOC appreciates Greg Orr Auto's willingness to undertake significant training to ensure workers' rights are protected in the future." Read More

 🚀 HealthTech Startups

How a Novel Transdermal Patch Could Revolutionize Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment

Keylika, a Y Combinator-backed biopharma startup, is developing NistuFe, the world's first prescription resorbable buccal (cheek) patch to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA) - a prevalent nutritional disorder affecting billions globally. Current treatments like oral supplements and IV iron therapy have major drawbacks such as low absorption, gastrointestinal side effects, and life-threatening allergic risks. Keylika's transdermal patch promises to eliminate these issues with superior absorption, self-administration, and better tolerability. "We want to transform the systemic drug delivery space by creating products that overcome traditional constraints like molecular size and dosage," says co-founder Frederik Ceyssens. With promising preclinical results, the founders aim to bring this cutting-edge biotechnology through clinical trials to provide a seamless, affordable treatment for the underserved IDA patient population. Read More

Biologix Raises $1.2 Million from Kortex Ventures and Hospital Albert Einstein for Internationalization

The sleep medicine healthtech startup Biologix has just received an investment of $1.2 million, led by Kortex Ventures and with participation from Hospital Albert Einstein. This is the largest investment received by Biologix since it began operations. The startup plans to use the funds for expansion, marketing, developing new products, and internationalizing the brand. Biologix also expects to double its current team of 20 people. "This investment validates the company's innovation and execution capabilities and reinforces our commitment to delivering advancements to address challenges in the healthcare sector," commented CEO Tácito de Almeida. Read More

🧠 Healthcare | AI

Claims Operation AI Company Alaffia Health Raises $10M in Series A Round

Alaffia Health, using generative AI tool Ask Autodor built on GPT-4, helps medical coders efficiently navigate insurance claims for payers and third-party administrators to minimize fraud. "This means they can get through more reviews and not feel so restricted in terms of getting through a backlog of claims," said CEO TJ Ademiluyi. The $10M Series A led by FirstMark Capital will fund R&D as Alaffia expands its cost-saving tech reducing provider burnout through quicker reimbursements. Read More

🚀 Healthcare | Innovations

INSIGHT HEART Pioneers Medical Education on Apple Vision Pro

INSIGHT HEART, the first spatial computing app in the award-winning INSIGHT series, has launched on the App Store for Apple Vision Pro. This groundbreaking app offers an immersive 3D exploration of the human heart, with stunning visuals, interactive features like multi-user sessions via FaceTime SharePlay, and real-time condition visualizations like myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. The developers state: "We have committed ourselves to take medical education one step further and have developed visually stunning and highly interactive content based on real life medical and scientific specifications...Experience conditions that might be impossible to witness live!" Read More

🗣️ Healthcare | Events

May 13-15: Fierce Digital Pharma Engage (Newport Beach, CA)

May 14-16: IHI Patient Safety Congress (Orlando)

May 14-15: Fierce Pharma PR & Communications Summit West (Newport Beach, CA)

May 21-23: Fierce Digital Pharma Innovation Week (virtual)

May 21-23: WSJ The Future of Everything (New York City)

May 29-31: thINc360 – The Healthcare Innovation Congress (Washington, D.C.)

May 31-June 4: American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (Chicago)

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