Empowered Patient Podcast

Dr. Paul Testa, Chief Health Informatics Officer who helped create the About Me Initiative at NYU Langone Health, and Dr. Katherine Hochman, Director of Hospital Medicine at NYU Langone Health, who envisioned the initiative, discuss the benefits of encouraging patients to provide non-medical information. The goal is to help care teams see patients as whole people beyond their diagnoses and to give patients an opportunity to share interests, hobbies, and fun facts that can help build trust and meaningful human connections. This About Me Initiative is being expanded from inpatient care to outpatient settings, such as infusion centers. Paul explains, "The About Me section in our EHR Epic is something that NYU Langone developed with the inspiration of Dr. Hochman, and it's essentially a dedicated discreet space in the medical record to allow patients to declare themselves, allowing them to give them a space that is transparent to all the users of the electronic health record, which are many and vast in their rules. So let them articulate something beyond their disease process or their health. So often, we reduce records to pneumonia, a broken hip, or an infection. The patient is so much more than that, and patients want to share that with us. We know that from practicing for years, Kathy and I both know that the way you connect with patients is through a narrative. Our currency is narrative. This is a location where either a patient or, if they choose to defer, can have one of their nurses or care team members provide a small sample of who they are outside of the care environment."   Katherine elaborates, "So I'm a hospitalist. Every Tuesday, I come into 16 to 18 new patients. And at NYU Langone, our length of stay keeps getting shorter and shorter, which is fantastic for patients because we want to get them in and out of the hospital as quickly and as safely as possible. But by definition, if patients stay shorter and shorter, we don't have as much time to connect. So the About Me Initiative really kicks off that connection that Paul was talking about a second ago. So long ago, and this is how it started, I would tell my teams, slow down to speed up, get to know who this patient is before getting into the heart failure, the pneumonia, the COPD, and really try to establish a little bit of a connection and build trust." #NYULangone #PatientVoices #PatientCare #HealthcareInnovation #PatientExperience #HealthIT #EHR #EpicEHR #HumanConnection #HealthcareTransformation #PatientCentered #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #EmpathyInMedicine  nyulangone.org  Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Paul Testa, Chief Health Informatics Officer who helped create the About Me Initiative at NYU Langone Health, and Dr. Katherine Hochman, Director of Hospital Medicine at NYU Langone Health, who envisioned the initiative, discuss the benefits of encouraging patients to provide non-medical information. The goal is to help care teams see patients as whole people beyond their diagnoses and to give patients an opportunity to share interests, hobbies, and fun facts that can help build trust and meaningful human connections. This About Me Initiative is being expanded from inpatient care to outpatient settings, such as infusion centers. Paul explains, "The About Me section in our EHR Epic is something that NYU Langone developed with the inspiration of Dr. Hochman, and it's essentially a dedicated discreet space in the medical record to allow patients to declare themselves, allowing them to give them a space that is transparent to all the users of the electronic health record, which are many and vast in their rules. So let them articulate something beyond their disease process or their health. So often, we reduce records to pneumonia, a broken hip, or an infection. The patient is so much more than that, and patients want to share that with us. We know that from practicing for years, Kathy and I both know that the way you connect with patients is through a narrative. Our currency is narrative. This is a location where either a patient or, if they choose to defer, can have one of their nurses or care team members provide a small sample of who they are outside of the care environment."   Katherine elaborates, "So I'm a hospitalist. Every Tuesday, I come into 16 to 18 new patients. And at NYU Langone, our length of stay keeps getting shorter and shorter, which is fantastic for patients because we want to get them in and out of the hospital as quickly and as safely as possible. But by definition, if patients stay shorter and shorter, we don't have as much time to connect. So the About Me Initiative really kicks off that connection that Paul was talking about a second ago. So long ago, and this is how it started, I would tell my teams, slow down to speed up, get to know who this patient is before getting into the heart failure, the pneumonia, the COPD, and really try to establish a little bit of a connection and build trust." #NYULangone #PatientVoices #PatientCare #HealthcareInnovation #PatientExperience #HealthIT #EHR #EpicEHR #HumanConnection #HealthcareTransformation #PatientCentered #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #EmpathyInMedicine  nyulangone.org Download the transcript here

Dr. David Kirk, Chief Medical Officer at Regard, discusses the role and benefits of real-time clinical AI to help clinicians navigate patient charts and find critical information to prevent medication management errors and misdiagnoses. The Regard platform can also generate proactive documentation, allowing physicians to complete their documentation more accurately and efficiently, reducing note-bloat and the need for after-hours charting. One key goal of using AI is to free physicians to spend more time on the art of medicine, directly working with patients.   David explains, "So, Regard with real-time clinical artificial intelligence software, is helping clinicians propose the right diagnosis and information while they're working in the chart. Our mission is to make patient care as clear as possible. At the same time, we make sure that the doctors are getting the support they need so they can better support the patient. The charts of patients are getting bigger and bigger every year because more and more data is going into the charts. And as that happens, the really important thing that we as physicians need to find is diluted." "Some research even suggests that maybe doctors are going to see 3% of the data that comes in in the chart when a patient comes into the hospital. As the physician, I'm trying to understand a patient's clinical story with only having access to three pages. Our goal is for artificial intelligence to find important information in that deep sea of data so the treatment team can make better decisions. Maybe you can correct the documentation. What that means is the physician is doing all the work in their natural workflow. We're not having to do prep work during downtime at home, and we're not trying to wrap up notes at night. We need the documentation to be done proactively in a way that is as accurate as possible for the patient at the time of care." #Regard #HealthcareAI #DigitalHealth #MedicalTechnology #PatientCare #HealthTech #AIinMedicine #ClinicalDocumentation #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalAI #PhysicianSupport Regard.com Listen to the podcast here

Dr. David Kirk, Chief Medical Officer at Regard, discusses the role and benefits of real-time clinical AI to help clinicians navigate patient charts and find critical information to prevent medication management errors and misdiagnoses. The Regard platform can also generate proactive documentation, allowing physicians to complete their documentation more accurately and efficiently, reducing note-bloat and the need for after-hours charting. One key goal of using AI is to free physicians to spend more time on the art of medicine, directly working with patients.   David explains, "So, Regard with real-time clinical artificial intelligence software, is helping clinicians propose the right diagnosis and information while they're working in the chart. Our mission is to make patient care as clear as possible. At the same time, we make sure that the doctors are getting the support they need so they can better support the patient. The charts of patients are getting bigger and bigger every year because more and more data is going into the charts. And as that happens, the really important thing that we as physicians need to find is diluted." "Some research even suggests that maybe doctors are going to see 3% of the data that comes in in the chart when a patient comes into the hospital. As the physician, I'm trying to understand a patient's clinical story with only having access to three pages. Our goal is for artificial intelligence to find important information in that deep sea of data so the treatment team can make better decisions. Maybe you can correct the documentation. What that means is the physician is doing all the work in their natural workflow. We're not having to do prep work during downtime at home, and we're not trying to wrap up notes at night. We need the documentation to be done proactively in a way that is as accurate as possible for the patient at the time of care." #Regard #HealthcareAI #DigitalHealth #MedicalTechnology #PatientCare #HealthTech #AIinMedicine #ClinicalDocumentation #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalAI #PhysicianSupport Regard.com Download the transcript here

Daniel Hart, CEO of Sentact, describes the need to integrate technology, analytics, and services for hospitals and health systems to improve patient safety, patient outcomes, and regulatory readiness. One of Sentact's key goals is to help organizations gain insights from data to allow them to move from a reactive posture using lagging indicators to a proactive environment supported by AI and real-time data to generate early warning signals. Successful implementation of these insights also reduces operational costs and potentially eases clinician burnout. Daniel explains, "Sentact is a healthcare technology, services, and analytics company. Three core pillars of our business are across tech analytics and services. We serve the hospital and health system market primarily, although we do have all types of healthcare organizations in our customer base. But as an example, a representative example, we service 60% of the top 20 health systems in the market with our solutions. And we are focused on patient safety, quality, experience, and regulatory readiness or compliance. That's the corner of healthcare in which we play."  "We offer a range of services through the combination of several companies over the last 12 to 18 months. And we're really excited about the integrated platform that we have compiled. And that platform extends from the credentialing function at a hospital to comprehensive rounding to support safety experience and compliance initiatives. It also includes clinical analytics to help manage provider performance and patient safety, to provide the necessary protections of safety information, and promote continuous learning." #Sentact #HealthcareQuality #HealthcareTechnology #PatientSafety #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #HealthIT #PatientExperience #PatientOutcomes #HealthcareAnalytics #ClinicalOperations #RegulatoryCompliance #HealthSystemManagement #RiskManagement #QualityOutcomes Sentact.com  Listen to the podcast here

Daniel Hart, CEO of Sentact, describes the need to integrate technology, analytics, and services for hospitals and health systems to improve patient safety, patient outcomes, and regulatory readiness. One of Sentact's key goals is to help organizations gain insights from data to allow them to move from a reactive posture using lagging indicators to a proactive environment supported by AI and real-time data to generate early warning signals. Successful implementation of these insights also reduces operational costs and potentially eases clinician burnout. Daniel explains, "Sentact is a healthcare technology, services, and analytics company. Three core pillars of our business are across tech analytics and services. We serve the hospital and health system market primarily, although we do have all types of healthcare organizations in our customer base. But as an example, a representative example, we service 60% of the top 20 health systems in the market with our solutions. And we are focused on patient safety, quality, experience, and regulatory readiness or compliance. That's the corner of healthcare in which we play."  "We offer a range of services through the combination of several companies over the last 12 to 18 months. And we're really excited about the integrated platform that we have compiled. And that platform extends from the credentialing function at a hospital to comprehensive rounding to support safety experience and compliance initiatives. It also includes clinical analytics to help manage provider performance and patient safety, to provide the necessary protections of safety information, and promote continuous learning." #Sentact #HealthcareQuality #HealthcareTechnology #PatientSafety #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #HealthIT #PatientExperience #PatientOutcomes #HealthcareAnalytics #ClinicalOperations #RegulatoryCompliance #HealthSystemManagement #RiskManagement #QualityOutcomes Sentact.com  Download the transcript here

Matt Holland is Chief Operating Officer at Healio, a company that has been producing high-quality, vetted information for healthcare professionals for over 100 years. The company has focused on personalization of data as it has evolved from print to digital to AI-driven access to on-demand information. Healio AI is also transforming continuing medical education from a static activity to a dynamic, personalized experience based on real-time information gaps. Matt explains, "We're a little bit unique in this space. We're family-owned and privately held, and have been for over a hundred years. So there are a lot of companies in this market right now that are not. So for decades, the focus has really been on developing and delivering quality information to healthcare professionals through all sorts of different channels. Obviously, prior to the internet, it started with good publications and journals. We also have a series of live meetings and conferences, but the primary focus really is the Healio AI, which we launched and evolved, and have been evolving, I should say, for the past 13 years or so." "We just announced the Physician Advisory Board the other day. We just announced that physicians can get credit for CME and CV credits for their searches. And the reason why I mention that is physicians are no longer looking to necessarily read a full article or go into a deep dive on a particular topic. They're looking for an answer to a question they may have either prior to the point of care, during the point of care, or after. And we all know that their time is precious, and obviously, the issue of burnout is pretty pervasive. So, our goal is really to help make their lives simpler and improve the quality of their practice and the delivery of the care that they provide." "We are a publishing news organization, and every day we develop 50-60 pieces of content from the FDA or from conferences or new studies that were released, and that's going into our model every 24 hours. So, there's sort of a deep dive substantive piece with the peer-reviewed and the journal content. There's a recency component to it with our news that goes into it, which makes the Healio AI a little bit different and we think unique, and I think balances and then hopefully more accurately and quickly addresses the questions that healthcare professionals have."  #Healio #HealioAI #DigitalHealth #HealthcareAI #GenAI #MedicalTechnology #HealthcareProfessionals #CME #PointOfCare #MedicalInformation #HealthTech #PhysicianBurnout #ContinuingEducation #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalJournalism #AIinHealthcare Healio.com  Listen to the podcast here

Matt Holland is Chief Operating Officer at Healio, a company that has been producing high-quality, vetted information for healthcare professionals for over 100 years. The company has focused on personalization of data as it has evolved from print to digital to AI-driven access to on-demand information. Healio AI is also transforming continuing medical education from a static activity to a dynamic, personalized experience based on real-time information gaps. Matt explains, "We're a little bit unique in this space. We're family-owned and privately held, and have been for over a hundred years. So there are a lot of companies in this market right now that are not. So for decades, the focus has really been on developing and delivering quality information to healthcare professionals through all sorts of different channels. Obviously, prior to the internet, it started with good publications and journals. We also have a series of live meetings and conferences, but the primary focus really is the Healio AI, which we launched and evolved, and have been evolving, I should say, for the past 13 years or so." "We just announced the Physician Advisory Board the other day. We just announced that physicians can get credit for CME and CV credits for their searches. And the reason why I mention that is physicians are no longer looking to necessarily read a full article or go into a deep dive on a particular topic. They're looking for an answer to a question they may have either prior to the point of care, during the point of care, or after. And we all know that their time is precious, and obviously, the issue of burnout is pretty pervasive. So, our goal is really to help make their lives simpler and improve the quality of their practice and the delivery of the care that they provide." "We are a publishing news organization, and every day we develop 50-60 pieces of content from the FDA or from conferences or new studies that were released, and that's going into our model every 24 hours. So, there's sort of a deep dive substantive piece with the peer-reviewed and the journal content. There's a recency component to it with our news that goes into it, which makes the Healio AI a little bit different and we think unique, and I think balances and then hopefully more accurately and quickly addresses the questions that healthcare professionals have." #Healio #HealioAI #DigitalHealth #HealthcareAI #GenAI #MedicalTechnology #HealthcareProfessionals #CME #PointOfCare #MedicalInformation #HealthTech #PhysicianBurnout #ContinuingEducation #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalJournalism #AIinHealthcare Healio.com Download the transcript here

 Ryan Clarke, Co-Founder, CEO, and CTO of Syntax Bio, is focused on solving manufacturing challenges in producing stem cell-derived therapies, specifically the process of stem cell differentiation. The Cellgorithm platform was designed to make differentiation an engineering problem by using a modified form of CRISPR to turn genes on and off in a specific, controlled sequence, reducing processing time from months to days and resulting in cost savings. One goal is to use AI and machine learning to build models capable of predicting optimal gene regulation sequences accelerating the discovery of new differentiation protocols and treatments for degenerative diseases. Ryan explains, "The key problem that we are focused on applies to stem cell-derived cell therapies. And so, just for a little bit of context setting, we use induced pluripotent stem cells or IPS cells. And about 20 years ago, when these were first derived, everybody was very excited because this is the platform where you could then have an infinite supply of stem cells to then make any tissue-specific cell type at will, theoretically. Fast forward 20 years, and there are finally some cell therapies in phase three clinical trials, but none are approved yet. And that just tells you that the development cycle for this modality is actually slower than the other modalities, like biologics or small molecules. And the problem is manufacturing in particular, or how do you convert the stem cell into the target tissue cell type for the process of stem cell differentiation? And so we are solely focused on making stem cell differentiation an engineering problem rather than a kind of dark art."   "We have a program for type one diabetes that is making pancreatic beta cells from IPS cells. And we have also done some work in the musculoskeletal system. So these other cell types we focus on are more demonstrations of the platform technology, but we are interested in possibly co-developing those with other pharmaceutical partners, and that's the musculoskeletal cells of the hematopoietic system. And we've done some work on retinal cells as well, but we endeavor to make many other cell types. And our goal is to partner with the therapeutic experts in the area to develop these." #SyntaxBio #CellTherapy #CRISPR #StemCells #Biotech #RegenerativeMedicine #Diabetes #Manufacturing #Innovation #GeneTherapy #LifeSciences #Bioengineering #SyntheticBiology #CellProgramming syntax-bio.com Listen to the podcast here

 Ryan Clarke, Co-Founder, CEO, and CTO of Syntax Bio, is focused on solving manufacturing challenges in producing stem cell-derived therapies, specifically the process of stem cell differentiation. The Cellgorithm platform was designed to make differentiation an engineering problem by using a modified form of CRISPR to turn genes on and off in a specific, controlled sequence, reducing processing time from months to days and resulting in cost savings. One goal is to use AI and machine learning to build models capable of predicting optimal gene regulation sequences accelerating the discovery of new differentiation protocols and treatments for degenerative diseases. Ryan explains, "The key problem that we are focused on applies to stem cell-derived cell therapies. And so, just for a little bit of context setting, we use induced pluripotent stem cells or IPS cells. And about 20 years ago, when these were first derived, everybody was very excited because this is the platform where you could then have an infinite supply of stem cells to then make any tissue-specific cell type at will, theoretically. Fast forward 20 years, and there are finally some cell therapies in phase three clinical trials, but none are approved yet. And that just tells you that the development cycle for this modality is actually slower than the other modalities, like biologics or small molecules. And the problem is manufacturing in particular, or how do you convert the stem cell into the target tissue cell type for the process of stem cell differentiation? And so we are solely focused on making stem cell differentiation an engineering problem rather than a kind of dark art."   "We have a program for type one diabetes that is making pancreatic beta cells from IPS cells. And we have also done some work in the musculoskeletal system. So these other cell types we focus on are more demonstrations of the platform technology, but we are interested in possibly co-developing those with other pharmaceutical partners, and that's the musculoskeletal cells of the hematopoietic system. And we've done some work on retinal cells as well, but we endeavor to make many other cell types. And our goal is to partner with the therapeutic experts in the area to develop these." #SyntaxBio #CellTherapy #CRISPR #StemCells #Biotech #RegenerativeMedicine #Diabetes #Manufacturing #Innovation #GeneTherapy #LifeSciences #Bioengineering #SyntheticBiology #CellProgramming syntax-bio.com Download the transcript here

Dr. Daniel Sodickson is Chief Medical Scientist at Function Health and author of the new book, The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World. Building on the drive to improve medical imaging, AI and neural networks are now reshaping image interpretation and how and what data are collected. This approach produces high-quality results with minimal additional data and is inspiring innovative scanning techniques and equipment design. The future of medical imaging is the everywhere scanner, enhancing a single-shot session with a large hospital machine with continuous health monitoring through wearables and devices integrated into everyday life.  Daniel explains, "One of the things that imaging can do is peel away all of the obscuring layers of skin or skull or whatever else there is, without having to make a single cut, and show us the inner workings, show us inner space, what's inside. I think that means being able to detect tumors early enough that they can be cured, to guide surgeries, to try to understand what normal anatomy is, and exactly when it turns abnormal. So I think the ability to see what was once invisible has become so much a part of medicine that it's almost hard to imagine it without it." "There are many analogies between inner space and outer space, and between the tools we have built as humans over the millennia to inspect them. I guess what I'd say, though, is that somehow the inspection of inner space, that sort of medical imaging for understanding our health, is a little bit more intimate. It causes us to ask very personal questions like, " Am I okay? Are my kids okay? Am I normal? What is normal? I think when we look at other types of imaging, imaging the world around us, imaging the cosmos a great distance from us, there are also existential questions, but it's really more, where do I fit in the big picture? So I think in some ways medical imaging picks up where, say, astronomical imaging leaves off and leaves us wondering who we are and how we're built."   #DanielSodickson #FutureofSeeing #FunctionHealth #AIHealthcare #MedicalImaging #HealthTech #FunctionHealth #DigitalHealth #MRI #HealthcareInnovation #PatientEmpowerment #FutureOfMedicine #HealthcareAccessibility functionhealth.com The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World  Listen to the podcast here  

Dr. Daniel Sodickson is Chief Medical Scientist at Function Health and author of the new book, The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World. Building on the drive to improve medical imaging, AI and neural networks are now reshaping image interpretation and how and what data are collected. This approach produces high-quality results with minimal additional data and is inspiring innovative scanning techniques and equipment design. The future of medical imaging is the everywhere scanner, enhancing a single-shot session with a large hospital machine with continuous health monitoring through wearables and devices integrated into everyday life.  Daniel explains, "One of the things that imaging can do is peel away all of the obscuring layers of skin or skull or whatever else there is, without having to make a single cut, and show us the inner workings, show us inner space, what's inside. I think that means being able to detect tumors early enough that they can be cured, to guide surgeries, to try to understand what normal anatomy is, and exactly when it turns abnormal. So I think the ability to see what was once invisible has become so much a part of medicine that it's almost hard to imagine it without it." "There are many analogies between inner space and outer space, and between the tools we have built as humans over the millennia to inspect them. I guess what I'd say, though, is that somehow the inspection of inner space, that sort of medical imaging for understanding our health, is a little bit more intimate. It causes us to ask very personal questions like, " Am I okay? Are my kids okay? Am I normal? What is normal? I think when we look at other types of imaging, imaging the world around us, imaging the cosmos a great distance from us, there are also existential questions, but it's really more, where do I fit in the big picture? So I think in some ways medical imaging picks up where, say, astronomical imaging leaves off and leaves us wondering who we are and how we're built."   #DanielSodickson #FutureofSeeing #FunctionHealth #AIHealthcare #MedicalImaging #HealthTech #FunctionHealth #DigitalHealth #MRI #HealthcareInnovation #PatientEmpowerment #FutureOfMedicine #HealthcareAccessibility functionhealth.com The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World Download the transcript here  

Dr. Howard Federoff, Scientific Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Executive Vice President of Corporate Medicine and Science at Kenai Therapeutics, is developing a cell therapy for Parkinson's disease that involves transplanting IPSCs into the brain to replace lost dopamine neurons.  The goal is not to cure the underlying cause of the disease, but to restore motor function and reverse the disease's progression. Initial clinical focus was on patients with moderate to moderate-severe idiopathic Parkinson's, showing efficacy and safety, leading to expanding the study to include earlier-stage and familial forms of the disease. Howard explains, "Kenai was formed about three and a half years ago, and the intention is to develop a cellular product, which means that what is manufactured will be eligible in the right patient groups who have a diagnosis of Parkinson's to be placed into the brain. And consequent to its placement, the cells will then form new circuits, dopamine circuits that are lost owing to the disease diagnosis that will have occurred years earlier." "The induced pluripotent stem cell approach is one we favor for several reasons. The nature of what then becomes the IPSC, as we like to call it, starts with a normal human volunteer whose medical history is very detailed and does not contain any familial personal history of neurodegeneration. That cell then undergoes a process called reprogramming. And in our case, it's done with a slightly different approach than many others. And the reprogramming effectively creates a cell that is pluripotent, meaning it can become any cell of the body. That's when it is designated as an induced pluripotent stem cell."  #KenaiTherapeutics #ParkinsonsDisease #CellTherapy #StemCells #Neuroscience #MedicalInnovation #ClinicalTrials #RegenerativeMedicine #Biotechnology #BioTech #AdvancedBiologics #NeurologicalDisorders #Neurology #DrugDevelopment KenaiTx.com Listen to the podcast here  

Dr. Howard Federoff, Scientific Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, and Executive Vice President of Corporate Medicine and Science at Kenai Therapeutics, is developing a cell therapy for Parkinson's disease that involves transplanting IPSCs into the brain to replace lost dopamine neurons.  The goal is not to cure the underlying cause of the disease, but to restore motor function and reverse the disease's progression. Initial clinical focus was on patients with moderate to moderate-severe idiopathic Parkinson's, showing efficacy and safety, leading to expanding the study to include earlier-stage and familial forms of the disease. Howard explains, "Kenai was formed about three and a half years ago, and the intention is to develop a cellular product, which means that what is manufactured will be eligible in the right patient groups who have a diagnosis of Parkinson's to be placed into the brain. And consequent to its placement, the cells will then form new circuits, dopamine circuits that are lost owing to the disease diagnosis that will have occurred years earlier." "The induced pluripotent stem cell approach is one we favor for several reasons. The nature of what then becomes the IPSC, as we like to call it, starts with a normal human volunteer whose medical history is very detailed and does not contain any familial personal history of neurodegeneration. That cell then undergoes a process called reprogramming. And in our case, it's done with a slightly different approach than many others. And the reprogramming effectively creates a cell that is pluripotent, meaning it can become any cell of the body. That's when it is designated as an induced pluripotent stem cell."  #KenaiTherapeutics #ParkinsonsDisease #CellTherapy #StemCells #Neuroscience #MedicalInnovation #ClinicalTrials #RegenerativeMedicine #Biotechnology #BioTech #AdvancedBiologics #NeurologicalDisorders #Neurology #DrugDevelopment KenaiTx.com Download the transcript here  

Brent Ness, CEO and President of Aclarion,  highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating chronic lower back pain, a leading driver of healthcare costs and opioid addiction. Traditional MRI and CT imaging do not reveal the biochemical source of pain within spinal discs, leading to misdiagnosis and unsuccessful treatment. The Aclarion technology uses MR spectroscopy to measure pain-causing biomarkers and, through a cloud-based, AI-powered SaaS model, analyzes the raw data and sends the physician a report within minutes. Brent explains, "The diagnosis and accurate treatment planning of back pain are incredibly complex. And when you think about pain management physicians, rehab, all the way up to spine surgery identifying the source of pain accurately leads to better treatment and then obviously better outcomes.There are 266 million people around the world who suffer from chronic low back pain. So I'm not talking about the kind that you had a rough weekend skiing, golfing, or hiking, and you're a little sore. I'm talking about the kind that keeps people from participating in a meaningful life. " "When you think about the joints and the sources of blood flow, the nerves that are all around your spinal cord, the vertebral columns, and there's just a lot of moving parts and a lot of really, let's just call it high-value real estate that can actually be the source of pain. And really, our superpower is to help physicians see the invisible. Meaning that normally when you go to the doctor, and they do a workup on you, they'll use an MRI or a CT scanner. And those modalities are really good at pinpointing anatomical issues that might be causing pain. What we do is we use MR spectroscopy, not to make a picture of your back, but rather to measure the biomarker content inside the discs that are invisible on a normal MRI. And as it turns out, what's inside your disc can actually be the source of pain." #ACON #CLARITYtrial #lowbackpain #spinesurgery #MRSpectroscopy #Biomarkers #AugmentedIntelligence #innovation  #ChronicPain #BackPain #MedicalTechnology #AI #HealthcareInnovation #SpineCare #MRI #PainManagement #DigitalHealth #Diagnostics #HealthTech #PatientCare aclarion.com  Listen to the podcast here

Brent Ness, CEO and President of Aclarion,  highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating chronic lower back pain, a leading driver of healthcare costs and opioid addiction. Traditional MRI and CT imaging do not reveal the biochemical source of pain within spinal discs, leading to misdiagnosis and unsuccessful treatment. The Aclarion technology uses MR spectroscopy to measure pain-causing biomarkers and, through a cloud-based, AI-powered SaaS model, analyzes the raw data and sends the physician a report within minutes. Brent explains, "The diagnosis and accurate treatment planning of back pain are incredibly complex. And when you think about pain management physicians, rehab, all the way up to spine surgery identifying the source of pain accurately leads to better treatment and then obviously better outcomes.There are 266 million people around the world who suffer from chronic low back pain. So I'm not talking about the kind that you had a rough weekend skiing, golfing, or hiking, and you're a little sore. I'm talking about the kind that keeps people from participating in a meaningful life. " "When you think about the joints and the sources of blood flow, the nerves that are all around your spinal cord, the vertebral columns, and there's just a lot of moving parts and a lot of really, let's just call it high-value real estate that can actually be the source of pain. And really, our superpower is to help physicians see the invisible. Meaning that normally when you go to the doctor, and they do a workup on you, they'll use an MRI or a CT scanner. And those modalities are really good at pinpointing anatomical issues that might be causing pain. What we do is we use MR spectroscopy, not to make a picture of your back, but rather to measure the biomarker content inside the discs that are invisible on a normal MRI. And as it turns out, what's inside your disc can actually be the source of pain." #ACON #CLARITYtrial #lowbackpain #spinesurgery #MRSpectroscopy #Biomarkers #AugmentedIntelligence #innovation #ChronicPain #BackPain #MedicalTechnology #AI #HealthcareInnovation #SpineCare #MRI #PainManagement #DigitalHealth #Diagnostics #HealthTech #PatientCare aclarion.com Download the transcript here

Dr. Alanna Morris-Simon, Senior Medical Director for US Medical Affairs at Bayer, describes the symptoms and diagnostics used to classify heart failure and the key at-risk populations for this condition. The rapidly evolving landscape of heart failure treatments now includes the Bayer drug KERENDIA, a non-steroidal MRA approved to reduce cardiovascular death and heart failure in adults with an ejection fraction of 40% or more. This drug is part of an emerging trend to treat multiple related conditions simultaneously  and could prevent the onset of heart failure and treat established heart failure. Alanna explains, "At a basic level, heart failure is a clinical syndrome, and that's important. I'm actually a heart failure cardiologist as well. And so this is important because patients have to have signs and symptoms. And those signs and symptoms really result from the heart being unable to either fill with blood properly or squeeze that blood out in a way that meets the body's demands. Either way, patients experience the same symptoms, and those include symptoms like swelling and weight gain, shortness of breath, either at rest or with activity, fatigue, abdominal swelling and bloating, loss of appetite, as well as other symptoms."   "If a doctor or a clinician suspects a diagnosis of heart failure, 99.99% of the time, they'll start by ordering an echocardiogram or a heart ultrasound. Of course, the guidelines tell us to get a chest X-ray, get labs, those sorts of things. But really, we make the diagnosis for the most part based on the results of an echocardiogram because that echocardiogram allows us to visualize how the heart is pumping. It allows us to classify the type of heart failure so that if we see that the squeeze of the heart is impaired, we call that heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. And that's when the ejection fraction or EF is 40% or less. If the EF is in the 41 to 49% range, we classify that as heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction. And if patients have an ejection fraction of 50% or greater, we call that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or HFpEF."   "And we were excited that the FDA actually granted a priority review for KERENDIA because this really only occurs when the FDA recognizes that a treatment can fill a significant unmet need for a disease or a population of patients. And lo and behold, in July of 2025, finerenone was approved by the FDA under the trade name KERENDIA to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visits in adults with an ejection fraction of 40% or more." #Bayer #Finerenone #Pharma #HeartFailure #HFpEF #HFmrEF #MRA #UnmetNeed #Cardiology #KERENDIA #FDA #CardiovascularHealth #MedicalBreakthrough #PatientCare #Innovation Bayer.com Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Alanna Morris-Simon, Senior Medical Director for US Medical Affairs at Bayer, describes the symptoms and diagnostics used to classify heart failure and the key at-risk populations for this condition. The rapidly evolving landscape of heart failure treatments now includes the Bayer drug KERENDIA, a non-steroidal MRA approved to reduce cardiovascular death and heart failure in adults with an ejection fraction of 40% or more. This drug is part of an emerging trend to treat multiple related conditions simultaneously  and could prevent the onset of heart failure and treat established heart failure. Alanna explains, "At a basic level, heart failure is a clinical syndrome, and that's important. I'm actually a heart failure cardiologist as well. And so this is important because patients have to have signs and symptoms. And those signs and symptoms really result from the heart being unable to either fill with blood properly or squeeze that blood out in a way that meets the body's demands. Either way, patients experience the same symptoms, and those include symptoms like swelling and weight gain, shortness of breath, either at rest or with activity, fatigue, abdominal swelling and bloating, loss of appetite, as well as other symptoms."   "If a doctor or a clinician suspects a diagnosis of heart failure, 99.99% of the time, they'll start by ordering an echocardiogram or a heart ultrasound. Of course, the guidelines tell us to get a chest X-ray, get labs, those sorts of things. But really, we make the diagnosis for the most part based on the results of an echocardiogram because that echocardiogram allows us to visualize how the heart is pumping. It allows us to classify the type of heart failure so that if we see that the squeeze of the heart is impaired, we call that heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. And that's when the ejection fraction or EF is 40% or less. If the EF is in the 41 to 49% range, we classify that as heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction. And if patients have an ejection fraction of 50% or greater, we call that heart failure with preserved ejection fraction or HFpEF."   "And we were excited that the FDA actually granted a priority review for KERENDIA because this really only occurs when the FDA recognizes that a treatment can fill a significant unmet need for a disease or a population of patients. And lo and behold, in July of 2025, finerenone was approved by the FDA under the trade name KERENDIA to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and urgent heart failure visits in adults with an ejection fraction of 40% or more." #Bayer #Finerenone #Pharma #HeartFailure #HFpEF #HFmrEF #MRA #UnmetNeed #Cardiology #KERENDIA #FDA #CardiovascularHealth #MedicalBreakthrough #PatientCare #Innovation Bayer.com Download the transcript here

Steve Brown, Founder and CEO and Lisa Booth, Vice President of Operations of CureWise, are both cancer survivors, which led them to develop an AI-powered tumor board platform to advance cancer diagnoses and treatment. This approach to precision medicine provides patients with the opportunity to better understand their specific condition, educating them about possible courses of action that may be more appropriate than the standard of care.  The platform also helps patients find relevant clinical trials and manage the side effects of their treatments. Steve explains, "So the mission really is to harness AI to advance cancer care. And ultimately, for that reason, anybody who's touched by cancer is hopeful that we will be making more progress toward cures for cancer. And we believe that that's going to happen through precision medicine, which really means recognition that everybody's cancer is unique. And at some point, we're going to treat cancer that way because we're going to know enough about how it all works. We're going to be able to individualize care. So our mission is to advance that cause."   Lisa elaborates, "When Steve and I started working together, one of the things I said was that I needed a way as a patient to be able to access different perspectives of a radiologist, an interventional radiologist, a pathologist, a geneticist, an oncologist, etc. And I can get that in Seattle, but most of the people I work with can't, meaning the patients and my friends in the cancer community don't have access to that because they don't exist in their communities."   #CancerCare #AI #PrecisionMedicine #PatientEmpowerment #HealthTech #CancerSurvivors #DigitalHealth #Oncology #TumorBoard #ClinicalTrials #HealthcareInnovation #PatientAdvocacy #PatientLedInnovation #CancerAndAI #TumorBoardTech #AIForPatients #SteveBrownAI #LisaBoothSurvivor #MedicalAutonomy #HealthTechWithHeart #NOfOneMedicine curewise.com Listen to the podcast here

Steve Brown, Founder and CEO and Lisa Booth, Vice President of Operations of CureWise, are both cancer survivors, which led them to develop an AI-powered tumor board platform to advance cancer diagnoses and treatment. This approach to precision medicine provides patients with the opportunity to better understand their specific condition, educating them about possible courses of action that may be more appropriate than the standard of care.  The platform also helps patients find relevant clinical trials and manage the side effects of their treatments. Steve explains, "So the mission really is to harness AI to advance cancer care. And ultimately, for that reason, anybody who's touched by cancer is hopeful that we will be making more progress toward cures for cancer. And we believe that that's going to happen through precision medicine, which really means recognition that everybody's cancer is unique. And at some point, we're going to treat cancer that way because we're going to know enough about how it all works. We're going to be able to individualize care. So our mission is to advance that cause."   Lisa elaborates, "When Steve and I started working together, one of the things I said was that I needed a way as a patient to be able to access different perspectives of a radiologist, an interventional radiologist, a pathologist, a geneticist, an oncologist, etc. And I can get that in Seattle, but most of the people I work with can't, meaning the patients and my friends in the cancer community don't have access to that because they don't exist in their communities."   #CancerCare #AI #PrecisionMedicine #PatientEmpowerment #HealthTech #CancerSurvivors #DigitalHealth #Oncology #TumorBoard #ClinicalTrials #HealthcareInnovation #PatientAdvocacy #PatientLedInnovation #CancerAndAI #TumorBoardTech #AIForPatients #SteveBrownAI #LisaBoothSurvivor #MedicalAutonomy #HealthTechWithHeart #NOfOneMedicine curewise.com Download the transcript here

Nayla Chaijale, Medical Strategy Lead for Rare Syndromes at UCB, describes Dravet syndrome, a rare, medication-resistant epileptic encephalopathy that involves seizures and significant co-morbidities like cognitive and developmental delays. Their approved drug FINTEPLA has a unique mechanism of action that modulates pathways in the brain and has demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency of convulsive seizures in those with this condition. Nayla notes that the good news is that most patients with Dravet syndrome have a mutation in the SCN1A gene, a critical biomarker that enables accurate diagnosis. Nayla explains, "So, Dravet syndrome is a rare condition in epilepsy, and what we call it is neurodevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy. I'm just going to call it DEEs, to say that it's a rare epileptic syndrome. Even though it's very rare, it's also very burdensome for the patients and their families. So, people living with these conditions start having the symptoms at a very early age, between two and 15 months of life. And it usually appears after a fever or a high temperature. And the symptoms are seizures that usually are long, prolonged seizures. It's not just about the seizures, it's also the other symptoms, such as potential cognitive delays and other developmental delays, problems with sleep, problems with behavior over time."   "The good news about Dravet syndrome is that there is a very well-established biomarker. So, there is a genetic test for it, for the gene code that is called SCN1A. And also, in science, we love to have acronyms, but really, it's related to a specific type of receptors or proteins that are in charge of neuronal transmission and communication, like in the neurons. And these are called sodium channel neurotransmitters. And there is a mutation of that gene that is very characteristic, around 90% of these patients will have that mutation of the gene. So, having that biomarker will give a very good indication to the healthcare provider that the person living with the conditions may have Dravet syndrome." #UCB #DravetSyndrome #RareEpilepsy #FINTEPLA #Neuroscience #RareDiseases #EpilepsyAwareness #MedicalInnovation #PatientCare #NeurodevelopmentalDisorders #ClinicalTrials #RareDiseases ucb.com Listen to the podcast here

Nayla Chaijale, Medical Strategy Lead for Rare Syndromes at UCB, describes Dravet syndrome, a rare, medication-resistant epileptic encephalopathy that involves seizures and significant co-morbidities like cognitive and developmental delays. Their approved drug FINTEPLA has a unique mechanism of action that modulates pathways in the brain and has demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency of convulsive seizures in those with this condition. Nayla notes that the good news is that most patients with Dravet syndrome have a mutation in the SCN1A gene, a critical biomarker that enables accurate diagnosis. Nayla explains, "So, Dravet syndrome is a rare condition in epilepsy, and what we call it is neurodevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy. I'm just going to call it DEEs, to say that it's a rare epileptic syndrome. Even though it's very rare, it's also very burdensome for the patients and their families. So, people living with these conditions start having the symptoms at a very early age, between two and 15 months of life. And it usually appears after a fever or a high temperature. And the symptoms are seizures that usually are long, prolonged seizures. It's not just about the seizures, it's also the other symptoms, such as potential cognitive delays and other developmental delays, problems with sleep, problems with behavior over time."   "The good news about Dravet syndrome is that there is a very well-established biomarker. So, there is a genetic test for it, for the gene code that is called SCN1A. And also, in science, we love to have acronyms, but really, it's related to a specific type of receptors or proteins that are in charge of neuronal transmission and communication, like in the neurons. And these are called sodium channel neurotransmitters. And there is a mutation of that gene that is very characteristic, around 90% of these patients will have that mutation of the gene. So, having that biomarker will give a very good indication to the healthcare provider that the person living with the conditions may have Dravet syndrome." #UCB #DravetSyndrome #RareEpilepsy #FINTEPLA #Neuroscience #RareDiseases #EpilepsyAwareness #MedicalInnovation #PatientCare #NeurodevelopmentalDisorders #ClinicalTrials #RareDiseases ucb.com Download the transcript here

Vanessa Lemarié, Chief Operations Officer at myTomorrows, which is a platform for connecting patients, physicians, and clinical trial sponsors using a Trial Search AI tool designed to improve the accuracy of matching patients with suitable trials. The technology aims to speed up trial recruitment, increase diversity by reaching underserved populations, and ultimately shorten the drug development timeline. There is a particular focus on patients with no treatment options or who have not responded to current therapies. Vanessa explains, "We are all about patients. First and foremost, we want to help patients know their options. Patients who turn to us either have no treatment options for their conditions or have exhausted the treatment options. They are looking for alternatives and insights into whether we can help them find, for example, a clinical trial. Physicians who treat those patients turn to us."  "And last but not least, we work with biopharma companies that plan and conduct clinical trials and that sponsor expanded access programs. And those are our clients. So we connect all of those stakeholders. In addition, we work very closely with representative groups of patients and patient advocacy groups to make sure that we are known and to make sure that we understand what specific patient groups might need from companies like ours. So we kind of connect the dots, I guess, and an otherwise somewhat siloed system sometimes, and consider ourselves a platform player. Think of us a little bit like, let's say, booking.com for clinical trials." #myTomorrows #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #PatientAccess #RareDiseases #DigitalHealth #Healthcare #Innovation #AI #PatientEmpowerment #Biotechnology #Pharma #MedicalResearch #HealthcareEquity #Technology mytomorrows.com Listen to the podcast here

Vanessa Lemarié, Chief Operations Officer at myTomorrows, which is a platform for connecting patients, physicians, and clinical trial sponsors using a Trial Search AI tool designed to improve the accuracy of matching patients with suitable trials. The technology aims to speed up trial recruitment, increase diversity by reaching underserved populations, and ultimately shorten the drug development timeline. There is a particular focus on patients with no treatment options or who have not responded to current therapies. Vanessa explains, "We are all about patients. First and foremost, we want to help patients know their options. Patients who turn to us either have no treatment options for their conditions or have exhausted the treatment options. They are looking for alternatives and insights into whether we can help them find, for example, a clinical trial. Physicians who treat those patients turn to us."  "And last but not least, we work with biopharma companies that plan and conduct clinical trials and that sponsor expanded access programs. And those are our clients. So we connect all of those stakeholders. In addition, we work very closely with representative groups of patients and patient advocacy groups to make sure that we are known and to make sure that we understand what specific patient groups might need from companies like ours. So we kind of connect the dots, I guess, and an otherwise somewhat siloed system sometimes, and consider ourselves a platform player. Think of us a little bit like, let's say, booking.com for clinical trials." #myTomorrows #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #PatientAccess #RareDiseases #DigitalHealth #Healthcare #Innovation #AI #PatientEmpowerment #Biotechnology #Pharma #MedicalResearch #HealthcareEquity #Technology mytomorrows.com Download the transcript here

Paul Pruitt, Chief Growth Officer at SHARx, which is a company that partners with employers to provide access to drugs not covered by insurance, such as specialty medications. The SHARx model acts as a complementary service to existing Pharmacy Benefit Managers and allows employers to opt out of covering the most expensive drugs. Paul's personal experience managing his sons' rare condition and navigating the administrative burden and frustration of the insurance system gives him deep insights into the factors driving up the cost of medications. Paul explains, "When we started SHARx eight years ago, the really highest cost biologics and what we call specialty medications were about 35% of the dollars that were being spent within a pharmacy program. And this year, we rarely see it under 50%. So it's really become a huge issue that we're noticing and realizing why many employers have to make the jump to do something different."   "The highest cost medications are 1% to 5% of how a plan is used on the pharmacy side, but it's 90% of the dollars. So we've seen a lot of employers say, "Hey, we really care about our employees. We want to offer great benefits, but if we can't stay in business or offer a plan at all, then what good is that?" So what changes can we make? And that's where they come to us and say, "Hey, we can't participate. We may not be able to cover these medications this way going forward, but because we care about our folks, we want them to have access more affordably." That's why they partner with SHARx so that we can deliver that type of service to their people after they've made that determination of what they can and cannot cover any longer."   #SHARx #PrescriptionDrugs #HealthcareCosts #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareTransparency #PBMReform #SpecialtyPharmacy #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCentric #DrugPricing #HealthcareCrisis #RareDiseases SHARxplan.com Listen to the podcast here

Paul Pruitt, Chief Growth Officer at SHARx, which is a company that partners with employers to provide access to drugs not covered by insurance, such as specialty medications. The SHARx model acts as a complementary service to existing Pharmacy Benefit Managers and allows employers to opt out of covering the most expensive drugs. Paul's personal experience managing his sons' rare condition and navigating the administrative burden and frustration of the insurance system gives him deep insights into the factors driving up the cost of medications. Paul explains, "When we started SHARx eight years ago, the really highest cost biologics and what we call specialty medications were about 35% of the dollars that were being spent within a pharmacy program. And this year, we rarely see it under 50%. So it's really become a huge issue that we're noticing and realizing why many employers have to make the jump to do something different."   "The highest cost medications are 1% to 5% of how a plan is used on the pharmacy side, but it's 90% of the dollars. So we've seen a lot of employers say, "Hey, we really care about our employees. We want to offer great benefits, but if we can't stay in business or offer a plan at all, then what good is that?" So what changes can we make? And that's where they come to us and say, "Hey, we can't participate. We may not be able to cover these medications this way going forward, but because we care about our folks, we want them to have access more affordably." That's why they partner with SHARx so that we can deliver that type of service to their people after they've made that determination of what they can and cannot cover any longer."   #SHARx #PrescriptionDrugs #HealthcareCosts #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareTransparency #PBMReform #SpecialtyPharmacy #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCentric #DrugPricing #HealthcareCrisis #RareDiseases SHARxplan.com Download the transcript here

Dr. Marc Hedrick, President and CEO of Plus Therapeutics Inc.,  has expanded their focus from glioblastoma to leptomeningeal metastasis, a central nervous system cancer that is a growing challenge due to increased survival rates from primary cancers. Their highly sensitive, advanced diagnostic test, CNSide, can detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid, addressing the shortcomings of imaging and outdated standard-of-care practices. Using AI and advanced data analytics, their lead drug candidate is uniquely suited for treating CNS cancers because its safety at high doses enables the precise delivery of radiation. Marc explains, "Since we last talked and we discussed primarily the use of radiotherapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma. We've expanded that pretty significantly into a disease called leptomeningeal metastasis. And I think we may have touched on that briefly, at least conceptually, a few years ago. But now it's really real. We've just completed a phase one trial, and we're expanding that with the goal of getting the drug approved, perhaps sooner than with glioblastoma, by focusing on leptomeningeal cancer, for which there's nothing approved. And maybe it would be a good idea to back up and explain a little bit about what that is, because there's an epidemic of it that's not commonly understood."   "So the central nervous system is a protected organ in the body. Now, I mean the brain and the spinal cord. And it's that way for a reason to keep bad things out. Things like infections, tumors, or certain chemical toxins. And that includes drugs. Only about 2% of all drugs get into the central nervous system, which is a problem from a therapeutic perspective. But there's an epidemic in terms of metastases to the brain and spinal cord. Let's call those the CNS collectively. And that's because many common tumors like breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and melanoma are better controlled locally with drugs that don't have to worry about getting into the central nervous system. They just need to get into those specific organs and tissues and then exert control over the tumor where it occurred."    $PSTV #LM #CNS #Cancer #LeptomeningealMetastases #CNSide #BrainCancer #Oncology #Radiotherapeutics #MedicalInnovation #CancerResearch #Biotechnology #PatientCare #ClinicalTrials #HealthcareInnovation #CancerTreatment #Neuroscience #MedTech plustherapeutics.com Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Marc Hedrick, President and CEO of Plus Therapeutics Inc.,  has expanded their focus from glioblastoma to leptomeningeal metastasis, a central nervous system cancer that is a growing challenge due to increased survival rates from primary cancers. Their highly sensitive, advanced diagnostic test, CNSide, can detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid, addressing the shortcomings of imaging and outdated standard-of-care practices. Using AI and advanced data analytics, their lead drug candidate is uniquely suited for treating CNS cancers because its safety at high doses enables the precise delivery of radiation. Marc explains, "Since we last talked and we discussed primarily the use of radiotherapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma. We've expanded that pretty significantly into a disease called leptomeningeal metastasis. And I think we may have touched on that briefly, at least conceptually, a few years ago. But now it's really real. We've just completed a phase one trial, and we're expanding that with the goal of getting the drug approved, perhaps sooner than with glioblastoma, by focusing on leptomeningeal cancer, for which there's nothing approved. And maybe it would be a good idea to back up and explain a little bit about what that is, because there's an epidemic of it that's not commonly understood."   "So the central nervous system is a protected organ in the body. Now, I mean the brain and the spinal cord. And it's that way for a reason to keep bad things out. Things like infections, tumors, or certain chemical toxins. And that includes drugs. Only about 2% of all drugs get into the central nervous system, which is a problem from a therapeutic perspective. But there's an epidemic in terms of metastases to the brain and spinal cord. Let's call those the CNS collectively. And that's because many common tumors like breast cancer, lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and melanoma are better controlled locally with drugs that don't have to worry about getting into the central nervous system. They just need to get into those specific organs and tissues and then exert control over the tumor where it occurred."    $PSTV #LM #CNS #Cancer #LeptomeningealMetastases #CNSide #BrainCancer #Oncology #Radiotherapeutics #MedicalInnovation #CancerResearch #Biotechnology #PatientCare #ClinicalTrials #HealthcareInnovation #CancerTreatment #Neuroscience #MedTech plustherapeutics.com Download the transcript here

Kristy Yoskey, VP and Market Leader at PointClickCare, sees the evolution of demands of those living in senior living facilities from expecting basic housing to a desire for lifestyle choices, health services, and engagement in meaningful activities. On the facilities side, there is a shift from reactive to proactive care, where technology is used to monitor residents, identify behavioral changes, support clinical decision-making, and intervene early to prevent adverse events. In addition, the complexity of resident care is increasing, blurring the line between hospitality and healthcare and requiring greater care coordination and real-time updates for providers and family members. Kristy explains, "We've seen a real shift within senior living, and this is sort of a passion of mine. Residents in senior living are not just looking for hospitality, a place to go, and a roof over their heads anymore. They want lifestyle. They want health, they want purpose in life, they want independence. So we've seen real shifts in acuity levels, which means complexity, care needs are shifting. And we're seeing families sort of wanting more transparency, real-time updates. COVID really shifted a lot of things post-2020, and senior living did not necessarily get past that." "So they want to know that their loved one's not only safe, but they're also thriving, and they're receiving care. Residents want to know that someone's going to help coordinate their care and not just put them in an apartment and leave them alone. They're moving in for something that they need, some sort of help or something that is beyond what they can do in a community-type home. So the last thing I'll say here is that hospitality and healthcare have really become blurred in senior living since COVID. It's been a hot topic. We're seeing a lot more clinical services onsite and a lot more coordinated care happening. So the teams, the tools, all of that happening onsite within assisted independent memory care are now a necessity."   #PointClickCare ##SeniorLiving #HealthTech #AI #DigitalHealth #ElderCare #ResidentWellness #HealthcareInnovation #ProactiveCare #SeniorCare #PointClickCare #WellnessCoordination #HealthcareTransformation #AgingInPlace #ClinicalTechnology pointclickcare.com Listen to the podcast here  

Kristy Yoskey, VP and Market Leader at PointClickCare, sees the evolution of demands of those living in senior living facilities from expecting basic housing to a desire for lifestyle choices, health services, and engagement in meaningful activities. On the facilities side, there is a shift from reactive to proactive care, where technology is used to monitor residents, identify behavioral changes, support clinical decision-making, and intervene early to prevent adverse events. In addition, the complexity of resident care is increasing, blurring the line between hospitality and healthcare and requiring greater care coordination and real-time updates for providers and family members. Kristy explains, "We've seen a real shift within senior living, and this is sort of a passion of mine. Residents in senior living are not just looking for hospitality, a place to go, and a roof over their heads anymore. They want lifestyle. They want health, they want purpose in life, they want independence. So we've seen real shifts in acuity levels, which means complexity, care needs are shifting. And we're seeing families sort of wanting more transparency, real-time updates. COVID really shifted a lot of things post-2020, and senior living did not necessarily get past that." "So they want to know that their loved one's not only safe, but they're also thriving, and they're receiving care. Residents want to know that someone's going to help coordinate their care and not just put them in an apartment and leave them alone. They're moving in for something that they need, some sort of help or something that is beyond what they can do in a community-type home. So the last thing I'll say here is that hospitality and healthcare have really become blurred in senior living since COVID. It's been a hot topic. We're seeing a lot more clinical services onsite and a lot more coordinated care happening. So the teams, the tools, all of that happening onsite within assisted independent memory care are now a necessity."   #PointClickCare ##SeniorLiving #HealthTech #AI #DigitalHealth #ElderCare #ResidentWellness #HealthcareInnovation #ProactiveCare #SeniorCare #PointClickCare #WellnessCoordination #HealthcareTransformation #AgingInPlace #ClinicalTechnology pointclickcare.com Download the transcript here  

Sarah Smith, Qualitative Specialist and Global Behavioral Science Strategy Lead at Oracle Life Sciences, is focused on the critical role of behavioral science in improving recruitment and retention in clinical trials.  Oracle Life Sciences is working to address historical underrepresentation in clinical trials by combining behavioral insights with integrated technologies to identify at-risk populations and understand barriers to participation. Using nudges to encourage trial participation, conducting decentralized trials, and applying AI to reshape patient engagement are strong tools for building trust and improving accessibility. Sarah explains, "Behavioral science is about understanding behavior. It draws from a number of disciplines like psychology, anthropology, and behavioral economics. But what it tells us is that people aren't rational. They don't always do the things that we expect them to do. So if we want to engage people, if we want to engage them properly, if we want to ensure that all the things we do are equitable and have an equal playing field, then we need to really understand why people do the things they do and to try and help us make sense of that in a way that encompasses everybody."   "We see treatment and technology advancing, but there are many communities that aren't part of that still, that are underrepresented. Factors like gender, ethnicity, culture, conditions that carry a stigma, socioeconomic issues, and geographic limitations - all of these things can limit the opportunity, ability, and willingness of individuals to participate in clinical trials. And that means the impact of those trials is less generalizable because those people are not represented. They're just simply not there. So the treatment that is aimed at these people is not measured in those groups. Oracle is working to address this by combining a deeper understanding of behavior with integrated technology to try to close this gap in representation to give more inclusive patient-centered care that unifies clinical, behavioral, and safety data across settings. To give a more holistic view, to give more coordinated care, to identify risks earlier, to identify patients that perhaps just need a bit more attention - a more personalized engagement."   #OracleLifeSciences #lifesciences #ClinicalResearch #PatientCentricity #PatientEngagement #ClinicalTrials #Healthliteracy #BehavioralScience #HealthEquity #AI #Healthcare #Diversity #Inclusion #MedicalResearch #Innovation Oracle.com/life-sciences  Listen to the podcast here  

Sarah Smith, Qualitative Specialist and Global Behavioral Science Strategy Lead at Oracle Life Sciences, is focused on the critical role of behavioral science in improving recruitment and retention in clinical trials.  Oracle Life Sciences is working to address historical underrepresentation in clinical trials by combining behavioral insights with integrated technologies to identify at-risk populations and understand barriers to participation. Using nudges to encourage trial participation, conducting decentralized trials, and applying AI to reshape patient engagement are strong tools for building trust and improving accessibility. Sarah explains, "Behavioral science is about understanding behavior. It draws from a number of disciplines like psychology, anthropology, and behavioral economics. But what it tells us is that people aren't rational. They don't always do the things that we expect them to do. So if we want to engage people, if we want to engage them properly, if we want to ensure that all the things we do are equitable and have an equal playing field, then we need to really understand why people do the things they do and to try and help us make sense of that in a way that encompasses everybody."   "We see treatment and technology advancing, but there are many communities that aren't part of that still, that are underrepresented. Factors like gender, ethnicity, culture, conditions that carry a stigma, socioeconomic issues, and geographic limitations - all of these things can limit the opportunity, ability, and willingness of individuals to participate in clinical trials. And that means the impact of those trials is less generalizable because those people are not represented. They're just simply not there. So the treatment that is aimed at these people is not measured in those groups. Oracle is working to address this by combining a deeper understanding of behavior with integrated technology to try to close this gap in representation to give more inclusive patient-centered care that unifies clinical, behavioral, and safety data across settings. To give a more holistic view, to give more coordinated care, to identify risks earlier, to identify patients that perhaps just need a bit more attention - a more personalized engagement."   #OracleLifeSciences #lifesciences #ClinicalResearch #PatientCentricity #PatientEngagement #ClinicalTrials #Healthliteracy #BehavioralScience #HealthEquity #AI #Healthcare #Diversity #Inclusion #MedicalResearch #Innovation Oracle.com/life-sciences  Download the transcript here  

Dr. Josh Eloge, Associate Director for the Woman's Board Treatment Research Center, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Rush University Medical Center, and Founder of Connected Neuroscience has a focus on treatment-resistant depression which is defined as depression that is not relieved by at least two first-line medications. Research has identified that TRD is associated with hyperactivity in a specific brain region, shifting attention from a chemical view of depression to a neurobiological one.  Research on deep-brain stimulation and implantable technology is demonstrating neuromodulation and reductions in hyperactivity. Josh explains, "So depression, kind of a low mood, is something that is universally experienced, right? It's part of the human condition to a certain extent. However, when a low mood persists for most of the time and is accompanied by problems with being able to enjoy things, disruptions in sleep, appetite, or even thoughts about life not being worth living, one might be experiencing something called a major depressive episode, part of a major depressive disorder. And this is a specific psychiatric disorder that requires attention. Frankly, there are poor outcomes associated with this. About one in five Americans will experience a major depressive episode at some time in their life, so it's a little bit more common than people might think, and there are some effective treatments. So in my work, both seeing patients and in the research that I do here at Rush, we're looking at major depressive episode and trying to think how can we best treat this disorder to get people back to being able to enjoy things that they like to do, being with their family, have meaningful work, these sorts of things." "However, the research also shows that about a third of patients who try these different medications don't ultimately get the response that we are hoping for. And this has been termed treatment-resistant depression - when you try at least two of these first-line medications, but the symptoms are still present, and this is where a lot of the research that we've been working on in this specific population has been focused on." #ConnectedNeuroscience #MentalHealth #Neuroscience #DeepBrainStimulation #TreatmentResistantDepression #MedicalResearch #Innovation #RushUniversity #BrainHealth #ClinicalTrials #Psychiatry #NeuroModulation #DBS #TRANSCENDstudy #TRD connectedneuroscience.com  Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Josh Eloge, Associate Director for the Woman's Board Treatment Research Center, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Rush University Medical Center, and Founder of Connected Neuroscience has a focus on treatment-resistant depression which is defined as depression that is not relieved by at least two first-line medications. Research has identified that TRD is associated with hyperactivity in a specific brain region, shifting attention from a chemical view of depression to a neurobiological one.  Research on deep-brain stimulation and implantable technology is demonstrating neuromodulation and reductions in hyperactivity. Josh explains, "So depression, kind of a low mood, is something that is universally experienced, right? It's part of the human condition to a certain extent. However, when a low mood persists for most of the time and is accompanied by problems with being able to enjoy things, disruptions in sleep, appetite, or even thoughts about life not being worth living, one might be experiencing something called a major depressive episode, part of a major depressive disorder. And this is a specific psychiatric disorder that requires attention. Frankly, there are poor outcomes associated with this. About one in five Americans will experience a major depressive episode at some time in their life, so it's a little bit more common than people might think, and there are some effective treatments. So in my work, both seeing patients and in the research that I do here at Rush, we're looking at major depressive episode and trying to think how can we best treat this disorder to get people back to being able to enjoy things that they like to do, being with their family, have meaningful work, these sorts of things." "However, the research also shows that about a third of patients who try these different medications don't ultimately get the response that we are hoping for. And this has been termed treatment-resistant depression - when you try at least two of these first-line medications, but the symptoms are still present, and this is where a lot of the research that we've been working on in this specific population has been focused on." #ConnectedNeuroscience #MentalHealth #Neuroscience #DeepBrainStimulation #TreatmentResistantDepression #MedicalResearch #Innovation #RushUniversity #BrainHealth #ClinicalTrials #Psychiatry #NeuroModulation #DBS #TRANSCENDstudy #TRD connectedneuroscience.com Download the transcript here  

Dr. Eugene Manley, biomedical scientist turned social impact leader and Founder and CEO of the STEMM & Cancer Health Equity Foundation,  is focused on increasing STEMM workforce diversity and improving outcomes for underserved cancer patients. He highlights the lack of diversity in foundational lung cancer research and the need to expand the number of cell lines being included to develop more effective therapies. Eugene also raises concerns about barriers to clinical trial participation and the need to engage local community partners and AI to raise awareness and improve accessibility. Eugene explains, "The SCHEQ Foundation, which is a short name for STEMM and Cancer Health Equity, is tasked with working to increase STEMM workforce diversity and improve outcomes for underserved patients navigating the cancer care continuum. This is done broadly through trying to increase STEMM access and exposure, mentorship and training programs to help students navigate career transitions, and providing information and resources to underserved patients to help them navigate and access the care they're entitled to." "There are many paths into the medical field now. If you're trying to do particularly applied research or do things that directly impact patient outcomes, then yes, you might want to go more of a technical path. But as we mentioned, AI is the new thing on the block. It's a lot of looking at trends, variances, and differences in data, and then you can use that to predict how things may act or behave. However, the downside of this is that the data is often based on one population, one race, or ethnicity, which makes it harder to broadly generalize these results. So that's a lot of the challenges that we're seeing right now." #SCHEQ #HealthEquity #STEMM #CancerResearch #DiversityInScience #BiomedicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #LungCancer #HealthDisparities #MedicalInnovation #SocialImpact #HealthcareAccess #PrecisionMedicine scheq.org Listen to the podcast here  

Dr. Eugene Manley, biomedical scientist turned social impact leader and Founder and CEO of the STEMM & Cancer Health Equity Foundation,  is focused on increasing STEMM workforce diversity and improving outcomes for underserved cancer patients. He highlights the lack of diversity in foundational lung cancer research and the need to expand the number of cell lines being included to develop more effective therapies. Eugene also raises concerns about barriers to clinical trial participation and the need to engage local community partners and AI to raise awareness and improve accessibility. Eugene explains, "The SCHEQ Foundation, which is a short name for STEMM and Cancer Health Equity, is tasked with working to increase STEMM workforce diversity and improve outcomes for underserved patients navigating the cancer care continuum. This is done broadly through trying to increase STEMM access and exposure, mentorship and training programs to help students navigate career transitions, and providing information and resources to underserved patients to help them navigate and access the care they're entitled to." "There are many paths into the medical field now. If you're trying to do particularly applied research or do things that directly impact patient outcomes, then yes, you might want to go more of a technical path. But as we mentioned, AI is the new thing on the block. It's a lot of looking at trends, variances, and differences in data, and then you can use that to predict how things may act or behave. However, the downside of this is that the data is often based on one population, one race, or ethnicity, which makes it harder to broadly generalize these results. So that's a lot of the challenges that we're seeing right now." #SCHEQ #HealthEquity #STEMM #CancerResearch #DiversityInScience #BiomedicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #LungCancer #HealthDisparities #MedicalInnovation #SocialImpact #HealthcareAccess #PrecisionMedicine scheq.org Download the transcript here  

Ro Wickramasinghe, Vice President and Head of Global Business at Pi Health, identifies fundamental problems plaguing clinical trials, including operational inefficiencies and limited access to trials. Pi Health is addressing these challenges by developing an integrated software platform for clinical trial sponsors, sites, and patients and partnering with community-based cancer treatment centers worldwide.  The company has built a hospital in India to serve as a living laboratory to test and refine its model to democratize access and increase the ethnic diversity of trial participants.  Ro explains, "I think the challenge has always been, from a pharma-biotech perspective, is to find patients, but, from the other perspective, its patients participating in trials and being able to find clinical trials. So a lot of stats get bandied around, but despite many eligible patients, the percentage of eligible patients who actually end up in a clinical trial is really small. It's like 5% to 8%, so not a huge amount. I think that's kind of one problem."  "So we have it in chicken and egg scenario where we as a company develop clinical trial software, but when ultimately the vision for us is for that to really become the standard of care and really make trials more efficient for the clinicians that treat the patients and run the trials for these pharma companies and biotech companies that develop the drugs and sponsor the study."  "But having said that, I think to run lots of studies, what we decided to do was to build our own cancer hospital in India. And the beauty of that is that it is fully vertically integrated at the point of care. So the data gets captured on those patients in FICS, which is the software we've developed and then we can run trials. We have run trials for pharma and biotech at that site using our software. So it was, I guess, one of the quicker ways to test the software in a real-world environment and also getting lots of data on FICS and how it can benefit patients from the point of care to being on trials."  #PiHealth #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #CancerResearch #Innovation #DigitalHealth #PharmaTech #PatientAccess #MedTech #Healthcare #ClinicalResearch #GlobalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #India Pihealth.ai Listen to the podcast here

Ro Wickramasinghe, Vice President and Head of Global Business at Pi Health, identifies fundamental problems plaguing clinical trials, including operational inefficiencies and limited access to trials. Pi Health is addressing these challenges by developing an integrated software platform for clinical trial sponsors, sites, and patients and partnering with community-based cancer treatment centers worldwide.  The company has built a hospital in India to serve as a living laboratory to test and refine its model to democratize access and increase the ethnic diversity of trial participants.  Ro explains, "I think the challenge has always been, from a pharma-biotech perspective, is to find patients, but, from the other perspective, its patients participating in trials and being able to find clinical trials. So a lot of stats get bandied around, but despite many eligible patients, the percentage of eligible patients who actually end up in a clinical trial is really small. It's like 5% to 8%, so not a huge amount. I think that's kind of one problem."  "So we have it in chicken and egg scenario where we as a company develop clinical trial software, but when ultimately the vision for us is for that to really become the standard of care and really make trials more efficient for the clinicians that treat the patients and run the trials for these pharma companies and biotech companies that develop the drugs and sponsor the study."  "But having said that, I think to run lots of studies, what we decided to do was to build our own cancer hospital in India. And the beauty of that is that it is fully vertically integrated at the point of care. So the data gets captured on those patients in FICS, which is the software we've developed and then we can run trials. We have run trials for pharma and biotech at that site using our software. So it was, I guess, one of the quicker ways to test the software in a real-world environment and also getting lots of data on FICS and how it can benefit patients from the point of care to being on trials."  #PiHealth #ClinicalTrials #HealthTech #CancerResearch #Innovation #DigitalHealth #PharmaTech #PatientAccess #MedTech #Healthcare #ClinicalResearch #GlobalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #India Pihealth.ai Download the transcript here

Paul Goode, President and CEO of Glucotrack, discusses the evolution and future of continuous glucose and continuous blood glucose monitoring for people with diabetes, as well as opportunities for implantable CMG monitors. In addition to convenience and comfort, the Glucotrack implantable CGM monitor is designed to be more accurate and measure blood glucose. This approach eliminates the lag time associated with wearable CGMs that measure interstitial fluid, enabling faster, more effective treatment decisions.   Paul explains, "When you look at the market penetration of CGM in the US, even for those who are covered with insurance, because it is a standard of care in a large portion of patients with diabetes, it's still only a little over 50%. And when you try to understand why, it's because the technology works well, it's pretty accurate, and it helps patients. Market research shows that it's a collection of various reasons."   "When we realized that a large majority of the problems with use of current CGMs, whether people are using them, or people don't want to use them, a lot of these, let's call them hassle factors or discomfort factors, were because it was a wearable product. So we said, well, let's go inside the body, and that resolves almost all of those types of problems."   "Then we said, well, if we're in the body, we can also measure the glucose that's in the blood, actually measure blood glucose. Most folks don't realize that many do, but many don't, that CGM, the wearable CGMs, measure the interstitial fluid and not the actual blood glucose. And typically that's not a problem. There is a time lag between blood glucose and interstitial fluid, with interstitial fluid lagging behind anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. But that's usually only a problem during rapid rates of change, for example, when one is eating, exercising, or sick. " #Glucotrack #DiabetesTech #MedicalDevices #ContinuousGlucoseMonitoring #HealthcareInnovation #DiabetesManagement #ImplantableTech #BloodGlucose #CGM #MedTech #DiabetesCare #HealthTech glucotrack.com Listen to the podcast here

Paul Goode, President and CEO of Glucotrack, discusses the evolution and future of continuous glucose and continuous blood glucose monitoring for people with diabetes, as well as opportunities for implantable CMG monitors. In addition to convenience and comfort, the Glucotrack implantable CGM monitor is designed to be more accurate and measure blood glucose. This approach eliminates the lag time associated with wearable CGMs that measure interstitial fluid, enabling faster, more effective treatment decisions.   Paul explains, "When you look at the market penetration of CGM in the US, even for those who are covered with insurance, because it is a standard of care in a large portion of patients with diabetes, it's still only a little over 50%. And when you try to understand why, it's because the technology works well, it's pretty accurate, and it helps patients. Market research shows that it's a collection of various reasons."   "When we realized that a large majority of the problems with use of current CGMs, whether people are using them, or people don't want to use them, a lot of these, let's call them hassle factors or discomfort factors, were because it was a wearable product. So we said, well, let's go inside the body, and that resolves almost all of those types of problems."   "Then we said, well, if we're in the body, we can also measure the glucose that's in the blood, actually measure blood glucose. Most folks don't realize that many do, but many don't, that CGM, the wearable CGMs, measure the interstitial fluid and not the actual blood glucose. And typically that's not a problem. There is a time lag between blood glucose and interstitial fluid, with interstitial fluid lagging behind anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. But that's usually only a problem during rapid rates of change, for example, when one is eating, exercising, or sick. " #Glucotrack #DiabetesTech #MedicalDevices #ContinuousGlucoseMonitoring #HealthcareInnovation #DiabetesManagement #ImplantableTech #BloodGlucose #CGM #MedTech #DiabetesCare #HealthTech glucotrack.com Download the transcript here

Ben Backus, Chief Science Officer, and James Blaha, CEO and Founder of Vivid Vision, discuss their work addressing binocular dysfunctions and improving visual field testing. Their innovative visual test uses a consumer-grade VR headset to deliver a gamified, less stressful, more engaging experience for patients, encouraging longer, more frequent testing. This approach also improves dataset precision and overcomes barriers in clinical trials for new therapeutics for diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, potentially accelerating the development of vision-saving treatments. Ben explains, "Vivid Vision addresses two conditions. One of them is binocular dysfunctions, which include conditions like amblyopia, strabismus, and convergence insufficiency. And the other one that we're really focusing strongly on now is visual field testing, which is especially important to use for monitoring people who have glaucoma. It also gets used for screening tests for glaucoma, and it's an especially important part of getting new therapeutics approved for any medication that is going to try to preserve your sight. That includes macular degeneration, a particular flavor of macular degeneration, degeneration called geographic atrophy, inherited retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and stroke. It's the visual field test that we are putting the majority of our effort into, but we still also treat binocular dysfunction."   James elaborates, "I originally got started, I guess, because I grew up with some binocular vision disorders. I had a lazy eye and a crossed eye, also known as strabismus and amblyopia. And I had kind of the traditional experience as a kid where I was not cooperative with the treatments, wearing my eye patch, and doing eye exercises, and that sort of thing. And I wasn't successfully treated as a kid. About 60% of the time, that's the case in the US, where kids are not successfully treated for conditions. Then, when I was older, in my mid-twenties, I got interested in this topic through a TED talk by a neuroscientist, Sue Barry. That ultimately caused me to make the first prototypes, and I was able to gain 3D vision depth perception from some of those first prototypes. And that's ultimately what caused us to start the company." #VividVision #VRHealthcare #EyeHealth #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #VisionTesting #Innovation #Glaucoma #MacularDegeneration #Amblyopia #HealthTech #VirtualReality #PatientCare #EarlyDetection #ClinicalTrials seevividly.com Listen to the podcast here

Ben Backus, Chief Science Officer, and James Blaha, CEO and Founder of Vivid Vision, discuss their work addressing binocular dysfunctions and improving visual field testing. Their innovative visual test uses a consumer-grade VR headset to deliver a gamified, less stressful, more engaging experience for patients, encouraging longer, more frequent testing. This approach also improves dataset precision and overcomes barriers in clinical trials for new therapeutics for diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, potentially accelerating the development of vision-saving treatments. Ben explains, "Vivid Vision addresses two conditions. One of them is binocular dysfunctions, which include conditions like amblyopia, strabismus, and convergence insufficiency. And the other one that we're really focusing strongly on now is visual field testing, which is especially important to use for monitoring people who have glaucoma. It also gets used for screening tests for glaucoma, and it's an especially important part of getting new therapeutics approved for any medication that is going to try to preserve your sight. That includes macular degeneration, a particular flavor of macular degeneration, degeneration called geographic atrophy, inherited retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and stroke. It's the visual field test that we are putting the majority of our effort into, but we still also treat binocular dysfunction."   James elaborates, "I originally got started, I guess, because I grew up with some binocular vision disorders. I had a lazy eye and a crossed eye, also known as strabismus and amblyopia. And I had kind of the traditional experience as a kid where I was not cooperative with the treatments, wearing my eye patch, and doing eye exercises, and that sort of thing. And I wasn't successfully treated as a kid. About 60% of the time, that's the case in the US, where kids are not successfully treated for conditions. Then, when I was older, in my mid-twenties, I got interested in this topic through a TED talk by a neuroscientist, Sue Barry. That ultimately caused me to make the first prototypes, and I was able to gain 3D vision depth perception from some of those first prototypes. And that's ultimately what caused us to start the company." #VividVision #VRHealthcare #EyeHealth #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #VisionTesting #Innovation #Glaucoma #MacularDegeneration #Amblyopia #HealthTech #VirtualReality #PatientCare #EarlyDetection #ClinicalTrials seevividly.com Download the transcript here

Erez Druk, CEO of Freed, was motivated to bring technology to the healthcare environment based on his wife's experience as a family medicine doctor.  Freed was founded to alleviate the provider's administrative burdens by leveraging AI to streamline pre-visit preparation, billing, and EHR maintenance.  The focus is on small and rural private practices, giving them tools to save time, reduce costs, and maintain their independence. Erez explains, "So the need that I identified, together with my wife Gabi, was that clinicians need more time in their lives. They want to spend less time on this admin work and more time again with their patients and families. And that was it, thinking about how we can use these new technologies and feel better products that really take care of that, help clinicians be happier and freer, hence the name Freed. Yes, super proud now to be supporting more than 25,000 clinicians who will use Freed to do a lot of this work for them. So that's how the need was identified for years of watching the pain, let's say."   "But my background is, so I studied mathematics and computer science back in Israel. So I'm originally from Israel. In the Technion, we like to think of Technion as the MIT of Israel. So I studied there as an undergrad, and then I moved to the Bay Area to work for Facebook as an engineer. I was very lucky to start on the same day on the same team with this guy named Andrey, who, 10 years later, after lots of convincing, is my co-founder and CTO. So he is the real technical brain behind what we're doing here. So I worked as an engineer and tech lead at Facebook, and then I started working in my first startup called UrbanLeap." "And with EHR integration- I'm going a bit into the weeds here- but EHR integration is a big problem in healthcare that is mostly unsolved. So, we built an agent, which we call "EHR Push," that goes into the EHR and, like a human, finds the right fields, navigates to the right places, and puts the note and everything in the EHR for the clinician. And it's working amazingly. It saves clinicians a lot of time. And that's another example of how we apply this agentic AI to solve more and more complex problems for the clinician, keep it simple, and just save as much time as we can for clinicians." #FreedAI  #AIscribes #HealthcareAI #ClinicianBurnout #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareAI #MedicalDocumentation #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #PhysicianWellness #HealthcareEfficiency #MedTech GetFreed.AI Listen to the podcast here  

Erez Druk, CEO of Freed, was motivated to bring technology to the healthcare environment based on his wife's experience as a family medicine doctor.  Freed was founded to alleviate the provider's administrative burdens by leveraging AI to streamline pre-visit preparation, billing, and EHR maintenance.  The focus is on small and rural private practices, giving them tools to save time, reduce costs, and maintain their independence. Erez explains, "So the need that I identified, together with my wife Gabi, was that clinicians need more time in their lives. They want to spend less time on this admin work and more time again with their patients and families. And that was it, thinking about how we can use these new technologies and feel better products that really take care of that, help clinicians be happier and freer, hence the name Freed. Yes, super proud now to be supporting more than 25,000 clinicians who will use Freed to do a lot of this work for them. So that's how the need was identified for years of watching the pain, let's say."   "But my background is, so I studied mathematics and computer science back in Israel. So I'm originally from Israel. In the Technion, we like to think of Technion as the MIT of Israel. So I studied there as an undergrad, and then I moved to the Bay Area to work for Facebook as an engineer. I was very lucky to start on the same day on the same team with this guy named Andrey, who, 10 years later, after lots of convincing, is my co-founder and CTO. So he is the real technical brain behind what we're doing here. So I worked as an engineer and tech lead at Facebook, and then I started working in my first startup called UrbanLeap." "And with EHR integration- I'm going a bit into the weeds here- but EHR integration is a big problem in healthcare that is mostly unsolved. So, we built an agent, which we call "EHR Push," that goes into the EHR and, like a human, finds the right fields, navigates to the right places, and puts the note and everything in the EHR for the clinician. And it's working amazingly. It saves clinicians a lot of time. And that's another example of how we apply this agentic AI to solve more and more complex problems for the clinician, keep it simple, and just save as much time as we can for clinicians." #FreedAI  #AIscribes #HealthcareAI #ClinicianBurnout #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareAI #MedicalDocumentation #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #PhysicianWellness #HealthcareEfficiency #MedTech GetFreed.AI Download the transcript here  

Mary Kelly Jagim, principal consultant at CenTrak,  describes the role and benefits of real-time location services (RTLS) and how indoor GPS can improve facility management, patient safety, and staff morale. The use of RTLS in the development of smart hospitals helps mitigate staff burnout by reducing time-wasting tasks, such as searching for equipment, and by providing safety features like badge access and tracking.  This technology is also being used to enhance the human touch in the clinical setting by providing more accurate, real-time patient location information and updates to clinical staff and family members.   Mary explains, "So, let's say we're talking about a medium to large hospital with lots of people in the building, lots of equipment in the building, lots of things that they might be able to leverage real-time location systems for. And so those organizations are generally looking for a formal deal. They want to be able to keep track of equipment, and they want to provide a safe environment with a security solution for their staff. They might also want to look at safety around hand hygiene, so they're seeking a solution to make sure staff are washing their hands. We also might be looking at medication and other safety measures through environmental monitoring that we can provide. And then, in addition to that, they might be looking at getting into integration with their electronic health record and be able to incorporate patient flow."   "RTLS-enabled patient flow ensures they can always see the actual location of their patients. Traditionally, they're used for seeing the assigned room, but that might not actually be where the patient is at that point in time. So, we can offer things like that, and that can be a real patient experience satisfier. And then you can also help with electronic health record integration, we can help them to capture major milestone pieces. " #HealthTech #SmartHospitals #PatientSafety #HealthcareInnovation #RTLS #RealTimeLocationSystems #AIinHealthcare #PatientExperience #HealthcareEfficiency #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #AI #Burnout #Safety #StaffDuress #PatientCare CenTrak.com Listen to the podcast here

Mary Kelly Jagim, principal consultant at CenTrak,  describes the role and benefits of real-time location services (RTLS) and how indoor GPS can improve facility management, patient safety, and staff morale. The use of RTLS in the development of smart hospitals helps mitigate staff burnout by reducing time-wasting tasks, such as searching for equipment, and by providing safety features like badge access and tracking.  This technology is also being used to enhance the human touch in the clinical setting by providing more accurate, real-time patient location information and updates to clinical staff and family members.   Mary explains, "So, let's say we're talking about a medium to large hospital with lots of people in the building, lots of equipment in the building, lots of things that they might be able to leverage real-time location systems for. And so those organizations are generally looking for a formal deal. They want to be able to keep track of equipment, and they want to provide a safe environment with a security solution for their staff. They might also want to look at safety around hand hygiene, so they're seeking a solution to make sure staff are washing their hands. We also might be looking at medication and other safety measures through environmental monitoring that we can provide. And then, in addition to that, they might be looking at getting into integration with their electronic health record and be able to incorporate patient flow."   "RTLS-enabled patient flow ensures they can always see the actual location of their patients. Traditionally, they're used for seeing the assigned room, but that might not actually be where the patient is at that point in time. So, we can offer things like that, and that can be a real patient experience satisfier. And then you can also help with electronic health record integration, we can help them to capture major milestone pieces. " #HealthTech #SmartHospitals #PatientSafety #HealthcareInnovation #RTLS #RealTimeLocationSystems #AIinHealthcare #PatientExperience #HealthcareEfficiency #MedicalTechnology #DigitalHealth #AI #Burnout #Safety #StaffDuress #PatientCare CenTrak.com Download the transcript here

Todd Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Tyra Biosciences, is focused on developing a selective inhibitor for FGFR3, a protein implicated in bladder cancer and childhood dwarfism. The company has developed the SNAP discovery platform to accelerate structure-based drug design targeting this specific protein, while avoiding effects on related proteins to minimize significant side effects. Their lead drug candidate has the potential to become a primary well-tolerated oral monotherapy, shifting the treatment paradigm for cancer patients to prevent recurrence and for children to allow for more typical bone growth. Todd explains, "We are taking a novel step to a set of conditions, genetic conditions in FGFR3 biology that have long been known, that others have attempted to address, but where the underlying chemistry hasn't had the necessary selectivity to really be able to make progress. FGFR3 biology is implicated both in bladder cancer and in kids with dwarfism and short stature conditions. And there have long been chemical matter drugs that can inhibit FGFR3, but also inhibit close family members, including FGFR1 and 2. These close family members, the nature of the close family members, make it very challenging to make a drug that is a drug candidate that selectively inhibits FGFR3 while sparing FGFR1, 2, and 4."   "And it was a challenge we took on because we felt like we could meaningfully improve the outcomes for patients by doing so. FGFR3 has important biology in bone and cancer, but FGFR1 and 2 have important biology as well and can lead to side effects when inhibited at the same time as FGFR3. So our attempt to make a selective inhibitor is really an effort to minimize off-target tolerability effects, things that can affect, like pain in your nails, blistering of hands and feet, and elevated phosphate levels when taking the pan FGFR drugs. And then just focus on a drug that can inhibit FGFR3, avoid that type of toxicity, and be able to more meaningfully impact these genetic conditions." #TyraBio #TyraBiosciences #PrecisionMedicine #BladderCancer #RareDiseases #Achondroplasia #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #FGFR3 #Innovation #ClinicalTrials #Oncology #PediatricMedicine #StructureBasedDrugDesign tyra.bio Listen to the podcast here 

Todd Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Tyra Biosciences, is focused on developing a selective inhibitor for FGFR3, a protein implicated in bladder cancer and childhood dwarfism. The company has developed the SNAP discovery platform to accelerate structure-based drug design targeting this specific protein, while avoiding effects on related proteins to minimize significant side effects. Their lead drug candidate has the potential to become a primary well-tolerated oral monotherapy, shifting the treatment paradigm for cancer patients to prevent recurrence and for children to allow for more typical bone growth. Todd explains, "We are taking a novel step to a set of conditions, genetic conditions in FGFR3 biology that have long been known, that others have attempted to address, but where the underlying chemistry hasn't had the necessary selectivity to really be able to make progress. FGFR3 biology is implicated both in bladder cancer and in kids with dwarfism and short stature conditions. And there have long been chemical matter drugs that can inhibit FGFR3, but also inhibit close family members, including FGFR1 and 2. These close family members, the nature of the close family members, make it very challenging to make a drug that is a drug candidate that selectively inhibits FGFR3 while sparing FGFR1, 2, and 4."   "And it was a challenge we took on because we felt like we could meaningfully improve the outcomes for patients by doing so. FGFR3 has important biology in bone and cancer, but FGFR1 and 2 have important biology as well and can lead to side effects when inhibited at the same time as FGFR3. So our attempt to make a selective inhibitor is really an effort to minimize off-target tolerability effects, things that can affect, like pain in your nails, blistering of hands and feet, and elevated phosphate levels when taking the pan FGFR drugs. And then just focus on a drug that can inhibit FGFR3, avoid that type of toxicity, and be able to more meaningfully impact these genetic conditions." #TyraBio #TyraBiosciences #PrecisionMedicine #BladderCancer #RareDiseases #Achondroplasia #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #FGFR3 #Innovation #ClinicalTrials #Oncology #PediatricMedicine #StructureBasedDrugDesign tyra.bio Download the transcript here 

Peyton Fry, Founder and owner of Glass Raven, discusses the complexities of patient access to healthcare and how healthcare systems often fall into the trap of measuring efficiency in ways that are financially beneficial for providers but are detrimental to patient care. Glass Raven helps organizations define key metrics of good patient access and the implementation of technology and AI to address the defined problems. This data-driven approach focuses on the populations most likely to benefit from improved patient access to care and informs a tailored, context-aware strategy for each healthcare system. Peyton explains, "Glass Raven focuses on providing services in patient access spaces and operations for healthcare systems. We typically work with medium to large healthcare systems and help them really get a feel and eyes on their own operations and what patient access means to them. Oftentimes, that starts with just defining what patient access is for a given space and then looking into call centers, referrals, and capacity to make sure that patients who want to be scheduled can be scheduled and that healthcare systems can control costs and gather the revenue from that."   "I think patient access has been around for a long time. I think it probably falls under a lot of different umbrellas, which is part of the problem. If I started my career, I found that there just weren't many experts who focused on patient access as a discipline. I think that's because your patient access strategies will change depending on your payer mix. It'll change depending on your size and your capabilities as a system. So I think it's really hard to find the blueprint that someone else has used and move it from system to system. It's almost like you have to reinvent the wheel." #GlassRaven #HealthcareAccess #PatientExperience #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareOperations #DataAnalytics #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare #HealthSystems #DigitalHealth GlassRaven.Health Listen to the podcast here

Peyton Fry, Founder and owner of Glass Raven, discusses the complexities of patient access to healthcare and how healthcare systems often fall into the trap of measuring efficiency in ways that are financially beneficial for providers but are detrimental to patient care. Glass Raven helps organizations define key metrics of good patient access and the implementation of technology and AI to address the defined problems. This data-driven approach focuses on the populations most likely to benefit from improved patient access to care and informs a tailored, context-aware strategy for each healthcare system. Peyton explains, "Glass Raven focuses on providing services in patient access spaces and operations for healthcare systems. We typically work with medium to large healthcare systems and help them really get a feel and eyes on their own operations and what patient access means to them. Oftentimes, that starts with just defining what patient access is for a given space and then looking into call centers, referrals, and capacity to make sure that patients who want to be scheduled can be scheduled and that healthcare systems can control costs and gather the revenue from that."   "I think patient access has been around for a long time. I think it probably falls under a lot of different umbrellas, which is part of the problem. If I started my career, I found that there just weren't many experts who focused on patient access as a discipline. I think that's because your patient access strategies will change depending on your payer mix. It'll change depending on your size and your capabilities as a system. So I think it's really hard to find the blueprint that someone else has used and move it from system to system. It's almost like you have to reinvent the wheel." #GlassRaven #HealthcareAccess #PatientExperience #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareOperations #DataAnalytics #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare #HealthSystems #DigitalHealth GlassRaven.Health Download the transcript here

Dr. Tien Lee, Founder and CEO of Aardvark Therapeutics, draws a clear distinction between appetite and hunger and the implications for treating metabolic conditions and managing weight. The Aardvark lead drug candidate, an oral bitter taste receptor agonist designed to activate the gut-brain connection to turn off hunger, is showing effectiveness in treating Prader-Willi Syndrome and general obesity.  There are also signs that this drug could be effective for those using GLP-1s to avoid nausea and prevent rebound weight gain experienced after discontinuing GLP-1 drugs. Tien explains, "That difference between hunger and appetite is the central thesis for our entire company, and your brain actually regulates how much you should eat. And it's driven by both appetite and hunger. So appetites like the carrot, and hunger is like the stick. Appetite is what you feel when you really enjoy a certain food, like ice cream or cake. And the appeal and the deliciousness of that food is a reward that your brain chases. Hunger is the feeling that you get when you have fasted for a prolonged period of time, and it really bothers you, and you feel real discomfort from not eating. And then at that point, food quality matters less, and you just want to escape that negative sensation. And we believe a lot of the current drugs are good at reducing appetite, but they don't so much address hunger like what our approach is pursuing."  "In obesity, there's probably a combination of both appetite and hunger at play. And they're both important. In fact, your body has both appetite and hunger that are regulated. And when we eat food, our gut releases a number of gut hormones that help tamp down and give us satiety for both appetite and hunger. However, there are certain conditions where hunger is the predominant issue. And with the disease that is our lead indication is a condition called Prader-Willi syndrome. It's a rare genetic disorder that affects about one out of 15,000 live births. And patients with this condition have this unabated, unrelenting hunger that they feel that really starts to manifest when they're about four or seven years old. And then characteristically, patients will even feel compelled to eat garbage to the point of stomach rupture if unregulated with their food access. So it's a very debilitating condition with a lot of suffering for the patients and their families."   "There are actually quite a number of new revelations in the scientific literature, and there's a greater appreciation of gut-brain signaling. So there are actually as many neurons in your gut as there are in your spinal cord, almost as many neurons as in the cat brain. And there's a greater appreciation of a two-way communication between your brain and the gut. So the vagus nerve is the largest nerve in your body, and there's actually a two-way communication between the gut and the brain. About 80% to 90% of the signal is actually from the gut to the brain. And even the drugs that people know currently, the Ozempic and the Zepbound drugs, are working through this gut path hormone. But naturally, a lot of the signals actually come from the gut to the brain through this vagus nerve conduction." #AardvarkTherapeutics #Hunger #Appetite #PraderWilliSyndrome #PWS #Hyperphagia #RareDiseases #BiotechInnovation #ObesityTreatment #GutBrainAxis #TasteReceptors #ClinicalTrials #Therapeutics #MetabolicHealth #PharmaceuticalInnovation  aardvarktherapeutics.com Listen to the podcast here