#DigitalHealthReadingList – Oct 1st
Wolfgang Schleifer
Digital Health Transformation and Strategy Leader | Health & Life Science | Pharma & Medical Devices Industry | University Lecturer | Board Member
October 1st, 2023;?my weekly?#DigitalHealthReadingList ?provides you a selection of the most interesting?Digital Health?articles of the last couple of days.
By FIERCE Biotech
Summary: Researchers from Mount Sinai, Georgia Tech, and Emory University have identified a biomarker that can predict which patients with treatment-resistant depression would benefit from deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. The study, backed by the National Institutes of Health, used changes in brain activity of patients who received DBS to produce a shared signature for their neurological data linked to changes in depression symptoms. The biomarker could adjust treatment accordingly and improve the chances of DBS therapy gaining regulatory clearance for treating major depressive disorder.
By Nature
Summary: Scientists are exploring the use of AlphaFold's accurate 3D protein structures to discover drugs quickly and cheaply. Biotech firm Recursion calculated 36 billion drug compounds' potential binding with 15,000 human proteins. While the vast amount of data is promising, the results rely on predicted protein structures and are not confirmed in laboratory experiments. Researchers aim to create a system that can identify compounds that bind strongly to lesser-known proteins.
By Forbes
Summary: Advanced imaging techniques have nearly doubled in the last decade, indicating a growing trend in healthcare delivery. GE Healthcare was awarded a $44m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation to create AI assisted ultrasound technology that will enable clinicians to support a variety of healthcare screening techniques and improve healthcare outcomes and access in low to middle income countries. The Ultrasound technology is a powerful tool, but its guidance has limitations, the grant hopes to help clinicians bridge this gap and produce better images and diagnostic information. Tools like these have the potential to change the way people approach healthcare.
By Interesting Engineering
Summary: A new robot has been developed that can perform brain surgeries for children with small skulls. Robots used in neurosurgery are mostly built for less invasive operations, which can result in shorter recovery times and lower risks of complications. Dupont's robot has pre-curved nitinol tubes that are rigid enough to handle the strains of surgery, offering more space to operate and leading to more precise movements during delicate procedures. According to the inventor, this breakthrough in brain surgery could also be used on adults to improve their chances of surviving hazardous operations.
By Imaging Technology News
Summary: Jesse Ehrenfeld, President of the American Medical Association (AMA), spoke about broader digital health trends at the recent 2023 AIMed Global Summit and how the AMA is ensuring physicians are actively involved in the development of new medical technologies. He emphasized the importance of better tools that provide clinicians with the information needed to keep patients healthy. Physicians require four elements in their digital health needs: does it work, will insurance cover it, who is accountable if something goes wrong, and does it work in their practice. The AMA conducts surveys to engage physicians across the country in this regard.
By IQVIA
Summary: The healthcare landscape is being transformed by the rise of digital health solutions, with nearly 79% YoY growth in disease-specific apps in 2023. Pharma is diligently evaluating, developing, and leveraging these technologies to generate tangible value. The industry’s focus ranges from establishing standalone value, improving asset performance, to innovative omnichannel engagement. IQVIA sees pharma employ various organizational models that address companies’ strategic needs and approaches. Partnerships with digital health companies have emerged as a strategic necessity, and this trend continues to reshape the future of healthcare.
领英推荐
By ScienceDaily
Summary: In their efforts to find novel drug molecules, researchers often rely on fast computer-aided screening of large compound libraries to identify agents that can block a drug target. Boosting virtual screening with machine learning allowed for a 10-fold time reductionin the processing of 1.56 billion drug-like molecules. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland teamed up with industry and supercomputers to carry out one of the world's largest virtual drug screens.
By MIT Technology Review
Summary: A new study published in Science Robotics has demonstrated that a wearable exoskeleton can help runners increase their speed by encouraging them to take more steps, allowing them to cover short distances more quickly. The exosuit helps people run faster by assisting their hip extension—the powerful motion that propels a runner forward. The exosuit tracks the wearer’s lower-body movements in real time through sensors on both thighs. On average, the participants managed to run the distance 0.97 seconds faster when they were wearing the suit than when they weren’t. The researchers are also starting to work with a disabled runner to examine whether an assistive exosuit could offer a benefit.
By FIERCE Healthcare
Summary: Amazon has announced plans to invest up to $4bn in Anthropic, a two-year-old artificial intelligence (AI) company, and take minority ownership. The two firms will work together to advance generative AI, with Anthropic making Amazon Web Services (AWS) its main cloud provider. The investment is intended to help Amazon keep pace with rivals Microsoft and Google. Microsoft has reportedly invested $13bn in OpenAI, while Google is working with healthcare providers to use generative AI in clinical documentation tasks. Anthropic has an AI assistant called Claude that the firm claims is safer and more reliable than competitors.
By digitalhealth
Summary: Oracle has announced new generative AI services for healthcare organisations in the form of a new Oracle Clinical Digital Assistant, enabling providers to leverage the power of generative AI together with voice commands to reduce manual work and place more focus on patient care.
By Becker’s Health IT
Summary: Big Tech companies are collaborating with healthcare providers to assist in their digital transformations. Some of the collaborations include HCA Healthcare using Google's AI technology, Ochsner Health using Microsoft's Azure OpenAI, Amazon and Froedtert Health developing a digital health app powered by Amazon Web Services, and Mayo Clinic creating an AI algorithm using electrocardiogram data from Apple Watch. Other collaborations involve virtual reality, YouTube and Apple Watch apps.
By FIERCE Biotech
Summary: Merck is expanding its collaboration with Quris-AI to use the BioAI safety prediction platform to identify liver toxicity risks in drug candidates and reduce the reliance on animal testing. The platform combines miniaturised human tissues on a chip, nanosensing and machine learning to predict drug safety and reduce cost and time in the drug development process. The partnership was initiated early last year and the recent expansion of the deal allows Merck to exclusively license the technology in a specific disease domain for up to five years.
By AstraZeneca
Summary: Digital healthcare solutions for clinical trials have transformed study design, improved clinical outcomes, reduced timelines, and enabled new endpoints. Combining technologies for remote data collection and using connected devices have made it easier for patients and investigators to participate while reducing burden. Starting with patient insights has enabled the rapid evolution of digital technology, ultimately improving environmental sustainability.
Managing Partner at LSCP Life Sciences Consulting Partners
1 年Thanks for your weekly, Wolfgang and have a good, inspiring Idian week! Best, Ruedi
Building ? performance teams that deliver true digital transformation
1 年Finding completely new ways to find new drugs can truly transform how we do development, and there is still not much out there that is proven and effective, great to read articles that talk about progress, or attempts, in that area