Forum on Healthcare Innovation

This past week the Jackson Laboratory of Genomic Medicine – JAX GM – hosted its 3rd annual conference on healthcare innovation. This invitation-only event brought together thought leaders of emerging science and technology that will change the future of healthcare. Of critical importance was discussions on how payers determine which innovations will get approved for reimbursement, and which will not.

Panelists and speakers were headlined by Robert Califf, FDA commissioner; Tom Daschle, former US Senate majority leader; Edison Liu, JAX CEO; Glenn Steele, xG Health Solutions Strategy Chief; David Ledbetter, Geisinger Health System CSO; John Niederhuber, Inova Translational Medicine Institute CEO, David Beier, Bay City Capital Managing Director; Michael Pellini, Foundation Medicine CEO; Stephen Block, Canaan Partners General Partner; David Sabow, Silicon Valley Bank Managing Director, & Alan Sachs, Thermo Fisher Scientific CSO.

There was much talk of the microbiome. Humans are just envelopes around bacteria. And of course crispr/cas9 gene editing. DNA & RNA sequencing will end up on a USB stick for in-home diagnostics of infectious agents. Think about it: in principal, you need to sequence your genome just once. In contrast, you have continual need to finger usual suspects.

Immuno is the now and future of oncology. 85% of cancer patients are treated in a community setting. 15% in a big-city research hospital. Guess which ones have access to clinical trials and the latest diagnostic tools, and which don’t?

Over the past 30 years, car crashes have dropped out of the top ten power rankings. Tobacco, alcohol & sugar are 3 of the biggest contributors to chronic conditions that account for the most health care expenditures.

Beyond the science, the event was a great opportunity to network. Limited guest list, top people, frequent breaks, 2 lunches, 1 cocktail reception, & 1 dinner. JAX GM is a LEED gold building. As an organization, JAX excels at marketing and treating people well.

Take home? Eat beans & greens, exercise, and hope that the pace of innovation is faster than what ails you.