What You Should Know: - Protai, a proteomics and AI-powered drug discovery startup revolutionizing the way new drugs are discovered, today announced a $12 million extension of its seed round, bringing the total amount to $20M. - The round includes existing investors Grove Ventures and Pitango Healthcare and was joined by Copenhagen-based Maj Invest Equity Fund. The additional funding will be used to build Protai’s oncology drug discovery pipeline, expand data
Read More
Advisory Board
Biden Admin Builds on Cancer Moonshot with 13 More Initiatives
What You Should Know: - One year ago, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot, setting an ambitious, achievable goal: to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, and improve the experience of people and families living with and surviving cancer, ultimately ending cancer as we know it today. - The Cancer Moonshot has spurred tremendous action across the federal government and from the public and private
Read More
Why ML Monitoring is Essential to AI Success in Healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the healthcare sector has grown significantly over the last decade, with no signs of slowing down. According to a 2021 report from HIMSS, 62% of clinicians are interested in using AI/ML tools. From front-line workers to back-office staff, every stakeholder in the healthcare continuum can leverage AI technology to enhance healthcare quality. In fact, ML models are already being used to collect and analyze patient data at scale, thereby allowing
Read More
Exec Hires: Former CVS Health Leader Joins Virgin Pulse as Chief Medical Officer
What You Should Know: - Virgin Pulse, a global digital-first health, wellbeing, and navigation company, announced that Jeffrey Jacques, MD, has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer. - As chief medical officer at Virgin Pulse, Dr. Jacques will advance the company’s clinical strategy, providing insight and guidance to product and commercial teams. He will also lead the company’s Science Advisory Board, which helps ensure that Virgin Pulse’s technology and the experiences it supports
Read More
Why We Need Deflection to Reduce Overdose Deaths (and Drug Diversion) in 2023
The United States is still reeling from a devastating opioid epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that death from drug overdoses reached just under 108,000 between 2020 and 2021. That is enough to fill over four professional baseball stadiums. This staggering number of overdose deaths is due to many factors, including the sale of counterfeit medications and illegal drugs that often contain deadly doses of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other
Read More
EMRs Are Outdated, but Big Tech Is Not The Answer
Over a decade ago, the “meaningful use” clause in the United States Affordable Care Act incentivized Electronic Medical Record (EMR) adoption. The purpose of this directive was to improve the transfer of laboratory data to point-of-care clinicians to help us make better, more informed decisions for our patients. In the years that followed, EMR systems have proliferated globally; countries like New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands are reporting EMR usage rates above 90% for primary care
Read More
AI Improving the Patient Experience of Cancer Care
For cancer patients and their loved ones, days, weeks, and months matter. In fact, anyone who has waited anxiously for test results or a treatment regimen to begin can attest that hours, or even minutes, will drag on with emotional heaviness. From a clinical standpoint as well, time to treatment significantly impacts outcomes. All suspected cancers should be ruled out or confirmed with a diagnosis so treatment can begin as soon as possible. Similarly, patients with incidental findings—masses or
Read More
Northwell Holdings & Aegis Ventures Form FemTech Company for Menopause Support
What You Should Know: - Northwell Holdings and Aegis Ventures inked an agreement today for the formation of Upliv, a femtech-based women's virtual care startup that aims to raise the bar for clinical menopause support. - Upliv is the joint creation of Aegis Ventures and Northwell Holdings, the for-profit investment arm of Northwell Health. In April 2022, Aegis Ventures announced the intention to invest at least $100M in seed-stage funds toward the development of joint ventures with
Read More
SURGE Therapeutics Raises $26M to Accelerate Intraoperative Immunotherapy
What You Should Know: - SURGE Therapeutics (SURGE) recently announced the completion of a $26 million Series A financing led by Camford Capital, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Intuitive Ventures, Pitango HealthTech, 8VC, Alumni Ventures, and the Cancer Research Institute. - The funds will be used to accelerate the development of the SURGE™ intraoperative immunotherapy approach, expand the team, and initiate clinical trials for its injectable biodegradable hydrogel. Using
Read More
Pretzel Therapeutics Launches With $72.5M to Pioneer Mitochondrial Therapies
What You Should Know: - Pretzel Therapeutics, a biotechnology company harnessing the intricacies of mitochondrial biology to develop groundbreaking therapies, launched today with $72.5M in Series A financing to pioneer novel therapies to modulate mitochondrial function. - The financing was led by ARCH Venture Partners and Mubadala Capital with participating investors HealthCap, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Cambridge Enterprise, Angelini Ventures, GV, Invus, Eir Ventures, GU Ventures, and
Read More
