On this episode of 15 Minutes with the Doctor, we are joined by John Cassidy, Co-Founder and CEO of Cambridge Cancer Genomics. John shares with listeners how the company started and how they have advanced precision oncology through genomics. This personalised approach means their software can predict which cancer treatments are likely to be most effective.

Key Topics:

The current status of oncology

Solutions created through genomics

The 3 keys to innovation in genomics

How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions

Biggest challenges they have overcome

The current status of oncology:

Oncologists typically have a short period of time to review a patient’s test results and make a recommendation for their care

Oncologists make a recommendation based on their awareness of what drugs or treatments might work, this method is not as effective as it could be

With 6 months between scans for most patients, as much as 2/3 of patients will receive treatments that are not effective for months before oncologists recognise the need to try something else

On the lack of progress in chemotherapy: “Two-thirds of patients will go on to receive the same chemotherapy treatments that have been around for decades.”

Solutions created through genomics:

Genomics allows oncologists to understand what is going on with each patient on the molecular level

The sequencing of blood and tissue samples can be completed in 15 minutes

This software is available to clinical diagnostic labs, not direct to consumers

In a US trial, using genomics saved an average of $25,000-$50,000 per patient

This method is 98% accurate in predicting the correct drug for each patient

The 3 keys to innovation in genomics:

Reduction in cost of genomics:

The Human Genome Project cost $1 billion 20 years ago

Analysis now costs about $900-$1,000 per patient now

Computational power:

Through cloud computing, much more data can be stored securely than ever before and significant developments in artificial intelligence

More drugs are being produced:

This means specific drugs are available for more classes and mutations than ever before

“Put those 3 things (genomic innovation, computational power, and more types of drugs being produced) together and you can do personalised scalable precision oncology for a very, very reasonable price.”

How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions:

Founded by 4 co-founders with PhDs who wondered why there was such a disconnect between scientific advances and the technology to support them

They built an advanced infrastructure using machine learning to support genomic advances

Their software uses an individuals genomic data and machine learning to predict which drugs are most likely to effective

They are currently doing alpha and beta testing in 20 centers worldwide, including observational clinical trials in the US and Singapore

Biggest challenges they have overcome:

Communicating their message, which is imperative to receiving funding

While they have a good model, there can be challenges generally in terms of approvals and regulatory hurdles

“Getting the messaging right is the key thing to get the funding, and the funding is determined by how well you are telling the story.”

For more information:

https://www.ccg.ai/

https://twitter.com/CCGenomics

Our guest on this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor is John Ramsay. He’s the Chief Exec of Shift 8 and has introduced the Tovertafel (“Magic Table”) to the UK – It allows light projections onto any table surface and enables the users to play musical, sports, and other types of games while having a safe space to engage with others. It is aimed at those with dementia and learning disabilities. Learn about John’s personal story into healthcare innovation, what the Tovartafel is and its benefits, and how it’s use is growing rapidly.

The beginnings of this partnership

- John’s friend Hester created the Tovertafel in Holland

- John’s father experienced early-onset Alzheimer’s and John realised the impact that a resource like the Tovertafel could have.

- When he became aware of the Tovertafel, John was working in corporate law, but he realised that he would prefer use his talents where they could have more impact.

- As it came time to come to a licensing agreement, John and Hester learned that the most effective approach was being:

- Open

- Honest

- Structured

- Willing to accept mistakes

- Mutually appreciative

- Collaborative

“When I heard about something that would make a difference to those living with dementia and make them more engaged with the world around them…I realised that maybe corporate law wasn’t for me and this was my calling.”

Why is there a need for this resource?

- There is often limited activities for cognitively impaired individuals at their care homes.

- Many patients become apathetic and disengaged and sometimes depressed.

“It’s about changing the lives of people with dementia and other cognitive impairments.”

The design process.

- Each game idea is considered in light of its ability to engage those who are cognitively impaired.

- The development team then puts a test version of the game together and it is tested for its inclusivity before being distributed.

- They try to develop a variety of games, recognising that not everyone enjoys music or sport.

“If you can activate these parts of the brain, you create engagement, and it’s that that creates happiness.”

The impacts of the Tovertafel

- So far, the Tovertafel has been distributed to 600 care centers and has been used by 10,000 loved ones in the UK.

- There have been countless stories of individuals experiencing true happiness and dramatic behavior changes after engaging with others and the world using the Tovertafel.

- Shift 8 has conducted more than 60 studies to test the effectiveness of the technology and make any necessary improvements.

- They hope to be able to quantify and codify the social impacts of the Tovertafel and integrate this research into future production.

“It’s amazing to see the effect that we are producing each and every day.”

Plans for the future.

- Continue to increase the number of loved ones supported by the Tovertafel.

- Expand the technology into other cognitive impairments.

- Enlarge the geographic locations served.

For more information::

Tovertafel: https://tovertafel.co.uk/

Email: [email protected]

Lafina joins this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor podcast. She is a GP trainee, co-founder of Eurekadoc, and host of the new Health Meets Home podcast. Lafina has found a lot of benefit in her unconventional career path, and she hopes that Eurekadoc can provide resources for other doctors to enhance their professional skills in a similar way. She shares her journey with us into how and why they built Eurekadoc and her passion for property investing.

Lafina wants fellow doctors to have happier and more diverse medical careers.

- Eurekadoc wants to help people distill their passions and be encouraged to follow them, even if this seems less conventional.

- They want to continue to curate resources that are alternatives to practicing medicine traditionally. This allows doctors to be more autonomous, not relying so much on “the system.”

“Eurekadoc was born of my own experience of taking quite a diverse career path.”

She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries.

- Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession.

- Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries.

- Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities.

“Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.”

She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries.

- Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession.

- Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries.

- Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities.

She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries.

- Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession.

- Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries.

- Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities.

“Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.”

Eurekadoc provides dozens of courses and resources.

- More than 2,000 people have been trained by Eurekadoc’s webinars, workshops, conferences, and coaching.

- Lafina’s book, “Property Investing For Doctors”, and several niche career guides are available.

- Many people have benefitted from the Mini-MBA course available through Eurekadoc, it gives participants an idea of what an MBA program entails before they decide to pursue it.

- Topics include: property, holistic needs, business, finance, management, leadership, management consulting, transforming your career, wellness/mindfulness, and healthcare innovation.

“By diversifying our skills and varying our roles a little bit, actually changing things up can really energise and make you feel more satisfied, more in control of what is going on in your career.”

Lafina is very passionate about property investing.

- Her passion started after she helped a family member through the process of property investing.

On this episode of 15 minutes with the Doctor, we have Dr Amal Lad, a doctor and musician who is bridging the gap between Medicine and Music. He has found his “sweet spot” in understanding the body while integrating his musical skills into medical projects. Learn about his thoughts on music as therapy, opportunities for financial income, and his future plans.

- Amal is a self-taught musician.

As a self-taught musician working towards his creative potential, he found that studying medicine was the best way to engage the analytical side of his brain. While studying medicine, he found that he learned best by integrating music into his learning as much as possible.

“I never set out to be a musician, but I have always been a musician.”

- There is a growing body of evidence-based research on the connection between music and overall wellbeing.

Music therapy is growing in acclaim as it continues to aid patients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle through mindfulness and even in prevention. Amal recognises that it will be important to leverage all available media outlets to have the greatest impact.

“Across the world, music helps people through the darkest times, the most jubilant times, the wide range of human emotions.”

- Amal has gained some widespread recognition for his work.

During a TEDx talk through the NHS, he created a piece of music using the sound and rhythm of his heartbeat to demonstrate the musical potential of the body.

When his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he worked with her to help her put a sound to her symptoms with the hope that it would reduce her anxiety and hopelessness. He noticed great improvement with her and began recommending this treatment to others.

He was chosen to be a part of the Chelsea and Westminster hospital Arts Charity program, art pieces throughout the hospital were paired with unique music pieces that accompany them. This encourages patients to mobilise and continue their improvement by engaging with the arts.

“A 3-minute track of mine is an opportunity to have a conversation with somebody in the same way that a doctor has a 10-minute consultation.”

- He has released an album on Spotify and wants to further integrate music into his profession once he completes his GP training.

Amal recognises the difficulties of being a musician, he plans to complete his GP training and then practice medicine several days a week while focusing on his music and helping others through it on the remaining days.

“Music gives people an informal and lighthearted way of feeling more connected and being able to express themselves.”

Links:

http://www.amallad.com/

On this episode, we are joined by Dr Paul Upton from Ultramed. Paul was the first guest on the show and he discussed MyPreOp – A digital platform built to improve pre-operative assessment for patients and hospitals. Paul returns to the show to discuss what’s happened over the last 18 months, his challenges and successes. All is revealed in this episode.

- What is MyPreOp?

- How have the results been?

- Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients?

- What kinds of recognition has the technology received?

- What are the plans for growth?

- What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology?

What is MyPreOp?

MyPreOp is an online cloud-based form into which patients enter their own medical data as part of the pre-operative assessment process. This includes standard medical history and other relevant questions which would normally be asked by a nurse in person, but do not usually require an in-person evaluation. The widespread implementation of this assessment could reduce the number of appointments that are necessary for hospitals and patients, while maintaining and even improving the quality of care provided.

How have the results been?

MyPreOp has been adopted by 8 hospitals, and assessments have been completed by 4,000 patients in the past 18 months. They have received positive feedback from patients, nurses, and anaesthetists. This feedback and continual improvement has resulted in 73 versions of the assessment tool so far. As expected, improvements will continue to come with the adoption of more hospitals and more patient use.

Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients?

“It is no secret that many people are resistant to changes to any kind of process, so to this point, the hospitals that have adopted the assessment have only been sending the form to small groups of their patients to test its effectiveness.”

Paul and his team believe that patients and nurses are more than capable of handling this shift in procedure if they are given the chance. Even those patients who are not familiar with technology or do not primarily speak English, may prefer filling out the assessment with the assistance of a family member at home to potentially avoid a hospital visit.

What kinds of recognition has the technology received?

“This technology is ready for widespread adoption into the NHS.”

Ultramed has been termed a “commercial supplier” under the UK Government G-Cloud 10 framework, which smooths the procurement route for hospitals who want to purchase MyPreOp. The company has also recently been accepted into the Digital Health Accelerator Program through the Academic Health Sciences Network. This provides opportunities for networking and collaboration with like-minded innovators in the health and care industry.

What are the plans for growth?

Paul and his team want to change the way that patients receive access to the assessment. Rather than hospitals choosing a small group who will use the form, Paul would prefer that every patient given the opportunity. They estimate that 40% of patients will fill out the assessment prior to their appointments, and that 35% of those patients may not need to come to the typical appointment as a result of the process.

“It takes 17 years after something is found to be innovative and useful for it to get halfway through the NHS.”

What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology?

Paul would have spent more time looking around for and learning about innovations in the industry that could have helped him as a medical director. The NHS system is under such high pressure that it often does not even seem feasible to spend time looking, let alone considering implementing a change in procedure, but it could have saved a lot of time and energy.

“What you have to do when you want to change management is relieve pressure firs...

On this special masterclass episode, we are joined by Phil, a patent attorney with a company called EIP. It’s a longer than usual episode but it covers the essentials in regards to patents. Phil gives us a concise but thorough description of patents, the process for being granted a patent, and some useful guidelines and tips for healthcare entrepreneurs and innovators.

What you will learn in this episode:

- Patent defined

- What can be patented?

- When is the ideal time to patent?

- Patent process

- Costs associated with patenting

- Advice for those considering submitting a patent application

- Patent defined

• A patent is an exclusive right to stop others from exploiting your invention.

• An invention is a technical solution to a technical problem; of an industrial nature including functionality, construction, process, or chemicals.

- What can be patented?

• Any invention with an industrial application, which can include the technical aspects of software.

- When is the ideal time to patent?

• It is never too early to submit a patent application, but it can be too late.

• You must consider strategic factors including the stage of development, the availability of funding, the availability of resources from suppliers, and the willingness of distributors to carry the product.

- Patent process

• Secure a patent attorney to draft the patent application – It is often to challenging to do yourself.

• File a priority application through your patent office.

• After a 12 month waiting period, you can then request a search and preliminary opinion to determine if the invention is protectable and then submit a priority claiming application which can include additional information.

• After approximately 12 more months, you can submit international applications in the countries where you would like for the patent to be granted, after which the agencies will conduct a thorough investigation of your invention’s viability for patenting.

• Next, your patent will be examined and you can submit arguments and amendments until your patent meets requirements.

• Finally, you will be subject to various fees after which your patent will be granted.

- Costs associated with patenting

• You will encounter costs at each stage of the patenting process, ranging from £4,000-£15,000, you also need to account for the renewal and maintenance fees that you will incur during the 20 year patent.

- Advice for those considering submitting a patent application

• Consider keeping your idea secret until it is protected; be cautious using crowdfunding sites to raise funds if you disclose too much information.

• Choose your patent attorney and business advisors carefully, and have them sign Non-Disclosure Agreements.

• Determine who actually owns the patented material; this could save you from trouble down the road.

• Before you begin this lengthy and expensive process, consider whether applying for a Registered Design or a Trademark could better meet your needs instead.

Key Quotes and Links:

“The patent gives technical protection to the person who has filed the patent.”

“It is important to work out how far along in your development you are and make a strategic choice about when to file your patent application.”

“What’s termed ‘state of the art’ is everything that is available at the date that the patent application was made.”

UKIPO:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office

EIP:

https://www.eip.com/

In this episode, we chat to Victor from Usono. A Dutch company that specialises in improving and innovating the use of ultrasound in healthcare. They develop smart ultrasound accessories that help to make the application of ultrasound better. Learn how their story started with a university project, why the big ultrasound manufacturers support the product, and about their future ambitions.

What you will learn in this episode:

- How Usono began.

- How does the product work?

- How did they know the product was needed?

- Why the product didn’t exist before?

- Patent protection at an early stage.

- Funding the business.

- If I could grant you a wish for Usono,

- Advice to other entrepreneurs and innovators.

How Usono began

Benjamin, who is the current CEO met Victor through field hockey at the university campus. Benjamin was studying Bio-medical engineering and was researching developing software algorithms to detect muscle illnesses for children using ultrasound.

However, he had a problem.

There was no way he could fix the ultrasound probe to the muscle. One day, he asked Victor to design a product that could help him with his problem. Being an industrial design student, and passionate about developing innovation for the medical world, he agreed.

“The two of us together with another friend started to work on the project.”

They slowly gathered interest from hospitals through the simple tool they had developed to fixate the ultrasound transducer to the upper leg. They later began to liaise with hospital radiologists and cardiologists to help develop the product further.

How does the product work?

The Probefix was launched a few months ago and allows attachment of the ultrasound device direct to the chest so the heart can be monitored. The Probefix Dynamic is an enhanced version of the first product they created. It focuses on muscle monitoring in the arms or legs and is currently being developed.

“We're looking to develop the Probefix and Probefix Dynamic for use in muscle movement using ultrasound for applications in other areas such as stress acute cardiology and to monitor a muscle or an organ for a period of time.”

How did they know the product was needed?

Usono contacted hospitals directly in regards to their interest for such a product and gathered their feedback.

“We're in contact with the ultrasound manufactures such as Philips and they all agree that there is a real need and benefit from using a product such as Probefix.”

They discovered sonographers found it uncomfortable to hold the ultrasound probe in the same area for a prolonged period of time. From multiple sources of research, they found that 70-80% of the sonographers suffer from repetitive strain issues which cause them to have significant periods of work causing cost implications for the hospitals.

Why didn’t the product exist before?

“The ultrasound manufacturers claim it’s too small a business for them.”

The ultrasound system is very large and complicated which includes high costs and therefore, such a small accessory is a small-scale business. Hence, they opt to work with accessory suppliers such as ourselves.

Patent protection at an early stage.

Very early on, a doctor from Erasmus University and another one in the Netherlands found the product very interesting and wanted to demonstrate it at an International Conference.

“Our advisors told us that if we wanted our products represented internationally, we had to start the patent process early.”

Usono patented the product which helped them innovate openly because the product is protected internationally and therefore, they can present it at multiple venues.

How did they fund the business at the beginning?

They business began while they were students, it was initially financed through pocket money and part time work. Following this, they were selected for the high tech Excel program, which is a world-rated accelerator program at their campus in Eindhoven.

In this episode, we have Lise, founder of Walk With Path. Lise was inspired to start the company after she witnessed the challenges her father faced with Parkinson’s disease. The company is focused on increasing mobility and preventing injuries. Lise shares with us how she generates ideas, why users and problems are at the heart of her design processes, and hear more about her journey to creating two physical products.

What you will learn in this episode:

- How the journey to Walk with Path began?

- Issues with current methods in mobility.

- What is Path Finder and Path Feel?

- The idea and implementation behind Path Finder and Path Feel.

- Processes for generating ideas.

- Funding for Walk with Path.

- Challenges of creating a physical product.

How the journey to Walk with Path began?

It started in 2014, when Lise had a student project that she was working on while studying innovation design & engineering in London. The final project was about mobility and improving mobility in people with various chronic conditions.

“This led to some interest from users and others which gave me the belief in taking the project forward.”

That same year, she decided to create a business, on the back of the initial student project.

Personal interests led Lise to choose to explore mobility. Her father has mobility issues with Parkinson’s disease and she wanted to test how she could positively impact the issue using design or technology as opposed to current methods.

“I've seen the different changes that have happened which were very severe.”

Issues with current methods in mobility

There are symptoms in Parkinson’s such as ‘freezing of gait’ which have limited drug treatments. This is when someone suddenly feels glued to the floor preventing them from taking another step.

“Current drug methods don't really help to alleviate this symptom. They can a little bit, but there's not much assistance during ‘off’ periods.”

Lise realised there were various coping strategies which people tried. One of which is cueing, where somebody comes and helps the patient by putting a foot in front of them that they can then use as a cue to step across. This observation led to the idea of having an independent design, which would lead to independence and allow more freedom.

What is Path Finder and Path Feel?

Path Finder is a visual cueing product attached to the shoe which provides to lead the cue in the walking path of the individual. They will see a green line that they can use as the cue to step across.

“It works well with persons with Parkinson’s but we’re also exploring it with other conditions such as stroke and other movement disorders.”

Path Feel provides vibrational feedback during walking which focuses on the population with balance issues. They're aiming to launch the program in 2019.

The idea and implementation behind Path Finder and Path Feel.

These ideas are the result of a user-centered design process of iterative design. This means talking to, and spending time with users as well as doing interviews and performing thorough observations. Lise spoke to people with Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, their family members, and healthcare professionals to fully understand the impact these conditions have on their daily lives. She tried to understand their problems and which solutions would be best fit them.

“I created ideas, then did testing to the design process that I followed to assess the principles very quickly. This ensures the ideas are validated before spending a lot of effort and time.”

Processes for generating ideas

When generating the idea, the first thing Lise did was research with the affected user groups and eventually developed a small test product and built upon it each time. People follow different processes but Lise believes this is the best process to fully engage in the problem before thinking about solutions.

“The problem should always be the first thing to focus on.”

Funding for Walk with Path

In this episode, we welcome Mohammad, founder of Patients Know Best. The platform is a patient-controlled medical record system with numerous features for users, including seeing results, communicating with health professionals, and sharing the medical record with family or friends. Learn about Mohammad’s early journey into creating software, how the company has grown to securing contracts which serve up to 2.3 million patients, and how they have started utilising the benefits of blockchain.

What you will learn in this episode:

- How the journey to Patients Know Best began?

- What is Patients Know Best?

- How the process works

- Integrating multiple health platforms into a single point of access

- How Patients Know Best generates income

- Benefits of using Blockchain on PKB platform

How the journey to Patients Know Best began?

Whilst completing his A-levels, Mohammed read a book called Chaos, which was about nonlinear mathematics. It described chaotic systems like the weather, the earth’s geosphere, the immune system and the economy. It explained how chaos influenced each system. However, there wasn't anything about chaotic systems and how to program the model of the human body in the book. This sparked some interest into software and Mohammed decided to learn about it.

“During my medical school summers, I would get a programming job. I wrote software to model the immune system and things like a heart attack. It was really interesting to use programming to help understand healthcare better and to deepen my computer skills.”

How the process works

When a patient attends the hospital for an appointment, the doctors will inform them that they can have access to their records. They are asked if they want to register and 70-90% of patients do agree. The registration process simply involves an email address and password. From then on, you get access to your data although it depends on which hospitals you’ve visited.

“It works on a phone or laptop, as long as you have access to internet connection”

The platform offers the ability to share all or certain parts of your information to family members or friends. Some incredible features include adding a Fitbit, connecting a glucose monitor, and you can also message your clinical team.

Integrating multiple health platforms into a single point of access

“The software is great because patients realise they only have to connect to us and we’ll connect them to everybody else.”

In the UK, there are at least 4 main primary care IT systems, 6 main hospital IT system, and now there are over 100 connectable health devices. Once Patients Know Best connects to one of these systems or devices, it starts to work instantly. The PKB platform is upgraded weekly.

How Patients Know Best generates income

Patients Know Best operates as a software as a service business. There is a subscription fee paid by the health institution - The calculation is based on the number of people cared for by the institution.

“As a hospital, once you're a subscriber and looking after patients, you can send unlimited amount of data for your patients with storage.”

Benefits of using Blockchain on PKB platform

Patients Know Best will be working with Dovetail Labs which won a research grant from SBRI Health Enterprise East, where they have built blockchain software to manage healthcare data – They have used blockchain to move data around from primary and secondary care settings.

“Blockchain is a very transparent approach because it keeps a log of every transaction.”

Blockchain technology is extremely powerful and it will dominate the healthcare and research industry in coming years according to Mohammad.

Learn more about Patients Know Best

The best place to learn about PKB is through the website: www.patientsknowbest.com

In this episode, we talk to Christopher, one of the founders of Soma Analytics. They have developed a tool which supports organisations to improve the mental wellbeing of their employees. We talk about how their unique approach seeks to improve the human potential of a workforce, how they are testing the tool with big name companies, and how they secured vital EU funding.

Also covered in this episode:

- What is Soma Analytics?

- How Soma helps the workforce.

- How they secured big companies to use the App.

- Evidence of the effectiveness of the app.

- How to acquire EU funding.

- Advice for healthcare entrepreneurs.

What is Soma Analytics?

“Soma Analytics has created an app for mental resilience. It's a platform for preventative mental health for employers and organisations.”

An employee can track their mental health and complete various programs within the app. The employee’s information is sent to the employers. The app has a dashboard for employers that shows in an anonymised and aggregated way the results and improvements in the mental health of employees over time. The company was started because they had a friend in university who went through a depressive episode due to work related stress.

How Soma improves the workforce

“Mental health and stress is increasingly becoming a problem for organisations.”

Staff leave jobs simply because they're under too much stress. Soma recognised every function of an organization gets measured to the X degree, except human resources, which is actually the most important asset.

“The app helps in having insights in how employees feel in an organisation, hence improving the productivity and wellbeing of the workforce.”

How they secured big companies to use the App

The app is different from many other apps serving a similar purpose directly to customers such as Headspace. Soma operates on business to business basis and caters for both the user and the buyer (organisation).

“We roll the application out over different sites in a large workforces creating communications, campaigns and excitement. We believe this approach is quite unique since it's targeted specifically at employers.”

Evidence of the effectiveness of the app

Soma seek to be science-backed and evidence-based. Recently, they undertook a small randomised controlled trial with healthcare workers at the Mayo Clinic. Also, they are funded by the European Union under Horizon 2020 where their main aim is to validate their solution in a mass control trial across different organisations in Europe.

How to acquire EU funding

It can be challenging to acquire EU funding as funding is available under many different topics. For example, under the Horizon 2020 there are different aspects funded under academic research as well as in innovation, startups and SMEs.

“You have to work through the topics to find which suits you best. You can use the funds you get for research as well as developing the product but that depends on the framework of the funding you're applying too.”

There are organisations in the UK that can help people acquire such funding. SAS ventures is one great organisation that could help.

Advice for healthcare entrepreneurs

“Mistakes are common in entrepreneurship, doing things iteratively is important and it is part of the lean startup methodology.”

Reading the lean startup method early on is a key recommended action.

Learn more about SOMA Analytics on

To find out more about Soma analytics please go to Soma-analytics.com or Twitter: @Somaanalytics

If you are interested, Soma have a newsletter where you can get all the information on their events or webinars.