Empowered Patient Podcast

Dr. Justin Schrager, Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Vital, aims to address poor communication in acute care settings such as hospitals and urgent care centers. Vital's software platform provides patients with real-time, understandable information on their own devices via a secure website. This AI-powered system is designed to provide updates on lab results and educational content, and to augment clinical care without adding to the workload of doctors and nurses.

Justin explains, "We make software for the hospital, urgent care, and inpatient settings. The problem is that communication suffers when you get busier. So the busier you are, the less communication happens. It's a bit of a catch-22. And it's sort of treated as an expendable action when things are really critical. I'm an ER doctor. I understand that. And so we're trying to solve that problem by essentially communicating to patients, keeping them up to date, and helping the clinical staff out when they frankly don't have a lot of time to share a lot of the kinds of information that we're able to show patients."

"Access is at such a deficit right now that the vast majority of the healthcare we provide in the hospital and the ER specifically is for patients who are wide awake, thinking clearly, have family members there with them, and they just have an urgency. Sore throat, can't swallow, broken arm, things that aren't necessarily life-threatening or even limb-threatening, but they're urgent, and they need to be dealt with in a timely fashion. And so I think that's really where our software plays best."

#Vitalio #HealthcareInnovation #PatientEngagement #AIinHealthcare #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #PatientExperience #HealthcareCommunication #MedicalAI #HospitalTechnology #PatientCare #PatientSafety

vital.io

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Dr. Justin Schrager, Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Vital, aims to address poor communication in acute care settings such as hospitals and urgent care centers. Vital's software platform provides patients with real-time, understandable information on their own devices via a secure website. This AI-powered system is designed to provide updates on lab results and educational content, and to augment clinical care without adding to the workload of doctors and nurses.

Justin explains, "We make software for the hospital, urgent care, and inpatient settings. The problem is that communication suffers when you get busier. So the busier you are, the less communication happens. It's a bit of a catch-22. And it's sort of treated as an expendable action when things are really critical. I'm an ER doctor. I understand that. And so we're trying to solve that problem by essentially communicating to patients, keeping them up to date, and helping the clinical staff out when they frankly don't have a lot of time to share a lot of the kinds of information that we're able to show patients."

"Access is at such a deficit right now that the vast majority of the healthcare we provide in the hospital and the ER specifically is for patients who are wide awake, thinking clearly, have family members there with them, and they just have an urgency. Sore throat, can't swallow, broken arm, things that aren't necessarily life-threatening or even limb-threatening, but they're urgent, and they need to be dealt with in a timely fashion. And so I think that's really where our software plays best."

#Vitalio #HealthcareInnovation #PatientEngagement #AIinHealthcare #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #PatientExperience #HealthcareCommunication #MedicalAI #HospitalTechnology #PatientCare #PatientSafety

vital.io

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Dr. Charlotte McKee, Chief Medical Officer at Sionna, describes the nature of cystic fibrosis (CF, a genetic disease caused by a mutation in the single CFTR gene. While current CFTR modulator therapies do not address the most common mutation, Sionna's novel oral medicine is designed to target the previously undruggable NBDI domain of the CFTR protein. This new therapy aims to lead to better lung function and prevent the accumulation of permanent damage to other organs like the pancreas, gut, and liver.

Charlotte explains, "Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. The gene was actually discovered in 1989 for cystic fibrosis. It's considered a rare disease, but it's a relatively large rare disease. And one of those rare diseases that is potentially fatal, as you mentioned, it's thought of as a lung disease. And most patients, if their life is shortened, it's typically because of lung disease, because the lungs can be very severely affected. But the protein is caused by a genetic mutation in a gene called CFTR, and the protein is made from that gene. The CFTR protein is present on every epithelial cell of the body."

"Sionna is focused on a novel target in the CFTR protein. So you may know that, actually, there are approved medicines that have been developed over the last couple of decades that improve the function of the CFTR protein. And they've really advanced the clinical field, and there have been tremendous advances for people with CF. But this protein, this CFTR protein that goes wrong in CF, is a big, complicated, multi-part channel."

"Another unusual thing about CF is that there's one mutation that's so common around the world, and the part of CFTR that goes most wrong with F508del. This mutation is in a part of CFTR that was previously considered undruggable. It's that part that is called NBD1, and Sionna has been working for over a decade and a half of research, actually starting with Genzyme and then continuing through the company, Sanofi, has actually figured out how to develop potential medicines against this part of the CFTR protein that goes most wrong. And so we are working on these, they're called modulators, CFTR modulators, or we are working on NBD1-focused potential medicines that can directly bind to and stabilize this specific part of the CFTR protein."

#Sionna #CysticFibrosis #NBD1Stabilizers #CFTRModulators #RareDisease #Biotechnology #MedicalInnovation #PrecisionMedicine #GeneticDisease #PulmonaryHealth

sionnatx.com

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Dr. Charlotte McKee, Chief Medical Officer at Sionna, describes the nature of cystic fibrosis (CF, a genetic disease caused by a mutation in the single CFTR gene. While current CFTR modulator therapies do not address the most common mutation, Sionna's novel oral medicine is designed to target the previously undruggable NBDI domain of the CFTR protein. This new therapy aims to lead to better lung function and prevent the accumulation of permanent damage to other organs like the pancreas, gut, and liver.

Charlotte explains, "Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease. The gene was actually discovered in 1989 for cystic fibrosis. It's considered a rare disease, but it's a relatively large rare disease. And one of those rare diseases that is potentially fatal, as you mentioned, it's thought of as a lung disease. And most patients, if their life is shortened, it's typically because of lung disease, because the lungs can be very severely affected. But the protein is caused by a genetic mutation in a gene called CFTR, and the protein is made from that gene. The CFTR protein is present on every epithelial cell of the body."

"Sionna is focused on a novel target in the CFTR protein. So you may know that, actually, there are approved medicines that have been developed over the last couple of decades that improve the function of the CFTR protein. And they've really advanced the clinical field, and there have been tremendous advances for people with CF. But this protein, this CFTR protein that goes wrong in CF, is a big, complicated, multi-part channel."

"Another unusual thing about CF is that there's one mutation that's so common around the world, and the part of CFTR that goes most wrong with F508del. This mutation is in a part of CFTR that was previously considered undruggable. It's that part that is called NBD1, and Sionna has been working for over a decade and a half of research, actually starting with Genzyme and then continuing through the company, Sanofi, has actually figured out how to develop potential medicines against this part of the CFTR protein that goes most wrong. And so we are working on these, they're called modulators, CFTR modulators, or we are working on NBD1-focused potential medicines that can directly bind to and stabilize this specific part of the CFTR protein."

#Sionna #CysticFibrosis #NBD1Stabilizers #CFTRModulators #RareDisease #Biotechnology #MedicalInnovation #PrecisionMedicine #GeneticDisease #PulmonaryHealth

sionnatx.com

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Mark Bertagnolli, Chief Operating Officer at ViroMissile, has developed a modified vaccinia virus that can be delivered intravenously to seek out and destroy solid tumors throughout the body and is not dependent on a specific genetic driver of a cancer. The virus has been engineered to be resistant to the body's complement system, allowing it to survive in the bloodstream longer to infect the tumor. This action also turns the tumor microenvironment from cold to hot, signaling the immune system to attack the tumor and potentially working in combination with other treatments like PD-1 inhibitors to make them more effective.

Mark explains, "ViroMissile has a modified vaccinia virus, and viruses tend to like to infect tumor cells. So the trick has been how to harness this. And we're on our third generation of virus, and we have a virus that you can inject intravenously that searches for tumors throughout the body, infects them, the body clears the rest of the virus, and the virus embeds itself in the tumors, replicates, spreads, activates the immune system, and destroys the tumors."

"So, the vaccinia virus itself, nobody knows really where it came from, but it ended up being the foundation of the smallpox vaccine, and we get the word vaccine from the vaccinia virus. Our founder was the first to sequence the genome of the vaccinia virus over 30 years ago. For the last 20 years, he's been working on it as an oncolytic agent. And in this particular case, within vaccinia, there are different strains. And he was able to isolate a very specific, never before isolated strain of virus that is resistant to complement attack, and also replicates very quickly in infected cells. So it has two embedded features within it, naturally, that we're able to capitalize on."

#ViroMissile #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #OncolyticVirus #Biotechnology #MedicalInnovation #CancerTreatment #PrecisionMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #CancerCare #VacciniaVirus

viromissile.com

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Mark Bertagnolli, Chief Operating Officer at ViroMissile, has developed a modified vaccinia virus that can be delivered intravenously to seek out and destroy solid tumors throughout the body and is not dependent on a specific genetic driver of a cancer. The virus has been engineered to be resistant to the body's complement system, allowing it to survive in the bloodstream longer to infect the tumor. This action also turns the tumor microenvironment from cold to hot, signaling the immune system to attack the tumor and potentially working in combination with other treatments like PD-1 inhibitors to make them more effective.

Mark explains, "ViroMissile has a modified vaccinia virus, and viruses tend to like to infect tumor cells. So the trick has been how to harness this. And we're on our third generation of virus, and we have a virus that you can inject intravenously that searches for tumors throughout the body, infects them, the body clears the rest of the virus, and the virus embeds itself in the tumors, replicates, spreads, activates the immune system, and destroys the tumors."

"So, the vaccinia virus itself, nobody knows really where it came from, but it ended up being the foundation of the smallpox vaccine, and we get the word vaccine from the vaccinia virus. Our founder was the first to sequence the genome of the vaccinia virus over 30 years ago. For the last 20 years, he's been working on it as an oncolytic agent. And in this particular case, within vaccinia, there are different strains. And he was able to isolate a very specific, never before isolated strain of virus that is resistant to complement attack, and also replicates very quickly in infected cells. So it has two embedded features within it, naturally, that we're able to capitalize on."

#ViroMissile #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #OncolyticVirus #Biotechnology #MedicalInnovation #CancerTreatment #PrecisionMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #CancerCare #VacciniaVirus

viromissile.com

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Dr. Ronald Lane, Founder of HOPE-Neuron Therapeutx, is developing an approach to treating ALS by rebalancing the body's immune system, which becomes dysfunctional in neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanism involves treating a patient's blood outside the body to activate the immune system and then infusing it back into the patient. The theory is that traditional drugs often fail because they target static genetic mutations and symptoms, while the source of the disease lies in the ongoing immune imbalance.

Ronald explains, "Well, in a broad sense, the goal of HOPE Neuron is based on the fact that our challenge here is to bring hope. And we use a neuronal basis to do that. We're not about drugs. There are no chemicals involved. We don't go that direction. But basically, it cuts across. We deal with memory, we deal with dementia and Alzheimer's, but our target initially is ALS."

"As I mentioned a moment ago, we're not doing drugs, we're not using chemicals. So what are you doing? Well, we're using the cell's immune system, and the problem with disease is that the immune system gets out of balance. When it's out of balance, you become ill. It can be in many different diseases. And there are certain indicators, and we know what to look for and what compounds the body generates."

#HOPENeuron #ALS #Neurology #ImmuneTherapy #MedicalInnovation #ALSResearch #Biotechnology #NeurodegenerativeDisease #MedicalBreakthrough #ClinicalTrials #Healthcare #Innovation #Neurodegeneration #Neuroplasticity #MedicalDevices #Immunotherapy #NeuroscienceInnovation #FutureOfMedicine #NonPharmaTherapies

hopeneuron.com

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Dr. Ronald Lane, Founder of HOPE-Neuron Therapeutx, is developing an approach to treating ALS by rebalancing the body's immune system, which becomes dysfunctional in neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanism involves treating a patient's blood outside the body to activate the immune system and then infusing it back into the patient. The theory is that traditional drugs often fail because they target static genetic mutations and symptoms, while the source of the disease lies in the ongoing immune imbalance.

Ronald explains, "Well, in a broad sense, the goal of HOPE Neuron is based on the fact that our challenge here is to bring hope. And we use a neuronal basis to do that. We're not about drugs. There are no chemicals involved. We don't go that direction. But basically, it cuts across. We deal with memory, we deal with dementia and Alzheimer's, but our target initially is ALS."

"As I mentioned a moment ago, we're not doing drugs, we're not using chemicals. So what are you doing? Well, we're using the cell's immune system, and the problem with disease is that the immune system gets out of balance. When it's out of balance, you become ill. It can be in many different diseases. And there are certain indicators, and we know what to look for and what compounds the body generates."

#HOPENeuron #ALS #Neurology #ImmuneTherapy #MedicalInnovation #ALSResearch #Biotechnology #NeurodegenerativeDisease #MedicalBreakthrough #ClinicalTrials #Healthcare #Innovation #Neurodegeneration #Neuroplasticity #MedicalDevices #Immunotherapy #NeuroscienceInnovation #FutureOfMedicine #NonPharmaTherapies

hopeneuron.com

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Dr. Galia Schwarz, CEO and Co-Founder of C8 Health, has developed a platform that addresses the gap between hospital best practices and their implementation across all departments. This approach consolidates medical knowledge from numerous disconnected systems and uses AI to proactively deliver relevant information to a clinician. C8 Health does not create best practices; it ensures that a hospital's vetted standards are communicated consistently to provide optimal patient care.

Galia explains, "Hospitals are struggling to implement their best practices effectively, or in other words, control the quality and cost of care delivery. And let me explain this. There is tons of medical knowledge out there, and now with AI coming into our lives, there is even more. And hospitals create this knowledge through clinical trials, or they license this knowledge through platforms like Open Evidence or UpToDate. And every hospital takes these global best practices and turns them into local best practices, things like protocols, guidelines, procedures, and educational content. Any type of knowledge whose purpose is to ensure that standards of care are met. But I haven't met one hospital that knows how to take these best practices and turn them into actual practice, and this is what we allow them to do."

"So first of all, on a conceptual level, our platform consolidates fragmented knowledge across departments or sites into a single source and uses AI to surface the right guidance at the right moment based on the clinician's role, schedule, and patient context. So, for example, we can create an experience where we say, "Hi, Dr. X. Tomorrow you are scheduled for OR number eight. You have these four procedures. At 8:00 AM, you have a CABG procedure. These are the best practices of your hospital for this procedure. This is what changed since the last time you did this procedure. These are the people who are going to be with you in the OR."

#C8Health #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #MedicalInnovation #PatientSafety #DigitalHealth #HealthcareTransformation #MedicalErrors #BestPractices #ClinicalExcellence #HealthcareAI #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OpenAI

C8health.com

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Dr. Galia Schwarz, CEO and Co-Founder of C8 Health, has developed a platform that addresses the gap between hospital best practices and their implementation across all departments. This approach consolidates medical knowledge from numerous disconnected systems and uses AI to proactively deliver relevant information to a clinician. C8 Health does not create best practices; it ensures that a hospital's vetted standards are communicated consistently to provide optimal patient care.

Galia explains, "Hospitals are struggling to implement their best practices effectively, or in other words, control the quality and cost of care delivery. And let me explain this. There is tons of medical knowledge out there, and now with AI coming into our lives, there is even more. And hospitals create this knowledge through clinical trials, or they license this knowledge through platforms like Open Evidence or UpToDate. And every hospital takes these global best practices and turns them into local best practices, things like protocols, guidelines, procedures, and educational content. Any type of knowledge whose purpose is to ensure that standards of care are met. But I haven't met one hospital that knows how to take these best practices and turn them into actual practice, and this is what we allow them to do."

"So first of all, on a conceptual level, our platform consolidates fragmented knowledge across departments or sites into a single source and uses AI to surface the right guidance at the right moment based on the clinician's role, schedule, and patient context. So, for example, we can create an experience where we say, "Hi, Dr. X. Tomorrow you are scheduled for OR number eight. You have these four procedures. At 8:00 AM, you have a CABG procedure. These are the best practices of your hospital for this procedure. This is what changed since the last time you did this procedure. These are the people who are going to be with you in the OR."

#C8Health #HealthTech #AIinHealthcare #MedicalInnovation #PatientSafety #DigitalHealth #HealthcareTransformation #MedicalErrors #BestPractices #ClinicalExcellence #HealthcareAI #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OpenAI

C8health.com

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