Empowered Patient Podcast

Kathy Gunn, VP of commercial and clinical operations at Wellsense, discusses the pressure mapping system Wellsense developed to prevent pressure injuries caused by support surfaces, offloading devices, and medical equipment. The pressure mapping technology works by installing an overlay into existing support surfaces, which sends real-time pressure readings and locations to an iPad-like device at the end of the bed. This visual feedback helps healthcare providers make better clinical decisions and customize care for each patient. Without this system, driven by standard procedures, the prevention of pressure injuries is inconsistent, and there is no way to assess the effectiveness of their actions or identify failing equipment.

Kathy explains, "A whole slew of factors impact a patient's exposure to pressure. Not only do we bring in our pressure mapping system to provide visual feedback and historical reports for root cause analysis, but we also bring in clinical specialists. We bring in these clinical specialists who are all former nurses, and we integrate them into each of our partner facilities so that they can provide ongoing education, support, and resources. We found that the collaboration and partnership we have leads to the greatest success, and we see reductions in pressure injuries anywhere from 50% to 100% with this method."

"The pressure mapping system provides visual feedback that will give healthcare providers the information they need to make better clinical decisions. Whether it's choosing an offloading device, a pillow, a wedge, or a fluidized positioner, the nursing staff at the bedside is going to know whether they've chosen the right type, the right quantity, and whether they're placing it appropriately. They will know better how to adjust the head of the bed or the foot of the bed articulation. Furthermore, they're going to be able to assess the functionality of their support surfaces - whether it's nearing or it's at the end of its life, whether it's malfunctioning, or even if it's appropriate for the size of the patient. These are all factors that are going to impact the patient's exposure to pressure, and pressure is what is going to eventually lead to skin breakdown."

#Wellsense #PressureInjuries #PressureMapping #PressureUlcers #PressurePrevention #WoundCare #HAPI #HospitalAcquiredPressureInjury

wellsensevu.com

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Kathy Gunn, VP of commercial and clinical operations at Wellsense, discusses the pressure mapping system Wellsense developed to prevent pressure injuries caused by support surfaces, offloading devices, and medical equipment. The pressure mapping technology works by installing an overlay into existing support surfaces, which sends real-time pressure readings and locations to an iPad-like device at the end of the bed. This visual feedback helps healthcare providers make better clinical decisions and customize care for each patient. Without this system, driven by standard procedures, the prevention of pressure injuries is inconsistent, and there is no way to assess the effectiveness of their actions or identify failing equipment.

Kathy explains, "A whole slew of factors impact a patient's exposure to pressure. Not only do we bring in our pressure mapping system to provide visual feedback and historical reports for root cause analysis, but we also bring in clinical specialists. We bring in these clinical specialists who are all former nurses, and we integrate them into each of our partner facilities so that they can provide ongoing education, support, and resources. We found that the collaboration and partnership we have leads to the greatest success, and we see reductions in pressure injuries anywhere from 50% to 100% with this method."

"The pressure mapping system provides visual feedback that will give healthcare providers the information they need to make better clinical decisions. Whether it's choosing an offloading device, a pillow, a wedge, or a fluidized positioner, the nursing staff at the bedside is going to know whether they've chosen the right type, the right quantity, and whether they're placing it appropriately. They will know better how to adjust the head of the bed or the foot of the bed articulation. Furthermore, they're going to be able to assess the functionality of their support surfaces - whether it's nearing or it's at the end of its life, whether it's malfunctioning, or even if it's appropriate for the size of the patient. These are all factors that are going to impact the patient's exposure to pressure, and pressure is what is going to eventually lead to skin breakdown."

#Wellsense #PressureInjuries #PressureMapping #PressureUlcers #PressurePrevention #WoundCare #HAPI #HospitalAcquiredPressureInjury

wellsensevu.com

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Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing disparities in cancer treatment and providing resources and support for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. LBBC is part of the No One Missed breast cancer campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of biomarker testing for metastatic breast cancer to help identify specific mutations in the tumor and develop a personalized treatment plan.

Jean explains, "We are so proud at Living Beyond Breast Cancer to be part of this campaign, founded and launched by LUNGevity Foundation in 2021. So, they are an organization that focuses on lung cancer. They wanted to get the word out about the importance of biomarker testing, particularly to those with non-small cell lung cancer, which is the non-smoking kind of lung cancer. They pulled together 25 organizations, created a website, ran a big campaign for a few years, and then realized that this kind of education campaign would be so beneficial to other types of cancers. So, we were very honored to be selected as the organization that would take the lead for the breast cancer community."

"Well, there are so many biomarker tests, and yes, they are more accurate, but this is important for anyone diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. This is breast cancer that is beyond the breast. It's in a vital organ, usually liver, lung, bone, or brain - it's now considered an incurable disease. They have to ask their doctor if they have had a biomarker test or when they will have it because it can lead to finding specific mutations in the cancer tumor that might lead to a new treatment that they wouldn't be eligible for unless they knew they had the mutation."

#NoOneMissed #LBBC #PersonalizedMedicine #Biomarker #BiomarkerTesting #MBC #MetastaticBreastCancer #BreastCancer #BreastCancerResources #CancerAwareness

lbbc.org

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Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing disparities in cancer treatment and providing resources and support for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer. LBBC is part of the No One Missed breast cancer campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of biomarker testing for metastatic breast cancer to help identify specific mutations in the tumor and develop a personalized treatment plan.

Jean explains, "We are so proud at Living Beyond Breast Cancer to be part of this campaign, founded and launched by LUNGevity Foundation in 2021. So, they are an organization that focuses on lung cancer. They wanted to get the word out about the importance of biomarker testing, particularly to those with non-small cell lung cancer, which is the non-smoking kind of lung cancer. They pulled together 25 organizations, created a website, ran a big campaign for a few years, and then realized that this kind of education campaign would be so beneficial to other types of cancers. So, we were very honored to be selected as the organization that would take the lead for the breast cancer community."

"Well, there are so many biomarker tests, and yes, they are more accurate, but this is important for anyone diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. This is breast cancer that is beyond the breast. It's in a vital organ, usually liver, lung, bone, or brain - it's now considered an incurable disease. They have to ask their doctor if they have had a biomarker test or when they will have it because it can lead to finding specific mutations in the cancer tumor that might lead to a new treatment that they wouldn't be eligible for unless they knew they had the mutation."

#NoOneMissed #LBBC #PersonalizedMedicine #Biomarker #BiomarkerTesting #MBC #MetastaticBreastCancer #BreastCancer #BreastCancerResources #CancerAwareness

lbbc.org

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Dr. Monica Perez, the Scientific Chair at the Arms and Hands Lab at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University, is focused on developing drugs and strategies for treating those with spinal cord injuries. With no FDA-approved treatment, the current standard of care is surgery and physical rehabilitation, depending upon the location of the injury and cause. The AbilityLab is conducting a clinical trial with NVG-291, which targets the body's natural inhibitors for repair, regenerates neurons in the CNS, and aims to improve connections disrupted by spinal cord injury. Exercise is also a component of this treatment to improve outcomes.

Monica explains, "The experiment we're running today at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the first of its kind study because we're using a medication that we have evidence in animal studies that actually can improve regeneration in the central nervous system and contribute at least to enhance recovery of function. This is NVG-291, a medication that targets the body's natural inhibitors for repair. And that, in theory, is supposed to improve connections disrupted by a spinal cord injury."

"We are working with NervGen Pharma, a company that provides the medication. This is an injection. Our patients receive 84 injections during the trial. This is a randomized placebo-controlled trial, so they can receive either the real medication or a placebo medication, which is followed by exercise rehabilitation. So, it's pharmacology - the medication targets the body's natural inhibitors of repair, aiming to enhance the repair of connections that were affected by a spinal cord injury."

#SRAbilityLab #SpinalCordInjury #NervGenPharma #CNS #CentralNervousSystem #Rehabilitation

sralab.org

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Dr. Monica Perez, the Scientific Chair at the Arms and Hands Lab at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University, is focused on developing drugs and strategies for treating those with spinal cord injuries. With no FDA-approved treatment, the current standard of care is surgery and physical rehabilitation, depending upon the location of the injury and cause. The AbilityLab is conducting a clinical trial with NVG-291, which targets the body's natural inhibitors for repair, regenerates neurons in the CNS, and aims to improve connections disrupted by spinal cord injury. Exercise is also a component of this treatment to improve outcomes.

Monica explains, "The experiment we're running today at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the first of its kind study because we're using a medication that we have evidence in animal studies that actually can improve regeneration in the central nervous system and contribute at least to enhance recovery of function. This is NVG-291, a medication that targets the body's natural inhibitors for repair. And that, in theory, is supposed to improve connections disrupted by a spinal cord injury."

"We are working with NervGen Pharma, a company that provides the medication. This is an injection. Our patients receive 84 injections during the trial. This is a randomized placebo-controlled trial, so they can receive either the real medication or a placebo medication, which is followed by exercise rehabilitation. So, it's pharmacology - the medication targets the body's natural inhibitors of repair, aiming to enhance the repair of connections that were affected by a spinal cord injury."

#SRAbilityLab #SpinalCordInjury #NervGenPharma #CNS #CentralNervousSystem #Rehabilitation

sralab.org

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Richard 'RJ' Kedziora, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief People Officer at Estenda Solutions, emphasizes that usability is critical in developing successful digital therapeutics, and industry standards and interoperability are essential for data sharing and integration. A digital therapeutic can be prescribed by a physician and reimbursed by insurance companies. It is a digital health application that has undergone clinical trials and regulatory review to prevent, monitor, or treat physical or mental health issues. The future of digital therapeutics looks promising, especially with Medicare's introduction of billing codes for prescription digital therapeutics.

Richard explains, " I think of the difference between a digital health application and a digital therapeutic as the difference between supplements and medications prescribed by a physician. So as you know, there are any number of supplements on the market. Some have more evidence than less about whether or not they can prevent, treat, or monitor a specific disease condition."

"Digital therapeutics, which can be prescribed, have gone through a rigorous evidencing process of clinical trials to make sure they work and have gone through regulatory review here in the U.S. by the FDA. So, they're an elevated category of digital health applications that have been created and can make a difference in the world."

"You would still download them from the app store. That's still where you'll get them, but the key differentiator is probably from a billing perspective. Not only does that digital therapeutic meet a higher evidence-based, clinically-driven evaluation, but the idea is that you, as a patient individual, aren't paying for it and can be reimbursed by the insurance companies. That can make a real difference in how much money a company putting these out can invest in it and then sustain a business based on the digital health applications."

#Estenda #DigitalHealth #DigitalHealthApps #DigitalTherapeutics #HealthTech #HealthcareTechnology #HealthcareIT #HealthcareInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #HealthAI #Medtech

estenda.com

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Richard 'RJ' Kedziora, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief People Officer at Estenda Solutions, emphasizes that usability is critical in developing successful digital therapeutics, and industry standards and interoperability are essential for data sharing and integration. A digital therapeutic can be prescribed by a physician and reimbursed by insurance companies. It is a digital health application that has undergone clinical trials and regulatory review to prevent, monitor, or treat physical or mental health issues. The future of digital therapeutics looks promising, especially with Medicare's introduction of billing codes for prescription digital therapeutics.

Richard explains, " I think of the difference between a digital health application and a digital therapeutic as the difference between supplements and medications prescribed by a physician. So as you know, there are any number of supplements on the market. Some have more evidence than less about whether or not they can prevent, treat, or monitor a specific disease condition."

"Digital therapeutics, which can be prescribed, have gone through a rigorous evidencing process of clinical trials to make sure they work and have gone through regulatory review here in the U.S. by the FDA. So, they're an elevated category of digital health applications that have been created and can make a difference in the world."

"You would still download them from the app store. That's still where you'll get them, but the key differentiator is probably from a billing perspective. Not only does that digital therapeutic meet a higher evidence-based, clinically-driven evaluation, but the idea is that you, as a patient individual, aren't paying for it and can be reimbursed by the insurance companies. That can make a real difference in how much money a company putting these out can invest in it and then sustain a business based on the digital health applications."

#Estenda #DigitalHealth #DigitalHealthApps #DigitalTherapeutics #HealthTech #HealthcareTechnology #HealthcareIT #HealthcareInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #HealthAI #Medtech

estenda.com

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Oren Gilad, President and CEO of Aprea Therapeutics, focused on the DNA damage response pathway, specifically targeting the ATR protein. ATR is a master regulator of DNA replication and is hyperactive in cancer cells, making it a potential Achilles heel for cancer therapy. By inhibiting ATR, cancer cells can be selectively targeted, while normal cells can tolerate lower levels of ATR activity. Synthetic lethality is applied when two genetic mutations are combined, leading to cell death, specifically in cancer cells. Aprea is conducting clinical trials for their targeted treatments, focusing on solid tumors with defined genetic mutations.

Oren explains, "DDR, the DNA damage response pathway, is the broader terminology for the regulation of DNA synthesis. In order for cancer to grow, cells have to duplicate. In order for them to duplicate, they have to replicate their DNA. So what happens is that cancer cells get into this DNA replication phase very early and prematurely, causing a single-strand DNA to be exposed which then activates the ATR pathway, where in normal cells, this pathway is very tightly regulated. The normal cell is not going to enter this phase and start DNA replication before the environment is ready because it's a very fragile phase of the cell cycle."

"Double-strand DNA is a very stable molecule. It is found in mummies, it survives heat, and it survives freezing. When a double-strand DNA molecule is opened, the exposed single-strand DNA can easily break. That's where ATR comes into play, it protects and responds to single-strand formation. A cancer cell is hyper-sensitive to ATR inhibition, which we identify as the Achilles heel of cancer. Our work showed that normal cells can live with a reduced level of the ATR activity, so it makes it a good target for cancer therapy."

#ApreaTherapeutics #CancerTreatment #TargetedTherapy #Oncology #Cancer #SyntheticLethality #DNADamageResponsePathway

aprea.com

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Oren Gilad, President and CEO of Aprea Therapeutics, focused on the DNA damage response pathway, specifically targeting the ATR protein. ATR is a master regulator of DNA replication and is hyperactive in cancer cells, making it a potential Achilles heel for cancer therapy. By inhibiting ATR, cancer cells can be selectively targeted, while normal cells can tolerate lower levels of ATR activity. Synthetic lethality is applied when two genetic mutations are combined, leading to cell death, specifically in cancer cells. Aprea is conducting clinical trials for their targeted treatments, focusing on solid tumors with defined genetic mutations.

Oren explains, "DDR, the DNA damage response pathway, is the broader terminology for the regulation of DNA synthesis. In order for cancer to grow, cells have to duplicate. In order for them to duplicate, they have to replicate their DNA. So what happens is that cancer cells get into this DNA replication phase very early and prematurely, causing a single-strand DNA to be exposed which then activates the ATR pathway, where in normal cells, this pathway is very tightly regulated. The normal cell is not going to enter this phase and start DNA replication before the environment is ready because it's a very fragile phase of the cell cycle."

"Double-strand DNA is a very stable molecule. It is found in mummies, it survives heat, and it survives freezing. When a double-strand DNA molecule is opened, the exposed single-strand DNA can easily break. That's where ATR comes into play, it protects and responds to single-strand formation. A cancer cell is hyper-sensitive to ATR inhibition, which we identify as the Achilles heel of cancer. Our work showed that normal cells can live with a reduced level of the ATR activity, so it makes it a good target for cancer therapy."

#ApreaTherapeutics #CancerTreatment #TargetedTherapy #Oncology #Cancer #SyntheticLethality #DNADamageResponsePathway

aprea.com

Download the transcript here