In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Hannes Klöpper to explore the urgent need for scalable, accessible mental health solutions. With over one billion people worldwide affected by mental health disorders and a critical shortage of trained professionals, the demand for innovation has never been more pressing. 

Digital and AI-powered mental health tools are stepping in to fill the gap, offering personalized support and expanding care beyond traditional clinical settings. Hannes shares how HelloBetter is pioneering digital therapeutics (DTx) for a broad range of conditions, backed by rigorous clinical evidence and available by prescription in Germany. 

Together, they unpack the promise and complexity of digital mental health, from AI-driven communication tools to blended care models and the evolving regulatory landscape. This episode offers a timely look at how technology is transforming mental health care and empowering individuals to take control of their well-being. 

Key Topics Covered

• A billion people seeking help for mental health and the decline of therapists 
• Effective, scalable and affordable digital mental health solutions 
• Demystifying digital therapeutics for mental health 
• Therapists vs digital tools: complementary or competitive? 
• The German DIGA model for digital health reimbursement 
• Why care follows reimbursement: unlocking access through policy 
• AI support for relationship building and communication 
• Blended care: the future of digital and AI-enabled therapy 
• The European AI Act and its implications for mental health innovation 

About Hannes

Chief Executive Officer. HelloBetter

Hannes Klöpper is the CEO and Co-founder of HelloBetter, a company transforming mental health care through clinically validated digital therapeutics. With over 30 randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals, HelloBetter’s programs are available by prescription in Germany and are setting a new standard for accessible, evidence-based mental health support. Hannes is a leading voice in the digital health space, advocating for innovation that is both scalable and deeply human. 

About Dom

Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader. He is on the Advisory Board of Health Start-ups, a stealth co-founder, start-up mentor, and speaker. He holds a BSc in Mathematics & Computing and an MSc In Management Science. Dominic has lived and worked globally and is now based in London, UK.

Links

• Hannes’ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanneskloepper/
• HelloBetter website - https://hellobetter.de/
• WHO article - 1 Billion - https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2025-over-a-billion-people-living-with-mental-health-conditions-services-require-urgent-scale-up
• Harvard Business Review use of AI report - http://hbr.org/2025/04/how-people-are-really-using-gen-ai-in-2025
• New England Journal of Medicine AI chatbot for therapy - https://ai.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/AIoa2400802
• Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
• @DomJamesHiH - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube
• Produced by https://www.explosivebrands.com/ 

In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Alex Sheppard to explore how academic research evolves from campus curiosity into commercial impact, ultimately helping us live longer, healthier lives. 

Healthcare has always been grounded in science, and its deep ties to academia are more relevant than ever. From the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, accelerated by breakthroughs at MIT and the University of Mainz, to the rise of billion-dollar AI health companies born from university labs, the journey from research to reality is accelerating. 

Alex brings a rare insider’s perspective, having led an Oxford University HealthTech spinout and now working across startups, investment, and industry. Together, they unpack the mechanics of academic spinouts, the role of multidisciplinary expertise, and how AI is reshaping empathy, equity, and access in healthcare. From digital scribing to orbital health stations, this episode charts a bold vision for health in 2050 and beyond.

Key Topics Covered

• UK vs US university commercialisation: comparing academic impact 
• Leading an academic spinout: lessons from the CEO seat 
• Collaboration and concentration: the dual engines of innovation 
• Medical imaging, computer vision and digital scribing: AI’s diagnostic frontier 
• DeepMind and London’s ecosystem: a pseudo-university for health AI 
• Multidisciplinary mastery: why cross-domain expertise is the gamechanger of the century 
• AI and empathy: enhancing human connection through intelligent systems 
• The data imperative: building comprehensive health datasets 
• Health equity through innovation: making advanced care accessible 
• Health in 2050 and beyond! 

About Alex

Start-up co-founder and Investor

Alex Sheppard is a start-up co-founder, investor and industry expert with deep ties to Oxford University’s innovation teams. Formerly the CEO of an Oxford HealthTech spinout, he brings first hand experience in translating academic research into commercial success. Today, Alex works across the health tech landscape to bridge academia, entrepreneurship and industry, driving innovation that is both scientifically rigorous and socially impactful.

About Dom

Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader for Merck (top 5 pharma), successful Innovation Consultancy Co-Founder, Management Consulting Partner (Deloitte, Ogilvy, SBC) and Data Scientist. With an extensive network in the US, Europe & Asia, he brings together experts and organizations to work tirelessly deliver our mission of improving health by ten times through new technology.

Links

• Alex’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sheppard-a0320aaa
• Microsoft ASCO paper on pancreatic cancer prediction using search logs - https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JOP.2015.010504
• Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
• Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames/
• @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube / BlueSky
• Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/ 

In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Saghar Missaghian-Cully, Managing Director of North West London Pathology, to explore the evolving role of pathology in modern healthcare. From routine blood tests to advanced genetic screening, pathology underpins nearly every clinical decision—yet its impact is often overlooked.

Together, Dominic and Saghar unpack how innovations in automation, AI, and digital integration are transforming diagnostics. They also explore the rise of at-home testing, the push for community-based care, and the growing emphasis on disease prevention and health equity. Saghar shares her journey from scientist to strategic leader, offering insights into how data-driven diagnostics are shaping a more predictive, personalized, and accessible future for patients and clinicians alike.

Key Topics Covered

• Demystifying pathology and its central role in clinical decision-making
• Career progression from biomedical science to executive leadership
• Transforming human biology into actionable data
• Diagnostics as a tool for disease prevention and early intervention
• Automation and technology improving scaled lab diagnostics
• AI as an assistive tool saving time for scientists
• At-home testing and decentralized care models
• Community empowerment through accessible diagnostics

About Saghar

Managing Director of North West London Pathology

Saghar Missaghian-Cully is Managing Director of North West London Pathology, one of the UK’s largest NHS diagnostic networks. With a background in biomedical science, she now leads large-scale lab operations and drives innovation in diagnostics through automation, AI, and digital tools. Her work focuses on improving clinical efficiency and making healthcare more precise and accessible

About Dom

Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader for Merck (top 5 pharma), successful Innovation Consultancy Co-Founder, Management Consulting Partner (Deloitte, Ogilvy, SBC) and Data Scientist. With an extensive network in the US, Europe & Asia, he brings together experts and organizations to work tirelessly deliver our mission of improving health by ten times through new technology.

Dominic is on the Advisory Board of Health Start-ups, a stealth co-founder, start-up mentor, and speaker. He holds a BSc in Mathematics & Computing and an MSc In Management Science. Dominic has lived and worked globally, including extended periods in the US, Asia (Singapore, Japan, China), and Europe, and is now based in London, UK.

Links

• Saghar’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saghar-missaghian-cully-99807710
• North West London Pathology website - https://www.nwlpathology.nhs.uk/
• Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
• Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames/
• @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube / BlueSky
• Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/

In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Dr. Aqeel Shamsul, CEO of Frontier Space, to explore the radical transformation underway in space-based biotechnology. From orbital labs to biological re-entry, we dive into the science, strategy, and vision behind turning microgravity into medicine. 

Over the past two decades, drug development in space has moved from speculative to strategic, with breakthroughs in crystallization, tissue engineering, and precision therapies. Now, Europe’s first SpaceTech company delivering biological re-entry is pushing the frontier even further, enabling the growth of bio-foods, bio-fuels, bio-materials, vitamins, and even organs in orbit. 

Dr. Shamsul shares how his team built a lab for launch, what it takes to grow hearts and retinal implants in microgravity, and why the next generation of space stations could redefine healthcare by 2050. Whether it’s space for space or space for Earth, this episode unpacks the commercial, clinical, and cosmic implications of biotech beyond borders.

Key Topics Covered

• R&D and biomanufacturing in microgravity: why space changes the rules 
• 20 years of drug development in orbit: lessons and leaps 
• How to build and launch a bio lab on a rocket 
• Europe’s first biological re-entry mission: what it means for biotech 
• Growing bio-food, bio-fuel, vitamins, and drugs in space 
• Making space commercially viable for both Astronauts and Earth-based applications 
• Engineering hearts and retinal implants in zero gravity 
• What space health could look like by 2050: next-gen stations and therapies 

About Aqeel

CEO Frontier Space

Dr. Aqeel Shamsul is the CEO and co-founder of Frontier Space, a UK-based biotech startup pioneering space-based drug development and biomanufacturing. With a PhD from Cranfield University and accolades from UKSA, ESA, and Seraphim Space Accelerator, he’s led Frontier Space to its first orbital launch and continues to shape the future of healthcare—one payload at a time.

Links

• Aqeel’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aqeelshamsul/
• Frontier Space Website - https://www.frontier-space.co.uk/
• Nature article on Protein Crystallization on the ISS - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-019-0090-3
• BBC article - 9 future space stations that will replace the ISS - https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-missions/future-space-stations-replace-iss
• Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
• Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames/
• @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube / BlueSky
• Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/