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Emteq
This week the British startup Emteq Labs announced the launch of their emotion-sensitive glasses, Sense. The technology, which looks like a pair of glasses, is embedded with sensors that can detect facial movements. Combined with the company’s AI analytics software, these details can provide insight into facial expressions, physical activity, eating habits and other metrics.
One of the first applications the company is pursuing for its technology, founder and chief science officer Charles Nduka said Forbesis to get treatment for depression and other mental health problems ‘from the 18th century’, where much of what healthcare providers know about their patients only comes from self-reported data. “Mental health care needs to move to the objective phase,” where the data doctors rely on is clearer, he added, likening it to glucose meters for diabetes patients.
But mental health isn’t the only area where the company thinks its product can be useful, CEO Steen Strand said Forbes. It can also be used to monitor eating habits to help people manage their weight, aid in physical therapy for those suffering from facial paralysis and more. The company has been working with neuroscience researchers on the glasses, Nduka said, and as more data is collected, it plans to potentially move them through the regulatory process to be used as medical devices under certain circumstances.
For now, Nduka says, the customer launch will help the company determine what some of the best applications are. “We are excited about the opportunity to spread it to the world and develop new use cases and new data,” he added.
Sepsis causes more than 350,000 deaths annually. This laboratory test can reduce that by a third.
Cytovale
Each year, more than 1.7 million Americans will experience sepsis, which occurs when the immune system is unable to fight an infection and instead begins an extreme response where, in the words of Cytovale CEO Ajay Shah, it begins “ to bomb everything” and carry out attacks. the body’s own organs. But there’s no good way for doctors to quickly figure out what’s going on.
Shah’s company has developed the first rapid laboratory test for sepsis approved by the FDA, called IntelliSep. The technology has already been deployed in six hospitals across two healthcare systems, one of which reported a more than 30% reduction in sepsis mortality after a year of integrating the test into practice. That’s a huge number considering that, according to the CDC, more than 350,000 Americans die each year developing sepsis, making it the third leading cause of death in hospitals.
Read more here
Pipeline and deal updates
Chemo Side Effects: Jaguar Health has started selling of Gelclair, an FDA-approved treatment for moral mucositis, a common side effect of chemotherapy in which the mucous membranes of the mouth are inflamed.
Venture Capital: KdT companies announced that it has closed its fourth fund at $100 million. The investment fund will focus on early-stage companies that deploy advanced technology in various healthcare sectors.
Lung cancer: The FDA has approved Novocure’s Optune Lua for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with other treatments. This is a portable device that creates electric fields that can cause cell death in tumors.
Breast cancer: The FDA approved inavolisibmarketed by Genentech as Itovebi, in combination with other drugs as a first-line treatment option for people with a common form of metastatic breast cancer.
AI for patients: Parakeet health announced it has launched a generative AI voice platform for patient communications alongside a $3 million seed funding round. The platform is intended to be used as a means to assist patients with scheduling appointments, querying prescription status and other tasks.
AI for doctors: Suki, which has developed an ambient AI system that automatically completes medical records during a patient visit, has announced it has increased $70 million in new investment support. Competitor Abridge has now announced this it has entered into a partnership with Wolters Kluwer Health to integrate its UpToDate clinical support solution into its AI-powered platform.
Digital Health: Digital healthcare startup Glooko has announced that it has raised its funding a $100 million Series F round to continue the growth and expansion of its products.
Truepill’s Sid Viswanathan is back with a new pharmacy startup focused on HIV
Alchemy
Sid Viswanathan, co-founder of tech-based pharmacy Truepill, which was once worth over $1 billion before falling back to earth, is back with a new healthcare startup. The new company, called Alchemy, is working to increase access to HIV medications by building and managing its own community clinic pharmacies.
After more than a year of operating in secret, the San Francisco-based startup is launching publicly after raising $31 million in seed funding led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, Viswanathan told Forbes. Magic Johnson, the NBA superstar who was first diagnosed with HIV in 1991, is also an investor.
So far, the startup has set up pharmacies in 15 clinics across the country, serving a large population of HIV and hepatitis C patients. Alchemy sets up and runs the pharmacies, receiving a percentage of sales. It works with the clinics to access a federal program to get medications at a lower cost, allowing their patients to get and stay on their medications.
Read more here.
Other healthcare news
Walgreens will lose another $3 billion and plans to close 1,200 stores
TikTok is rejecting ads about IVF, egg freezing and fertility services, its founders say
New treatment regimen for cervical cancer reduces risk of death by 40%
UnitedHealth Group’s profits exceed $6 billion as costs of cyberattacks decline
More Listeria Recalls: What to Know as Nearly 12 Million Pounds of Meat Recalled
About Forbes
What else we read
The staggering success of vaccines (Scientific American)
Is it time to panic about bird flu? (Statistics)
Your diet can change your immune system – here’s how to do it (Nature)