#49 🍩 What the Health - Bunnings Pipe Heart Prototype, $12.5m for NDIS tech & 1 Billion living with obesity
Your health tech & innovation TL;DR roundup
Hello friends.
Reluctantly, I’m back from beautiful Bali after a little R&R.
In other news - the other day we turned 3 (yay!) 🥳
AND… soared past 7000 of you WTHers 🥺 💜 Grateful for you all!
Talk about THE best birthday present 🎁
We might just have to do something fun when we hit 10k…
💡Any Ideas? 👀
💌 HIT REPLY - I’d love to hear from you
Alrighty then, onto the news…
💜 Brought to you with… SeerPharma & The Victorian Medtech Skills and Devices Hub (VMH)
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Noteworthy 🗞️
Funding
🫀 BiVACOR nabbed US$18m from the MRFF to develop their Total Artificial Heart
The founder, Daniel Timms, built the first prototype using pipes from Bunnings after his dad’s heart attack. Their long-lasting, titanium heart is small and more efficient than others and due to start trials in humans this year
👩🦽 Kismet raised $12.5m for their NDIS & Disability Community Platform reducing carer’s admin and creating better services
💡 The Doherty Institute secured $3.1m from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to develop a novel antiviral drug to counter influenza
💬 Anni raised $1m for their wellness “Advice-as-a-service” (AaaS) app and marketplace
🦠 CUREator funded 5 antimicrobial resistance projects, ft. CSIRO support:
Spritz-OM: a nasal spray to prevent ear infections ($500k)
Uni of SA: liquid crystal nanoparticles that enhance antimicrobial efficacy ($500k)
CSIRO: apps for enhanced antimicrobial stewardship decision support ($500k)
The Doherty Institute: developing resistance-breaking therapeutics ($500k)
Kraken Coding Pty Ltd: clinical branches in the NT ($430k)
👋 Healius, Aus’s 2nd largest pathology group, is in hot water after the departure of CEO Maxine Jaquet after struggling share prices, margins and “potential mismanagement”
💼 GenesisCare, Aus's largest provider of cancer services, has emerged from the bankruptcy debacle a (much) smaller entity, and kicked off an independent review into the radiation oncology sector’s financial viability
🧜 The former CEO of Aquamamma (a vitamin sachet startup) claims investors should’ve known she hadn’t verified the financial figures she was pitching
Ouch 🙃….
And this, friends, is why Due Dilligence matters
📉 Hopes that the ASX could become a thriving destination for tech has stalled, with 88 departures in the past five years
👂 Cochlear reported a record interim dividend thanks to strong growth for its core hearing implants and related services
Newsworthy
💊 A new drug, Ryeqo, has been approved to treat endometriosis
After “…high-quality clinical trials were shown to be effective in managing symptomatic endometriosis by suppressing hormone production”
🔍 A 5-minute full-body MRI scan could become a reality with a new AI method from Monash Uni engineers which appears to make scans x10 faster
🌐 An RMIT study showed that 1 in 3 drugs bought on the dark web were not actually 100% what they were sold as *shock*
🏊♂️ Monash researchers found using ultrasound on “lazy sperm” can increase their swimming activity 3x and improve the success rate of assisted reproduction
🤝 Medibank’s Amplar Health partnered with Amwell, a US & global leader in digitally enabled evidence backed care, to support the delivery of its chronic disease prevention programs
“Customers will be supported by a digital assistant, and where needed, a health coach, to ensure they achieve the best outcomes from the program.” - Mr Read, Amplar Health
💻 Telehealth sessions with pharmacists are now available for hospital patients in rural settings after a successful trial
🏥 La Trobe Uni are opening a new $25m private hospital on campus ft. Healthscope as part of their “City of the Future” precinct
🔬 CSIRO and Main Sequence reckon synbio could create a $30b industry ft. > 50,000 jobs by 2040
Better get cracking with that investment then hey
🚻 The Workplace Gender Equality Agency released the median gender pay gap data
Health companies with big median gender pay gaps include Telstra Health, Genesis Care, and Healthdirect Australia
🛑 The TGA is making moves to stop compounding pharmacies from making their own versions of Ozempic
🍄 Clarion Clinics, Australia’s first psychedelic therapy clinic, is charging patients $24k for treatment, raising concerns among experts about accessibility
But still, its seriously early days and like everything, prices always start high then *touch wood* usually, eventually come down
Gov Goss
💉 QLD’s Supreme Court found mandating COVID-19 vaccines for frontline workers is, infact, unlawful under the Human Rights Act
“A person must not be….subjected to medical or scientific experimentation or treatment without the person’s full, free and informed consent.” - Human Rights Act
🤳 The Digital Health Agency launched the my health app, allowing patients to access their My Health Record info, check symptoms, and book appts
📈 Private health premiums will rise by 3.03% on average, with the gov arguing it’s okay cause it’s lower than the annual rise in wages, pension and inflation
Ramsay Health Care warned that without increased funding from private health insurers and the gov, the system would “break down” ft. potential hospital closures
🧑🏿⚕️ The Gov launched the National Digital Health Strategy for 2023-2028 ft. 4 priorities for digital care:
Digitally enabled
Person-centred
Inclusive
Data-driven care
📊 The Aussie Digital Health Agency’s National Healthcare Interoperability Plan is supposedly on track to develop a digitally connected patient health info system:
2 actions are complete, 32 on track, 1 behind schedule, and 9 actions yet to commence
US & Beyond the Borders
🌎 1 billion people, or 1/8 of the world’s population, are living with obesity
💭 Neuralink’s first brain implant patient is supposedly recovering well, and able to move a mouse by thinking… at least according to Elon
💆♀️ Surrenne, is the newest fitness, wellness and longevity club opening in the UK ft. all-star advisors Dr Huberman & longevity expert Dr David Sinclair
👶 Bobbie, an organic formula brand is branching into supplements for babies (?!)
🩸 The FDA (finally) cleared the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for people without diabetes
💪 Orangetheory Fitness and Self Esteem Brands (the parent of franchises like Anytime Fitness) announced plans to merge
🪙 A UK startup created a coin-sized vibrating device to help those with Parkinson’s have fewer tremors and move more easily via rhythmic physical stimulation
🥵 Apple Watch filed a patent that suggests they might be adding sensors that can measure your sweat to see how hydrated you are
✈️ A doctor used an Apple Watch to help a woman who had a medical emergency on a flight, using it to gauge oxygen levels
He’s also (unsurprisingly) recommended that emergency medical kits on airplanes need a digital health upgrade to include tools to measure glucose levels, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation
⌚ Garmin watches can potentially run basic diagnostic tests to free up doctor’s time
The Six Minute Walk Test is used to diagnose and monitor a number of cardiovascular issues. A study showed it can be recorded via the watch, and reduced to 1 minute
💍 Strava announced new integrations with Oura and Open, adding insights about sleep, readiness scores, breathwork and meditation
🇮🇩 Alodokter an Indonesian digital healthcare ecosystem, raised US$5.2m, putting it at a ~US$136M valuation
🚴 Supersapiens, a metabolic health platform for athletes, suddenly axed ALL memberships
With CGM startups struggling to find product market fit, they’ve quoted “strategic restructuring” as the reason
Sick Science
🕺 Can you dance the blues away?
New research shows that exercise can be just as impactful in treating depression as therapy, BUT it matters what type you do and how.
A study analysed 218 randomised trials on exercise for depression, with 14,170 participants. With walking, running, strength training, yoga, mixed aerobic exercise and dancing more effective than antidepressants alone
🏋️♂️ Despite sceptics… Weight-loss can be maintained after stopping GLP-1s?
A Danish study has shown that majority of those who take weight loss medication (Saxenda) and exercise regularly are able to maintain the beneficial effects a year after
🕷️ Spider venom to treat strokes and heart attacks?
Brisbane startup Infensa is developing a treatment using the lethal funnel-web spider venom - which limits the damage after heart attacks & strokes by blocking the signals that cause the death of heart and brain cells.
🍔 Ultra-processed foods officially linked with >32 health risks
A review found that higher exposure to ultra-processed foods (such as packaged baked goods, ice-cream, and instant noodles) which supposedly makes up ~50% of our collective diets was consistently associated with adverse outcomes such as cancer, major heart and lung conditions, mental health disorders, and early death.
💤 Sleep (literally) washes waste out of brain?
Scientists have long puzzled over why exactly we need to sleep. But a new study has shown exactly how brain waves recover and clean out waste. Individual nerve cells coordinate to produce rhythmic waves that propel fluid through dense brain tissue, washing the tissue in the process.
🚯 Microplastics linked to serious health problems
A new landmark study over 3 years found nearly 60% of people undergoing surgery had microplastics in a main artery. Those who did were x4.5 more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or death in the 3 years after the surgery
💡 New laser treatment for prostate cancer
An Aussie urologist has developed a groundbreaking laser procedure for prostate cancer treatment. The laser targets and eliminates cancerous tumours in the prostate gland while preserving the healthy surrounding tissue. This can reduce bladder leakage or sexual dysfunction.
🤖 AI Updates…
⚕️ AI can predict Alzheimer’s disease up to 7 years before symptoms appear
By analysing electronic health records, the study identified high cholesterol and osteoporosis, as significant predictors, particularly in women.
👥 Oxford Uni researchers analysed the ethnicity of over 61m people in the UK to address biases in AI health prediction models
🤖 Large Language Models outperform medical experts in summarising clinical info
… Again
🐷 Researchers used pig tissue and AI to identify dangerous drug interactions
Startup Stuff 🚀
Are you a Vic digital health company approaching proof of concept?
ANDHealth Activate is a purpose-built accelerator program for Vic digital & digitally enabled health companies. You’ll receive access to a co-working space, network, and industry development activities and events - More here
Innovative medical device and based in NSW?
The Medical Devices Fund is a commercialisation program funded by NSW Health to progress new and innovative medical devices and tech in NSW towards commercialisation. Ft. between $500k to $5m up for grab - More here
Wanna use AI to help Aussies?
Australia’s AI Sprint is a new initiative to support innovators to rapidly develop new, novel and viable AI solutions across various industries. It’s a collab between the National AI Centre, Stone & Chalk, and Google Cloud. A cohort of participants will be provided with the support they need - including corporate partnership opportunities, commercial mentoring, networking and technical assistance - to turn their AI tech into sustainable businesses during the sprint - More here
Doing medical research and want funding?
Applications are open for 5 new Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grants with $93m up for grabs for research into improved health for children, young people and the aged, medical devices, mental health and stem cell therapies - More here
Want to attend a masterclass on health, policy and leadership?
VicHealth, Monash, and the Australian Global Health Alliance are teaming up to give 45 emerging leaders an up-close opportunity to connect with and learn from some of the world's leading health policy leaders - Apply here
Have an idea to improve access to primary care?
The Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN) is investing $1m in innovative solutions that harness digital health tech to provide improved models of care within the primary care sector within the Hunter, New England and Central Coast region. Grants range from $50 to $500k - More here
Vic Medtech looking to fund commercialization?
LaunchVic’s newly launched MedTech Market Growth Program will provide $50k matched funding to up to 20 medtech startups & scaleups to help with the skills, services and resources they need to push their life-saving products to market - More info & apply here
Early-stage Medtech keen to fast-track commercialisation?
The MedTech Actuator Accelerator is Asia Pacific’s 9-month venture development program for early-stage MedTech, BioTech and HealthTech startups. The program will help accelerate your tech development, build your team’s capability and provide access to investment - Apply here
Events💥
Wed 13th Mar: Data & Analytics in Healthcare (Mel)
Thu 14th Mar: UNSW Future Health Expo (Syd)
Thu 14th Mar: Stone & Chalk's Ecosystem Drinks: Women In Tech (Mel)
Mon 18th Mar: BioMelbourne Network: Crossing the Rubicon in AI Decision-Making (Mel)
Thu 21st Mar: Cooperative Research Australia: How to engage with a university
20th - 21st Mar: Australian Healthcare Week 2024 (Syd)
Tues 26th Mar: Victorian Medtech Skills and Devices Hub: Integrating IP and Commercialisation (Mel)
Thu 4th Apr: Health Translation SA: Research Translation Essentials Course (Adl)
Tue 9th Apr: Cicada HealthTech Hub Masterclass: Pitching to investors and industry partners (Syd)
Tue 16th Apr: BioMelbourne Network: Innovations in Cardiovascular Health (Mel)
Sun 21st Apr: VicHealth: Intergenerational Masterclass on Health, Policy and Leadership (Mel)
7th - 8th May: Digital Health Festival (Mel)
Consumable Content 💎
🎙️ Acquired Season 14, #1: The Complete History & Strategy of Novo Nordisk (Ozempic)
Acquired is one of my FAVOURITE podcasts, and this is one of my fav episodes.
If you want to know all about the pharma industry, the messed up way health works and the makers of Ozempic - have a listen. Its long, but worth it
🎥 CNN: An implant in his brain lets him do incredible tasks with his thoughts
Want to see a brain-computer interface in action?
Check out this vid ft. Synchron’s latest tech
🧪 STAT: The Alabama IVF ruling uses faux scientific language to justify a religious position
Interesting stats and wild arguments around the recent rulings about embryos and frozen eggs in the US
Thanks to Eldin, Pierre, Tom, Robert, Tayla, Rachel, & Mackenzie for sharing fun things that made this drop! And thanks to Jasmine’s mum for her editing skills on this edition.
💡Got thoughts? Something to include next time?
Hit reply or reach out to emily@whatthehealth.io to let us know!
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Ciao lovers
👋 Emily,
Jas & team WTH
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