#52 🍩 What the Health - Cryopreservation, Another $270m Health VC Fund & a 10 Minute Dementia Scan

Your health tech & innovation TL;DR roundup

Jun 14, 2024

Short and sweet was a gift for this work week (at least, after the long weekend here in NSW & Vic).

So we’ll stay on that theme with this lil healthtech news treat.

TLDR in all you should know…

🥳 Sydney Meetup Ft. dope demos…
NEXT WEEK!

We’ve teamed up with our friends from Giant Leap, Airwallex and Shadowboxer for a classic WTH health tech community catch up 🥳 with a sick rapid-fire showcase of some of the best up-and-coming digital health products.

📅 Wed 19th June
⏰ 5.30 pm - 8.30 pm
📍 Sydney CBD (on rego)
🍻Free Bevs & Bants

Come hang!
But make sure you rego though before all the spots go👇

Snag your spot here!

👀 PS - Private Community acceptances went out Monday. Those that applied make sure you check your inboxes hey 💌

🍩 TODAYS ISSUE

Newsworthy
Sick Science
AI Updates
Startup Stuff
Events
Cool Content

Lets jump in…

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Noteworthy 🗞️

Funding

💰Brandon Capital announced a $270m first close of its new life sciences fund ft. Hostplus, HESTA, CSL and the Queensland Investment Corporation tipping in

🚑 Updoc, a telehealth platform, snagged $20m from ASX-listed Bailador to expand

🍄 Psylo announced first close of their US$8m round to develop its non-hallucinogenic psychedelic therapy for mental health disorders

💉 GPN Vaccines raised an $18m Series B1, to advance a vaccine targeting pneumonia-causing Streptococcus pneumoniae

🧬 JDRF is investing $3m in researchers in precision medicine for type 1 diabetes

💊Telstra Health is acquiring the remaining 50% of Fred IT to fully integrating the pharmacy software developer into its portfolio

🦠 Australia’s Translational Research Institute’s researchers, bagged $4m from US Department of Defense for Parkinson’s treatments targeting the gut microbiome

Newsworthy

🧊 Southern Cryonics cryopreserved Aus's first person… but its unlikely they will ever come back

🚀ARM Hub and MTPConnect announced the launch of a new Biomedical AI Sprints Accelerator (BASA) to elevate Australia's Biomedical Sector

🚨MediSecure, the e-script providers, has now entered administration following the major cyber attack

🌏 The NHS sees >1 in 5 departing UK doctors head to Aus

Sorry not sorry - welcome British friends

🏥 It’s International Men's Health Week. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW):

Men have a lower life expectancy than women (81.3 vs. 85.4 years)
40% of male deaths are premature
Leading cause of ill-health and death for men 15-44 in 2022 was suicide and self-inflicted injuries

🔒 Medibank is getting sued by the Australian Information Commissioner for failing to protect the personal data of 9.7m customers in a 2022 breach

💊 Australia's medicine shortage continues hitting hard, leaving menopausal women with few options as over 420 essential drugs, including HRT patches, run low

🚨 SA public hospitals declared an emergency, pausing most elective surgeries due to staff shortages from COVID and flu

📊 Our World in Data published in the Lancet Public Health Journal outlining best practices for gov agencies to actually publish data, based on the lessons from COVID-19

📱Flinders Uni researchers are developing an app for adults with ADHD to take a more pro-active role in their 'wellness journey'

🔬Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora renewed its contract with Telstra Health for the Clinical & Medication Content service

Gov Goss

💬 The Fed Gov commited $10.7m to co-design the NDIS with the disability community

🏛️ Medical Costs Finder, a $24m gov initiative for healthcare cost transparency, has seen only 20 doctors nationwide opting to list their fees.

🌍 Aus is leading the way in tobacco control, with its anti-vaping measures recommended by the World Health Organization

📝NSW parliamentary inquiry into mental health care finds that police involvement in mental health crises often causes harm and deters people from seeking help

🏳️‍🌈 The NSW gov has formally apologised for laws that criminalised homosexual acts

US & Beyond the Borders

🍄 AbbVie inked a US$2bn deal with Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals aimed at developing next-gen therapies and novel neuroplastogens for psychiatric disorders

🌍 Google for Startups selected 24 startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for its 'Growth Academy: AI for Health program'.

No alt text provided for this image — Six startups are focusing on mental health, making it the most addressed condition in the program.

🚗 Uber Health, is launching a new product for caregivers allowing them to see and spend that health benefits, like ordering rides to doctor’s appointments or groceries

🌿 Natural Cycles, the first FDA-cleared birth control app, clinches a US$55m Series C

🏋️‍♀️ Equinox, the upscale US health club chain introduced a new “Health Optimization Membership” for longevity lovers

🤖 GE Healthcare announced a suite of innovations ft a heap of AI, theranostics and improved workflow automation to enhance access to precision medicine

🥂Seek launched the first at-home lab test measuring the impact of alcohol on women’s health

📉 Birth rates are tumbling across the developed world

💼 Behavioral Innovations, an autism therapy giant, was acquired by Tenex Capital Management for $300m

💡 Eko Health, who create AI-enhanced stethoscopes, raised $41m to improve its tech for early detection of heart and lung diseases

🎮 Akili, a video game-like digital therapeutic for ADHD, merged with Virtual Therapeutics in a $34m deal

🏥 National Nurses United, America’s largest nurses union, are protesting the use of unproven AI in healthcare

👍The University of Cambridge unveiled the “Third Thumb”, a robotic device designed to extend the human body's capabilities by adding an extra thumb

Looks like Cambridge is really giving us a ‘hand’ in multitasking :))

🤯Eventbrite is reportedly promoted illegal opioid sales to people and recommending sketchy drug listings to people attending addiction recovery events

Sick Science

🧠 Can a 10 Minute Brain Scan Predict Early Dementia?
A new scan developed by Queen Mary University of London scientists can supposedly detect dementia with 80% accuracy up to nine years before symptoms manifest. This method, which observes "resting" brain activity, could become a standard procedure in memory clinics if validated in larger studies

🦷 Could We Regrow Lost Teeth?
The first human trial of a drug designed to regenerate teeth will begin at Kyoto University Hospital in September, targeting males aged 30-64 who have lost at least one molar

🔬 Wait - melting bowel Tumors?
Pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug demonstrated potential in dissolving bowel tumors before surgery. By targeting a specific protein on immune cells, it could significantly boosts cancer-free outcomes for patients with certain genetic markers

🤔 Whats better? Intermittent fasting or restricting calories?
A study in Nature Communications compared the effects of intermittent fasting (IF) combined with protein pacing versus continuous caloric restriction on gut health and weight management for participants who were overweight or obese. It found that the IF regimen experienced significant improvements in gut microbiota

🤖 AI Updates…

💰 Nvidia just became the world's second most valuable company, hitting a market cap of $3.01 trillion

🔬Sanofi announced its collaboration with OpenAI and Formation Bio to boost its drug development projects through AI

💡Nvidia's VP of Healthcare, claims AI is likely to impact healthcare more than any other field (*shock*)

❤️Philips launches a next-generation AI-powered cardiovascular ultrasound platform

🌌 Samsung enhances the Galaxy Watch with Galaxy AI, offering personalised health insights and advanced fitness tracking

🧠 Feel Therapeutics, a Digital Precision Medicine company, launches wearable device using AI for emotional & mental health monitoring

🌐 Georgia Institute of Technology found that chatbots are less accurate in Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi compared to English when asked health-related questions

Get the rest here!

Startup Stuff 🚀

Want to strut your Startup on stage at SXSW?

Apply for the SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024! This year's winner will again receive the opportunity to pitch at the Winner Ceremony at SXSW Austin 2025 (ft. free flights, badges and a host of other prizes) - More info & Apply here

Have an idea for Dementia and Cognitive Decline?

The CUREator+ Dementia and Cognitive Decline incubator program, in partnership with Brandon BioCatalyst, ANDHealth, and Dementia Australia, is now open for funding applications! Companies can receive up to $5m per project - More here

Big Idea for Future Innovations Made in Aus?

Up to $5m in grants are available through the Industry Growth Program to help innovative startups & high-growth SMEs commercialise their ideas - More here

Launch Your Big Idea with Macquarie Incubator

The Macquarie Incubator Membership is open to all founders eager to make an impact. Enjoy access to co-working spaces, expert mentoring, and resources to elevate your startup - More here

Want to showcase your Startup & get free hardware?

Applications for "The Pitch," hosted by SmartCompany in partnership with Dell Technologies and Dell For Startups, are now open where you could nab $10k in hardware and a great mentoring program - More here

Want to run Clinical Trial in Aus?

The Department of Health & Aged Care opened funding for $12.6m to support international clinical trials in Australia and evidence-based healthcare. Not to mention, our R&D tax credits are pretty great too…

*TLDR; Come to Aus*