#189 - Pain, Pizza and Patent Wars
The one-minute healthtech roundup
Hi friends,
This week: VR’s pain-relieving potential grows stronger, deals (and lots of them), and exploring the breast milk microbiome.
News Bites 🥪
🎚️ More deal volume, lower check sizes for digital health in Q1, with AI investment leading the pack: Rock Health – There are more deals happening, but less cash flying around – but apparently, no one told General Catalyst. Honestly, you can tell millennials are more involved in the dealmaking process, as while founders are jumping into relationships with investors, they’re refusing to put labels on their deals…
🍏 I lead one of the startups accusing Apple of patent infringement. Here’s why Congress should side with us – Aside from ‘that’ U2 Album launch (Gen-Z, ask your colleagues), the only complaint about Apple most of us will ever have is the occasional device issue. For the unfortunate healthtech entrepreneur going head-to-head with the big tech giant to defend their IP, there’s much more at stake.
🤖 AI and data: Let's get the basics right for patients and staff – The rollout and adoption of technology by healthcare staff has rarely been smooth sailing – so why should AI be any different? The answer is less about the technology, and more about the people that use it – and whether developers put their needs first, says CNIO Simon Noel.
📕 Labour reveals plan to digitise NHS personal child health records – When it comes to digitising health records, Wes says: “Start ‘em’ early!”, and most will find it hard to disagree. That said, we expect cries of “the government is snooping on our kids'' from the usual quarters within days. To those cranks, Pigeon says: Don’t worry, there’ll be a target for rollout – and it’ll probably be missed.
🦀 Virtual reality eases pain in cancer trial — even the next day –There’s no doubt that the pain-relieving potential of VR needs exploring in more depth. From minor surgery to cancer treatment, studies are demonstrating VR has a powerful role to play in easing patients’ pain (even if no one’s telling us what they’re watching on those headsets). But while VR may taketh pain, it sometimes giveth it too…. [Why did you suddenly develop a lisp? - Ed.]
🗣️ Can artificial intelligence help people with their mental health? – Okay, you’ve set Pigeon off on one now. Seriously people, stop looking to ChatGPT for mental health support. More importantly, policymakers, let’s do something about the mental health support access gap, sharpish.
🍕 The NHS App must not try to meet every digital health need – Look, Pigeon’s not going to be satisfied until you can order a Pizza via the NHS app. While we appreciate that hot food delivery isn’t exactly within the spirit of the app, there’s no arguing that it’s currently more useful than X (fka Twitter), and therefore a more promising candidate to become the ‘everything app’.
💰 Biolinq raises $58M for wearable biosensor tech and more digital health fundings – The week’s top raises, courtesy of Mobihealth news, include wearable glucose patches, therapeutics designed to support children with autism, and an AI platform streamlining challenges in clinical research. The $100m+ scooped up by companies here gives Pigeon hope, even as the digital health naysayers get louder.
🦠 How UK-based BoobyBiome Is Advancing Infant Feeding Harnessing the Power of the Breast Milk Microbiome – More and more companies are exploring the powerful role the microorganisms in our body play in improving health outcomes. BoobyBiome are going one step further, looking at how the bacteria in breast milk shape an infant’s outcomes – backed up with a breast milk microbiome database and biobank they’re using to develop new products.
What to listen to 🔊
🐦 The Healthtech Pigeon Podcast — Join James and Huw as they take a deep dive into the week’s healthtech news and views.
🔊 The Healthtech Podcast #355 The importance of Health Economics with Dr Hugh Harvey, MD at Hardian Health — James is joined by Dr. Hugh Harvey, whose career spans over a decade, transitioning from a former Consultant Radiologist within the NHS to his current role as the Managing Director of Hardian Health.
🔊 The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey #300 Celebrating 300 Business of Healthcare Podcast episodes with Tara Humphrey & James Somauroo — 300 episodes isn’t just a milestone to be proud of, it means there’s 300 valuable tidbits for anyone working in primary care to dive into to understand more about the sector. To mark this special occasion, Tara reflects on a journey of growth, learning, passion and the power of staying true to oneself in the complex world of healthcare.
Events 📅
EIT Health Summit
🕣 April 18-19
📍 Rotterdam
HPN North
🕣 April 23-24
📍 Manchester
Digital Healthcare Show
🕣 April 24-25
📍 ExCel London
LSX World Congress
🕣 April 29-30
📍 Business Design Centre, London
Digital Health Festival
🕣 May 7-8
📍 Melbourne
Visit the SomX events page or subscribe to SomX’s events roundup to see all of the best upcoming healthtech, biotech and healthcare events
Opportunities 🕵️♀️
✅ Associate - Quality Asssurance & Regulator Affairs, Hardian Health — Fancy yourself a dab hand in regulatory issues surrounding AI and medical devices? Want to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in supporting clients while getting the support and training you need to grow in the role? There’s no better place to do that than Hardian Health.
🔬 Chief Operating Officer (NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation), Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — Life sciences expert with a passion for transformative tech and a track record of biz-dev and project delivery? Then you’d better apply for this role.
🙋 Gynaecologists & Opthamologists needed: Help shape clinical questionnaires for Accurx — Accurx have built clinical questionnaires that are used as part of routine patient care ‘000s of times a day across primary care. Now it’s secondary care’s turn to benefit - but they need your help! Hit the links in the title to get involved.
Working in orthopaedics, general surgery or cardiology and keen to help? Register your interest.
🤝 NHS & Academic Partnerships Lead, Avegen — Want to help build partnerships between a pioneering digital health company and its customers in NHS and Academia? This is the place for you.
📣 Call for Feedback: ARIA Programme Thesis: Precisely interfacing with the human brain at scale — Calling Neurotech experts! Help Jacques (he’s the one in the photo) shape the future funding of precision neurotechnologies, but providing feedback on this programme thesis.
Got news, jobs or events you think is worth coo-ing over? Let us know! Email us: news@healthtechpigeon.com
SomX is a communications and creative agency for healthcare. We are clinicians, scientists, creatives and communicators dedicated to serving our healthtech, biotech, pharma and public sector clients with services across strategy, content, PR, design, events and media production. Get in touch to learn more.