Empowered Patient Podcast

Gloria Caulfield is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock and Executive Director of the Lake Nona Institute, which is part of the Lake Nona Life Sciences Innovation and Wellness Community. Lake Nona is a planned city within Orlando, Florida, that is focused on the health and well-being of the citizens who live and work there.  One of the key economic drivers is the health and life sciences innovation cluster which includes the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, a VA Medical Center, and the Nemours Children's Hospital, a state-of-the-art pediatric healthcare system. Gloria explains, "There is no question that it's a collaborative community when you're building something this new and this unique. We have leaders of these institutions that have come from all different parts of the country to bring their careers here to focus on building this new ecosystem. It fosters a spirit of collaboration, which starts with Tavistock. Tavistock as the developer, we chair research councils a

James McCullough, CEO of Renalytix, is focused on preventive care for those most likely to get chronic kidney disease. Diagnostics and risk assessment of patients earlier in the disease cycle emphasize maintaining kidney health rather than managing complications from late-stage kidney disease and kidney failure. Using a machine-learning algorithm to look at blood-based biomarkers and EMR data, the KidneyIntelX system provides the clinician with a risk score and guidelines for treatment. James elaborates, "There are five stages of kidney disease. We're focused on the early stages, so stages 1 through 3, before the majority of damage is done to the kidney. When you have therapeutic intervention, lifestyle intervention, you get specialist involvement, you have a pretty good shot at slowing or stopping the progression of the disease into the later stages, stages 4 and 5, where your options start to become limited." "With KidneyIntelX now, for the first time, we can start to see risk assessment taking place at the

Yarone Goren, Co-Founder and COO of SteadyMD powers telehealth for providers by providing the clinician workforce licensed in the states where the patients are located.  Supported by behind-the-scenes clinical operations and patient interface, clinicians can give virtual care in addition to performing their traditional roles. With the growth in the demand for telemedicine, this solution provides a path for clinicians and digital health companies to meet the needs of patients for primary and disease-specific care and to manage chronic conditions on demand. Yarone explains, "What we do for a lot of our customers is provide the clinician workforce, the doctors, the nurses, the therapists, licensed, kind of a crazy Venn diagram of licensure across all the states where they need it. We do clinical operations, meaning we work closely with clinicians to schedule them to ensure that they appear for their scheduled shifts, train them on all the technology they need to use, and ensure that they meet all the clinical qu

Dr. Tariq Arshad is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Qualigen Therapeutics, addressing multiple types of RAS-driven cancers. While researchers understand RAS's role in tumorgenesis and have identified which cancers are RAS-driven, RAS has been considered an undruggable target. With a pan-RAS approach inhibiting KRAS, HRAS and NRAS, the three isoforms of RAS, Qualigen is identifying drug candidates showing strong anti-tumor efficacy.    Tariq elaborates, "That was so difficult to do because when you look at the KRAS protein itself, it's a complicated, three-dimensional structure that constantly changes. The opening, or the aperture, where a small molecule can attach and inhibit the G12C moiety or specifically the cysteine amino acid, which is targeted by these inhibitors, it appears for a very, very short period of time. It's nothing short of a miracle of bioengineering, and specifically medicinal chemistry that we've been able to identify these inhibitors that can target that subcompone

Patty Hayward, General Manager, Healthcare and Life Sciences at Talkdesk, is addressing staff burnout due to the increased demand for patient support and rising patient expectations to get questions answered, appointments scheduled, and issues resolved.  Through AI, chatbots, and automation of basic tasks, staff can spend more time with patients to address complex problems. While some patients still like to talk to a live person on the phone, the use of technology allows for real-time responses to many concerns through a patient portal or contact center that has access to patient EMR including history and current medical condition. Patty explains, "People come into healthcare specifically because they want to help people. Healthcare is very personal, and so when you don't have the time and space and resources often to deliver that empathetic experience to really help people, that can lead to a real high level of burnout feeling, a lot of frustration, and you're not having that job satisfaction that you got i

James Graham is the CEO of Recce Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company focused on the global antibiotic-resistant patient population. This new class of synthetic antibiotics takes a broad-spectrum approach to kill bacterial infections, which continue to mutate, rendering existing antibiotics ineffective.  The founding inventor of Recce is Dr. Graham Melrose, the grandfather of James, who has grown this idea into one of the top-performing biotech stocks in Australia. James explains, "As you may know, by my accent, I’m an Australian. I think Australia found the first penicillin, which worked well for everyone around the world for a number of years. But it’s time for a new penicillin, penicillin 2.0, or one entirely synthetic, not reliant on existing natural processes. And that’s what we’ve fundamentally started with, beginning with the end in mind that is Recce antibiotics. So I really say the challenge, the silent pandemic is right upon us. You only have to look at the AMR resistance rates. I think raising

Jennifer Jones-McMeans, Divisional Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs at Abbott, discusses Abbot's new diversity initiative to help address mistrust and societal barriers that underrepresented populations face in receiving healthcare and participating in clinical trials. Through partnerships, clinical research coordinators from diverse backgrounds working in smaller institutions are trained to work with these populations. Norton Health with the Institute for Health Equity is putting funding and infrastructure in place to build a research program model for historically Black colleges and universities to attract more diverse participation in trials and build more vital research institutions.      Jennifer explains, "I had a good conversation with a physician today from the New York area, and we talked about one barrier that is translation. We discussed that the clinical trial this individual is working on did not have the resources for translation services. And so, if you think about something as simple

Que Dallara, Executive Vice President and President of the Diabetes Operating Unit at Medtronic, is enthusiastic about the MiniMed 780G system, a recently FDA approved solution for people with type 1 diabetes. This system has a continuous glucose monitor, insulin pump, and mobile app that connects with CareLink, which allows the physician and family members to follow the patient as well.  This automated insulin delivery eliminates the need to count carbs and calibrates to each individual's eating habits for more accurate dosing.  Que explains, "It's the first of its kind that has automated adjustments and corrections to insulin delivery without needing the patient to do anything. The existing systems on the market have automated basal delivery, which helps to some degree, but we've introduced this concept of meal detection technology. It can figure out that you're having a meal. For example, if you're undercounting your carbs, it can notice that you're actually having a meal and then provide order corrections

Joe Todisco, CEO of CorMedix, is developing a product that has broad spectrum activity against bacteria and fungus to impact the safety of receiving hemodialysis through a central venous catheter. With the recent acceptance by the FDA of the submission for DefenCath, CorMedix is hopeful of obtaining FDA approval for this therapeutic to prevent bloodstream infections. Since the active ingredient is not an antibiotic, the drug does not further the problem of antibiotic resistance. Joe explains, "The lead indication for the product is for the reduction in risk associated with catheter-related bloodstream infections in hemodialysis patients undergoing hemodialysis with a central venous catheter, CVC. Catheter-related bloodstream infections, or CRBSIs, are one of the most severe adverse consequences associated with getting hemodialysis through a CVC. The incidence rate in the general population is about 25% to 33%, and they can be fatal up to 25% of the time. So it's a critical unmet medical need. There is no cur

Jeff Hackman, CEO of Comera Life Sciences, recognizes the need to find a more efficient, patient-friendly solution for receiving biologics rather than being administered by IV therapy. Using the SQore platform, a proprietary technology, Comera is reformulating IV biologics to Sub-Q utilizing small molecule chemistry and an understanding of excipients. Seven out of ten global medicines are biologics, and most are administered by IV, providing a tremendous opportunity to expand access to biologics using Sub-Q technology. Jeff elaborates, "Our mission is to transform these biologic therapies into a different form, a subcutaneous form. That form takes on the ability of these patients to administer these medicines for themselves, at home, at school, and at work. So really, what the summary of this mission is, through the freedom of self-injectable care, we hope that these patients can live a life without the burden of this therapy and the ability to be able to make their lives more livable." "Excipients have been

Allison Jacob, Senior Medical Director at Adaptive Biotechnologies, uses their technology to decode the genetic language of the immune system and develop clinical diagnostics and therapeutics for hematologic malignancies. With a focus on the adaptive immune system and the receptors of B and T cells, the platform is used to identify, monitor and precisely quantify tumor cells over time. In the past, MRD stood for minimal residual disease, but due to more accurate testing, the goal now is measurable residual disease, MRD, negativity. Allison explains, "The clonoSEQ technology essentially looks at rearrangements in the DNA of proteins that are expressed on B cells, and we're harnessing something that the immune system created for us. So, unlike other genes that we talk about in cancer, let's say like BRCA1, where you have a normal version of that and a mutated version of that, B-cell receptors are constantly having to shuffle and create new gDNA sequences, again, to be able to recognize these foreign invaders."

Alicia Staley is the VP of Patient Engagement at Medidata and working to bring more technology and software solutions to clinical research. With a focus on creating patient-centric clinical trials, Alicia emphasizes the value of digital tools to drive diversity of participation and retention. As a cancer survivor and patient advocate, Alicia has deep insights into how clinical trials are run and who participates.  Alicia explains, "I think the entire industry is still responding to what life looks like post-COVID. However, in particular, in clinical research, this gravitation toward more digital tools to support clinical research is still very much at the forefront. Topics like decentralized clinical trials and patient portals, patient registries, and ways to support the patient through the clinical journey using digital tools, sensors, and wearables are very much at the forefront of the conversations we're having today. Clearly there is an interest in going in that direction. And I think we learned during t

Dr. Holly Urban, the Vice President of Clinical Product Design at CliniComp, understands the need for a positive user experience for clinicians to use electronic health record software effectively. Clinician burnout is often blamed on the documentation burden and the time it takes to enter patient data. With a shift to a focus on the quality of the notes rather than the length, CliniComp is designing systems that aid in medical decisions and is considering ways to use natural language processing and generative AI to change how notes are created. Holly explains, "One of the challenges is that today's electronic health records, in my view, are very transactional focused. They allow you to place an order. A physician can write an order to have medications given to a patient, they can write a note where they document what happened in a patient visit or the results of a procedure, and they can get lab results." "But it's very transactional. We haven't yet achieved that ideal state where the electronic health reco

Ashley Perry, Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined, highlights the problems created by the Medicaid redetermination process.  Building on their SocialScape social risk intelligence platform, Socially Determined is providing a new risk score that will help state Medicaid agencies and Managed Care Organizations identify and prioritize members needing help navigating the redetermination. Ashley explains, "As many of your listeners will know, on April 1st of this year, we started redetermining eligibility for the 95 million Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide. And that's a year-long process during which we expect that up to 15 million of them may be disenrolled from the program. So far, we've seen that as of June 16th, we've had about 1.3 million Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide disenrolled across the 22 states that have reported data to date." "What's notable about that, though, is on average across those 22 states, 74% of those who've been disenrolled have been disenrolled for procedural

Lauralea Tanner, Chief Growth Officer at Acclara, describes the revenue cycle management critical decision points for hospitals, health systems, payers, and patients.  In the hospital setting, there are lab tests, radiology, anesthesiology, surgeons, and other clinicians, all providing services that require proper coding and billing for collection. With many opportunities for errors and patient confusion, call center technology to handle questions, AI to address mundane coding tasks, and other technologies allow the professionals to take complex patient questions. Lauralea explains, "So revenue cycle management really starts when the hospital or health system engages with the patient. So it starts with that patient intake process, or what we call patient registration or scheduling process, and then when they present at the hospital or the doctor's office for services." "At that point, then it falls into clinical care. The patient is seen, and they're treated. After the patient leaves, that is really where th

Maya Ber Lerner, Co-Founder and CEO of Chiefy, is focused on the complications and waste involved in the workflow related to surgery and the operating room. Realizing the root of the problem is communication between all participants in an operation, Chiefy is applying technology and AI to improve communication for these cross-functional teams. While collaboration tools have become well-accepted in other industries, the hospital environment has been slow to take advantage of these tools to benefit all stakeholders, including the patient. Maya explains, "The most important thing about our approach, and it just happened naturally, is that we focus on the surgeons and the nurses and the anesthesia teams and the other stakeholders, and we build a solution that would add value to them personally. And that was the first question I asked because my background is in team collaboration for software development and cloud infrastructure. It sounds completely out there and not related to what I do today. Still, it's a si

John Mulcahy, President and CEO of SiteOne Therapeutics, is developing new therapies to treat hypersensitivity disorders.  Their approach focuses on targeting specific voltage-gated sodium channels. Their drug candidates are designed to treat acute pain, as well as hypersensitivity developed as a result of chronic pain. They have recently received an NIH HEAL grant to explore their drug candidate that targets one subtype of the sodium channel as a non-opioid therapeutic potential for treating different pain conditions. John explains, "At SiteOne, we're focused on a family of targets known as the voltage-gated sodium ion channels. These are proteins, ion channels, that are involved in transmitting pain signals from the site of an injury, like earlier we said, the skin or a joint, to the central nervous system, so to your spinal cord, to your brain. At SiteOne, we're basically focused on drugs that potentially dampen those signals. It kind of tunes down that pain signal before it ever reaches the central nervo

Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, CEO and Co-Founder of Vincerx, is focused on targeting a specific antigen found on cancer cells. With a unique enzyme, it is effective with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, releasing a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor that inhibits the division of cancer cells. Their first bioconjugate VIP236 targets a specific molecule expressed on several metastatic tumors. Ahmed explains, "At Vincerx, we have a very exciting pipeline that's designed to solve a lot of problems with the current treatments for cancer therapies. In today's world, cancer continues growing exponentially. And thankfully, there are a lot of treatments out there for different types of cancer. Yet, the current treatments come with quite a bit of morbidities. Throughout my career, the morbidity of medicine has been something that I've always been concerned about, especially for patients and their caregivers. At Vincerx, we have very exciting, unique types of treatments that can be paradigm-shifting from a safety perspec

Nasha Fitter, CEO and Co-Founder of the FOXG1 Research Foundation and Vice President of Rare and Neurological Diseases at Ciitizen. Nasha describes the characteristics of the ultra-rare disease FOXG1 Syndrome and the global network that has been built to gain a better understanding of this neurological condition. Using real-world evidence, machine learning, AI, and genetic testing are showing a path to finding a treatment.  Nasha explains, "My daughter, Amara, was diagnosed at nine months of age. She began having hundreds of seizures a day. And at that point, there was information known about the FOXG1 gene. It's a really important gene for brain development. But no one was studying the syndrome and how to find a cure for it. So, I and a group of other parents, like-minded parents who, refused to just take that this is the way it is. Our children have this condition, and that's it. We started this foundation." "We've done a lot of work to get the entire world of FOXG1 to work together and then to collect pa

David Dodd is Chairman, President, and CEO of GeoVax, which is working on vaccines that overcome restrictions of mRNA vaccines to provide longer-term, more robust protection, particularly for people who do not respond well to primary antibody stimulation. There is a strong response from T cells from this vaccine which can be stored in a non-refrigerated freeze-dried form allowing for greater access in more regions of the world. David explains, "We are targeting those individuals who have compromised immune systems. This is a category of approximately 15 million individuals in the United States and almost 250 million worldwide, who, as a result of the conditions of their body or maybe even the therapies they may be on, or other conditions. Their body does not respond appropriately or well to the existing approved vaccines for COVID-19 or to the monoclonal antibodies. It's not that the other products have no value - it's that the individuals' bodies have been depleted of the ability to mount the proper respons