Empowered Patient Podcast

Jay Hartenbach, the President and COO of Diakonos Oncology, is developing a dendritic cell therapy to treat late-stage and aggressive cancers like glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. This approach uses the patient's cells and tumor tissue to generate a personalized treatment. The resulting vaccination tricks the immune system to attack cancer cells by making them look like a virus which the immune system knows how to eliminate. Jay explains, "Our vaccine works by using something called a dendritic cell from the patient. And so the dendritic cell is what we like to think of as the master of the immune system and somewhat the general that directs immune responses against threats, whether a bacterial threat or a viral, fungal threat, whatever it may be. The dendritic cell sits on top of the immune hierarchy. So, we take a patient's dendritic cell, and we also take a sample of that patient's tumor. We replicate effectively a viral infection with those tumor-derived antigens, the tumor-derived specific genetic ma

Dr. Pol Boudes, CMO of Rectify Pharmaceutical, highlights the importance of membrane proteins, specifically the role transporters play in how cells interact with their environment. Rectify is working on developing positive functional modulators (PFM) to address diseases related to dysfunctional transporters the first being primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare liver disease with no current treatment options. The PFM can potentially restore the normal function of transporters involved in bile composition and secretion, which are key mechanisms in PSC.   Pol explains, "So you have different types of membrane proteins, but what we're working with are called transporters, so they’re proteins that are based on the membrane but channel components out and in the cells. So basically, it's a way for the cell to interact with its environment, and you have multiple types of transporter proteins. We're specifically working or started to work with one group of family of proteins that are called the ABC transporters. The

Neetu Rajpal, the CEO, and Co-Founder of Lilac Software, brings data and analytics tools to healthcare payers with a specific focus on addressing health disparities and improving benefits for Medicare Advantage members. The Medicare Advantage Star Rating program is a key incentive for health plans to be more innovative about data analysis to improve quality measures and receive financial incentives. Timely, reliable information in an accessible format and better data analytics improve decision-making, patient outcomes, and engagement with providers and patients. Neetu explains, "Health plans tend to have lots of data. They have lots of valuable tools, but those tools have data that is locked inside those tools themselves. So if you're, for example, part of an actuarial team, you may actually be getting PDFs, you may be getting spreadsheets, you may be getting access directly to a CSV file. You may get all these things on a one-off basis, and you have to make sense of all this data. The burden of cleaning and

Dr. Sean Ianchulev, CEO of Iantrek, is developing a new approach to treating glaucoma, which involves a biologic implant that can be customized to the patient's disease progression. This technology is designed to be more durable compared to traditional glaucoma treatments, which often require lifelong use of eye drops. This treatment is a combination of microinterventional technology with biologic tissue technology to transform the approach to eye care. Sean explains, "So we are a first not only for ophthalmology but also for medicine. We are the first, made of biologic technology, and we're to implant that tissue without any hardware, which is important because it minimizes implantable response. We can treat glaucoma patients who need intraocular pressure opening by opening and stenting the outflow pathway in a very unprecedented way. So, we've created a new categorical treatment, which we call bio-interventional."   "I think in cataract, we can say we've probably been able to cure that disease by cataract

Robert Den, Chief Medical Officer at Alpha Tau Medical, is changing cancer treatment using their Alpha DaRT technology to deliver a potent form of alpha radiation directly into solid tumors with minimal side effects. There is potential for the Alpha DaRT to be combined with immunotherapy and chemotherapy to further invoke an immune response. This one-time alpha radiation treatment has shown the ability to treat all solid tumors, only limited by the ability to deliver the Alpha DaRT directly to the tumor. Robert explains, "So alpha radiation is one of the three types of radiation that occur naturally, and it's been known as a very potent form of radiation for several decades now. The challenge with alpha radiation in the treatment of patients with localized disease and with solid tumors, meaning tumors not like leukemias or lymphomas but more like pancreas, lung, and prostate cancer, is that the alpha particles themselves aren't only able to travel a very short distance inside tissue or inside the cancer itse

Dr. Daniel Vitt, the CEO of Immunic Therapeutics, is taking a different approach to treating autoimmune diseases, focusing on neuroprotection, gut barrier restoration, and anti-inflammatory effects. These dual-mechanism small-molecule drugs are initially developed for multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases. The lead candidate for MS aims to reduce relapses, slow disease progression, and help prevent reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus due to the antiviral properties of the oral drug.   Daniel explains, "If you look back over the last 20 years, maybe even longer, you figure out that there have been limited improvements in treating big chronic indications like autoimmune diseases. Specifically, looking from the patient’s point of view, there are a lot of things missing. So, there are a lot of indications that are untreatable or not sufficiently solving the medical need or a lack of convenience for use, for example. Another thing that is highly underestimated usually is the safety and tolerability of

Kent Dicks, CEO of Life365, has extensive experience in the remote patient monitoring industry and is focused on developing wireless and cost-effective RPM technologies to connect patients to their healthcare providers and improve patient engagement and care. The mission is to support the shift from reactive to proactive care by using RPM data fed into AI and machine learning systems to identify trends and the need for early intervention. Working with partners and large enterprise clients, Life365 is connecting patients in rural areas with RPM technology. In an arrangement with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the company is part of a remote patient monitoring initiative to identify biomarkers and early warning signs so patients can stay compliant with their therapy plan. Kent explains, "I've been in the industry for about 18 years now and dealing with remote patient monitoring. We've been fortunate to have built the vision when there wasn't reimbursement and when remote patient monitoring had been star

Dave Rosa is President and CEO of NeuroOne, a company focused on advancing neurotechnology by developing thin-film minimally invasive electrode technology that can perform diagnostic and therapeutic functions for neurological conditions. The company's OneRF ablation system allows doctors to identify and ablate problematic brain tissue in a single hospitalization. NeuroOne is expanding its technology beyond the brain to include the spine to treat pain and is addressing various neurological conditions through ablation, stimulation, and drug delivery.   Dave explains, "The OneRF ablation system is an electrode that looks very similar to the electrode that we got cleared shortly after our last discussion. So that was in October of 2022. But that device only had diagnostic capabilities. So what doctors would do is they would implant those electrodes, and they would leave the patient in the hospital for, say, up to a week on average." "The goal was for the neurosurgeon and neurologist to be able to identify the pa

Michael Demurjian is Chairman and CEO of Aspargo Labs, a drug development company focused on improving drug delivery through suspension-based formulation and smart device technology. Traditional pill-based drug delivery has significant limitations, with poor absorption rates and difficulties swallowing for many patients. The company's initial focus is on an oral spray formulation of sildenafil to treat erectile dysfunction that has shown rapid absorption. Suspension technology can be applied to reformulate many prescription and over-the-counter drugs to improve drug delivery, adherence, the onset of action, and user experience. Michael explains, "Here at Aspargo we have a proprietary technology, both in the suspension and in how we coat it, so that we can mask the taste of the drug itself. And so I know you're going to probably go down the path of our first drug to market, and I'll answer the next question, but masking is key because there are two things that happen with the masking. One is you make it more

Kathy Lee-Sepsick, President, Founder, and CEO of Femasys, uses innovative medical technologies to address unmet women's reproductive healthcare needs. Femasyis is developing treatments for infertility and birth control and diagnostic tools to support its treatment offerings. The devices are intentionally designed to be more accessible, less invasive, and safer for women than existing options, some of which have not changed in 100 years.   Kathy explains, "Our technologies are just for women. So, we include broad categories of women. And we did this, particularly with the FemBloc product that we're advancing. It's a non-surgical permanent birth control solution for women that is delivered in the office. No anesthesia, no incisions, no hormones, no implants, none of the things that come par for the course for what's out there right now. And we included in our patient population women who did not have children before, which had never been done before." "So, there've been other technologies that have come and

Kim Brunisholz, director of Population Health Research at Johnson & Johnson, is conducting research to bridge the gap between evidence-based care and its implementation in routine clinical practice. Overcoming the challenges of translating research into practice requires understanding patient-provider perspectives and using qualitative and quantitative methods to identify and address care gaps. This research can also identify root causes and barriers to care, enabling stakeholders to develop and implement interventions to improve patient care.   Kim explains, "My goal is really around how I impact the translation and implementation of evidence-based care into routine practice. What I'm looking to do is ensure that all patients have access to what we know works in medicine. So, there are a variety of questions that we may pursue in our research programs, mostly around how we might think around closing the evidence-to-practice gap for patients and bringing what we know works to them." "It starts with the pa

Nick Orser, General Manager at Verato, highlights the importance of trusted identity data in the healthcare industry and how master data management can help healthcare organizations deliver personalized patient experiences. The proliferation of data sources and health record systems makes maintaining a single, accurate view of each patient challenging. The MDM technology can help healthcare organizations access patient data across multiple systems to improve care outcomes and provide effective analytics and population management tools.   Nick explains, "To summarize what I'm talking about here, despite EHR consolidation with many organizations choosing to go all Epic or all Cerner, despite health system consolidation where organizations are buying up hospitals and physician practices like crazy, there's now this challenge in the industry that is 10 times harder today than it was just a decade ago." "The challenge is that dozens of these new applications in which a patient's data might be stored that an organ

Richard Mackey is the Chief Technology Officer at CCS, a company that provides chronic care management services focusing on diabetes. CCS uses machine learning and generative AI to analyze patient data from continuous glucose monitors and patient interactions to predict potential issues and proactively provide personalized information and support. CCS works with the patient's healthcare provider to support the prescribed care plan, improve adherence to care plans, and improve outcomes.   Richard explains, "On the machine learning side, we have a tremendous amount of data and information about how our patients will understand the devices they might be using. For example, continuous glucose monitors or CGMs are an important standard of care that we work with a lot of patients across the US to equip them, find the right device, help them begin using that device, and best understand what it can do and how it can help them make better decisions to manage their conditions."   "We might talk to the patient once or

Dr. Raza Bokhari, Executive Chairman and CEO of Medicus Pharma, has developed a novel, non-invasive treatment for basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. This cost-effective transdermal Skinject patch delivers a chemotherapeutic agent applied in a clinician's office over three sessions to remove the lesion, potentially avoiding the need for Mohs surgery, the current standard of care. Medicus is incorporating AI and advanced imaging techniques in its clinical trials to improve diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment's effectiveness.   Raza explains, "The gold standard to treat basal cell carcinoma of the skin is surgical intervention, generally speaking, all solid tumors to eliminate cancer if it is caught in the early stage. The treatment regimen is that you surgically take the malignant cells out. The same is true for basal cell carcinoma of the skin. It is a slow-growing cancer. It appears on areas of the body that are exposed to ultraviolet radiation, which is being exposed primarily t

Scott Xiao, Co-Founder and CEO of Luminopia is developing a virtual reality-based treatment for amblyopia, also known as Lazy Eye in children. A traditional treatment is eye patching, which children find difficult to comply with. The Luminopia approach allows children to use a VR headset to watch content licensed from Sesame Street and Nickelodeon as a treatment to improve visual acuity by modifying the content presented to each eye.  This FDA-approved VR-based medical treatment is an immersive environment that reduces distraction and enhances engagement so that children are more likely to comply with and complete treatment plans. Scott explains, "We're pioneering a new class of treatments for a variety of visual conditions, and we're starting with a condition called amblyopia, which is more commonly known as Lazy Eye. And it's the number one cause of vision loss in children. And despite that, there hasn't been innovation in this space for a long time. Traditional treatment for amblyopia requires patients to

Shaun Rothwell is Chairman and CEO of EVOQ Nano, a company focused on developing antimicrobial technology to combat healthcare-associated infections. EVOQ nanotechnology involves a unique non-ionic silver nanoparticle that can effectively kill even the most dangerous drug-resistant bacteria. These nanoparticles can be incorporated into medical devices to prevent bacteria from colonizing and causing infections. The bacteria can not form resistance to the nanoparticles, making hospitals safer for patients and healthcare workers. Shaun explains, "We're surrounded by bacteria all day, every day. When compromised, when we're compromised from an immune perspective, those infections take hold and cause some serious damage in addition to acquired healthcare-associated infections. We understand that paying attention to the issues of the healthcare system today also involves antimicrobial resistance. These bugs are hiding and present everywhere around us. The antibiotic solutions available today are becoming less and

Manish Arora, the CEO and Co-Founder of LinusBio, is developing technologies to measure and analyze the exposome which reveals lifelong exposure to environmental factors. Their platform measures molecular signatures in hair samples for early detection and diagnosis of conditions such as autism, where traditional observational methods can be limited. LinusBio is also exploring the use of the platform for other neurological conditions like ADHD and ALS and gaining a better understanding of the role of environmental exposures in the development of diseases. The company has received Breakthrough Designation from the FDA for its autism biomarker to bring this technology to patients.   Manish explains, "Our genes are static. So if I were to measure your genes when you were a child, or measure them today, I would get the same answer pretty much. Whereas your exposome changes all the time and so does your body's reaction to it. Let me give you a very simple example. A cup of espresso in the morning has a very differ

Shailu Verma, CEO and Co-Founder of Mila Health is addressing missed appointments and no-shows for appointments to improve patient outcomes, drive staff efficiency, and reduce clinician stress. The Mila platform aims to automate time-consuming tasks, allowing staff to manage their schedules and patient flow better. This AI-powered assistant drives patient engagement by reminding about appointments, checking on medication adherence, and helping address social determinants of health that may be barriers to care. Shailu explains, "These are conditions where a patient has to manage many of these elements that I just talked about. And because the conditions don’t have low equity, as we would call it, patients tend to have a relatively high no-show rate. If you look at chronic, which is almost 50% of the spend in healthcare, the no-show rates where patients aren’t able to keep up with their care plans is anywhere between 36% to 45% in some cases." "There are these external variables around a healthcare plan. I cal

Dr. Joseph Dayan is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Institute for Lymphatic Surgery and Innovation, a division of the Institute for Advanced Reconstruction. Doctors have traditionally focused on treating cancer rather than long-term effects such as lymphedema, a swelling condition caused by dysfunction of the lymphatic system. New surgical techniques such as lymph node transplants and lymphovenous bypasses can help reconstruct the lymphatic system and reduce lymphedema symptoms. Joseph explains, "Lymphedema is swelling, usually most often in the arms or legs, that’s permanent and often gets worse over time caused by dysfunction of your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is basically the sewage system of the body. It clears out fluid waste from your body’s tissues and channels that waste into your lymph nodes, which are part of your immune system that has billions of immune cells that kill bacteria and purify that waste. That fluid then goes back into your veins and back in the

Dr. Tom Coughlin, Founder and CEO of OncRef, has developed a platform that provides oncologists with a single source of information to keep up with the rapidly evolving field of cancer research and therapies. OncRef is addressing oncologists' information overload and time constraints, as well as curating and structuring the vast amount of available cancer data. The company recognizes the potential for AI and data-driven tools to advance cancer care while acknowledging the challenges of developing hallucination-proof AI models for use in the medical field.   Tom explains, "OncRef is looking to create a single source of truth for oncologists to keep up with the field of cancer. Cancer is now progressing so quickly with more personalized medicine. And now, with AI, more research publications are being published than ever, making it extremely hard to stay on top of this field. So, we're making it very easy by providing oncologists and oncology professionals with a single source of truth, all curated, and giving