A 3D printer to print live tissue, a therapy for tinnitus and a smartphone-enabled cervical cancer screening were among the technologies that championed the first day of the SXSW Accelerator track for digital health companies. They were selected by a judging panel representing a mix of corporate and venture investors: Stacy Feld of J&J Innovation, Ninja Kjellson of Interwest Partners and Milena Adamian of Azimuth Ventures.
Updated: But on Sunday night, German digital health company, Tinnitracks, walked away with the top prize in the digital health category. It received $4,000, and two badges for the 2016 SXSW Interactive conference. Biobots won most innovative company award.
Tinnitracks developed a music therapy/audiology treatment to help people with tinnitus — a condition in which people hear ringing in their ears and is associated with hearing loss. It affects up to 50 million people in the U.S. It lets users set up their own music as part of the treatment, which lasts 90 minutes each day across a four-month period. Its treatment approach focuses on the brain rather than symptoms. It taps into the brain’s ability to adapt, referred to as neuroplasticity. The company’s technology involves filtering out the frequency that is the source of the problem. “When you listen to the filtered music, you are able to specifically target and stimulate nerve cells that are outside of your tinnitus frequency. This allows lateral inhibition to reduce the abnormal hyperactivity in the auditory cortex’s nerve cells that are causing tinnitus and thereby provide relief,” according to the company’s website.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Biobots, a company that graduated from the DreamIt Health accelerator in Philadelphia, was founded by a couple of University of Pennsylvania graduates — Ricardo Solorzano and Danny Cabrera. Its printers are designed to make it more cost-effective for research scientists to develop biomaterials with its 3D bioprinters. They view the company’s technology as being useful for regenerative medicine procedures like knee replacement surgery. Its process doesn’t cause cells to mutate, according to the co-founders .
In an interview after his pitch, Cabrera, the CEO, said the company is beginning to use its printers to build tissue that can be integrated into drug screening for targeted therapies. On the flip side, it’s also generated interest in people seeking to test beauty products on skin tissue for countries that ban animal testing for beauty products. “The key here is if you can build a skin model for a disease state then you can build one for healthy a state. He noted a surprising customer: The School of the Visual Arts in New York. It’s interested in using its bioprinter to build 3D plant tissue.
Cabrera added that it was beginning to pitch pharmaceutical companies, now that it has developed a strategy for going after this market. “It’s a longer sales cycle, but as we have added advisers to help us navigate it, we have made progress.” He noted that some pharmaceutical companies are excited about moving this technology in-house since it offers a lower cost approach than rivals who tend to be outsourced for this work.
Mobile ODT wants to solve the pain point in developing countries of cervical cancer screenings. If detected early, cervical cancer is easily treated. But if it’s caught in later stages, it can be deadly. In his pitch, Amit Safir, who handles strategy and operations for the company, said cervical cancer is the number one cancer killer for women in Mexico. He said its technology offers an easier way to spot problems early because it can be integrated into screenings.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Update: This story has been updated from an earlier version.
