A health IT startup plans to help pharma companies reduce drug development costs with a database to anticipate the side effects of their drugs in the early stages of development. Cyclica is one of eight early-stage companies that have been added to StartUp Health’s portfolio. The new additions span telemedicine, managing antibiotics treatment and applying predictive analytics to autism treatment.
Here’s a look at the healthcare startups that will bring its portfolio to 71 companies.
ABPathfinder: The Kansas-based company’s autism therapy tools help parents and therapists collect data and identify trends that show progress and setbacks for children with autism. The idea is to help identify factors that are improving treatment and hindering progress to develop more effective, customized programs. It’s also collaborating with autism education apps such as Brain Parade to include students’ performance from these apps in its platform. The company was founded in 2010 by Jim Blackwood and Kelly Kerns.
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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.
Accel Diagnostics: The company wants to make it easier to manage chronic conditions from home. It uses a smartphone-enabled testing device with disposable strips to detect biomarkers in blood or urine. Its lead product, pScreen-BNP, is intended to be used by heart failure patients. Accel was one of 10 finalists that presented at the AARP’s Innovation@50+ LivePitch event in Boston last month.
Conversa Health helps physicians gather feedback on patients’ programs and outcomes through digital checkups. The communication tool also helps physicians analyze patient-generated data to identify which patients need an in-person consult. A patient-facing dashboard shows messages from physicians, personalized educational content and structured questions for their condition.
Cyclica: Its Lygand Express big data tool is a biological and chemical database that gives researchers a way to predict side effects of drugs in the early stages of drug development. The Toronto-based company began a collaboration in March with the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery to make its technology available to Yale University researchers.
LifeAssist: Wearables for seniors, particularly those that can initiate an emergency response after a fall, have been an area of growing interest. One reason is the aging-in-place trend to reduce the cost of seniors staying in nursing facilities if they can be monitored effectively at home. Life Assist is an Austin, Texas company described as producing wearable devices for “situational, directional, and compliance assistance.” It is led by CEO Jean Anne Booth, who previously served as a general manager at Texas Instruments after the semiconductor company acquired the business she founded, Luminary Micro, in 2009.
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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.
LuminaCare Solutions: The company is tackling the problem of multi-drug resistant infections. It’s developing a software-as-a-service tool for hospitals to identify the correct treatment for bacterial infections in under 12 hours. The business, co-founded by Dr. David Howe and Stephen Chiricosta, is also part of the IBM Global Entrepreneur program and a member of the UMass Development Center Incubator.
Medisprout: The trend of knocking down the four walls of the physician office is taking several different forms, including telemedicine. New York-based MediSprout and its founders — Randy Findley and Dr. Samant Virk — launched the videoconferencing business as a way to improve communication with patients and get a visual on their condition and do a better job of following up with patients.
SnapDx: The Canadian clinical decision support company in private beta is developing a set of apps that use medical guidelines and evidence-based clinical research papers at the point of care and during patient appointments. It will also be used as a patient engagement tool so patients better understand their medical options.
