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Radiology is the field of medicine that has experienced some of the most dramatic technological changes over the past decades.
And given the record number of approvals for AI-based and machine-learning tools dedicated to radiology in Europe and the US (far ahead of all other medical specialties combined!), this trend is unlikely to slow down.
Such rapid evolution can be attributed to the abundance of imaging data from clinical practice, and it already has a huge impact on the way radiologists work and care for patients.
Faster workflows, enhanced diagnostic accuracy, and better informed clinical decisions…
As we enter the era of multimodal AI models capable of simultaneously interpreting volumes of data from different formats (such as voice notes, images, videos, texts, etc.), we can only expect this evolution to accelerate even more in the coming months and years.
As we seek to understand this transformation, we sit down with Amine Korchi, a Swiss radiologist, entrepreneur, investor, and renowned advocate for technological progress in radiology.
In this eye-opening episode, Amine offers us a rich perspective on:
the evolution of medical imaging, from static 2D images, through dynamic 3D, to AI
the impact of AI on the training of physicians and their specialization
current use cases of AI in radiology and their impact on patient care
the barriers to its adoption and the fears AI raises among radiologists
future developments of AI in radiology and their promises
An episode to help us understand one of the major technological revolutions in medicine - and one we're far from seeing the end of!
Timeline:
00:02:39 - Amine’s background as a radiologist, entrepreneur, and investor in clinical AI
00:06:10 - How radiology transformed over the past 20 years
00:13:43 - Is ultra specialization in medicine a good thing?
00:17:39 - Concrete use cases of AI in clinical radiology
00:21:50 - Barriers to AI adoption in radiology
00:27:44 - Future developments of AI in radiology
00:33:17 - The tasks that AI will replace in radiology
00:36:16 - Impact of AI on future radiologists’ training
What we also talked about with Amine:
Intravenous urography
CT Scan
Iseult MRI machine
Tumor board
GPT4-o
Cerebriu
Smart Reporting
Gleamer
Owkin
Kicky Van Leeuwen
Hugh Harvey
Microlearning
We mentioned with Amine some of the past episodes of the series:
#1 - Measuring your arterial age to prevent heart diseases - Ted Baldwin - Imageens
#16 - Making ultrasound portable to transform medical imaging - Ohad Arazi - Clarius
As mentioned by Amine during the episode, you can learn more about the latest in radiology through The Imaging Wire newsletter or on Radiology Business.
If you want to get in touch with Amine, you can do so via LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email!
And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
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Sleep is the resting state that nature has chosen for us by default.
Long overlooked or even neglected, it is one of the keys to good health, alongside nutrition, physical exercise, and mental and emotional health.
Moreover, it is an excellent indicator of our overall health: when our sleep is disturbed, it usually means at least one of these four components is affected.
It thus seems essential to be able to measure the quality of our sleep while minimizing the interaction or invasiveness of the measurement method with our body.
And that is precisely the promise of Soumya Dash and his company Sleepiz!
Based on radar technology, this Swiss startup has developed a compact device to place on a bedside table, capable of remotely clinically measuring sleep and detecting potential disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia.
No electroencephalogram to wear on the head, no pulse oximeter on the finger, nor any wearable around the wrist: everything is measured from the bedside table and without any direct interaction with the subject measured.
In this surprising episode, we dive into the fascinating world of sleep, a realm with many secrets still to be uncovered!
Soumya shares with us insights into the technology his team has developed, the difference between consumer-grade and medical-grade sleep monitors, and a glimpse into the future of healthcare in this field!
Timeline:
00:02:21 - How Soumya came across sleep monitoring and why it matters
00:12:45 - How the Sleepiz device monitors sleep
00:18:20 - Relevant use cases and target indications of sleep disorders
00:22:35 - Differences between consumer-grade vs. medical-grade sleep monitors
00:25:35 - B2C and B2B business models
00:37:43 - Past milestones and challenges ahead
What we also talked about with Soumya:
ETH Zürich
ISO 13485 norm
Class IIa medical device
510(k) FDA clearance
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Oura Ring
WHOOP
IDUN Technologies
SmartCardia
As mentioned by Soumya during the episode, you can learn more about sleep and the current state of research in the book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.
You will find more information about Sleepiz on their website and you can follow their activities on LinkedIn.
If you want to get in touch with Soumya, you can do so via LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email!
And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
Dan Vahdat is an emblematic figure and entrepreneur in healthtech.
A visionary we could say, having anticipated the problem of point solutions in the industry, while predicting the essential role smartphones would have in empowering patients to take control of their health.
The company he founded after pausing his PhD, Huma, has pioneered the field of digital health and remote patient monitoring, having been one of the first to successfully deliver digital disease management programs across multiple conditions.
The first to receive regulatory clearance in Europe (IIb) and the US (II) for its configurable disease management platform.
As the firm is nearing the status of “unicorn” in its 13th year and approaching profitability, it’s never been so close to realizing Dan’s vision: augmenting the capacity of health systems at scale while enabling true proactive and predictive care.
Huma’s list of successes is immense: more than 3000 hospitals and clinics supported, 27 million patients served, Winner of the 2022 Prix Galien award for digital health, and the list goes on…
But the Founder’s ambition does not stop there.
In this fascinating episode, Dan explains Huma’s journey toward becoming the “Shopify” of digital health, or in other words, the central infrastructure on which other digital health companies can successfully build disease management programs, more efficiently and at less cost.
In the challenging business of digital health, Dan shares his reflections on what enabled Huma to succeed where many other companies failed.
He explains the approach they took when it comes to fostering patient engagement, addressing healthcare professionals’ needs, and being relentless about building robust clinical and economic evidence.
An inside look into one of the most innovative firms in digital health, and the future of this industry!
Timeline:
00:03:04 - Dan’s background from dropping out of his PhD to founding Huma
00:06:16 - Huma’s starting point focusing on rare diseases
00:08:09 - The Huma platform and how it is changing how we deliver care
00:10:56 - Creating the Shopify for digital health
00:17:25 - How Huma is improving running decentralized clinical trials
00:21:53 - The importance of UX and evidence generation
00:24:42 - Making engaging digital health solutions
00:28:14 - What excites Dan for digital health’s future
00:34:02 - Dan’s reflections on his journey from PhD dropout to Huma’s CEO
00:37:40 - Maximizing operational efficiency in a healthtech startup
What we also talked about with Dan:
Second Opinion
Peterson Technology Health Institute
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
23andme
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
We cited with Dan some of the past episodes of the series:
#21 - Transforming hypertension care with a bracelet - Jay Shah - Aktiia
#23 - Disrupting the smart wearables industry - Leo Grünstein - Spiden
This episode was made possible with the support of HLTH Europe!
As mentioned by Dan during the episode, you can join the waitlist for the Huma Cloud Platform here. You will find on their website more information about their latest news and research.
You can follow Huma’s activities on LinkedIn and X, and get in touch with Dan via LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email!
And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
Scott Nelson is a true authority in the Medtech field. A serial entrepreneur, investor, and early podcaster with Medsider, he currently leads FastWave Medical, a startup developing a method to combat atherosclerosis, specifically the rigid plaques formed by significant calcium deposits in blood vessels.
The principle behind this technology is cavitation, which involves the formation, growth, and implosive collapse of bubbles in a liquid medium. When sonic pressure waves are transmitted through a balloon catheter filled with liquid, they cause rapid pressure changes in the surrounding fluid. These pressure changes result in the formation of bubbles within the fluid rapidly expanding and collapsing violently. The shock waves created by these bubbles' explosion weaken solid nearby structures while leaving soft tissues intact. The idea is to break down calcium deposits without affecting the blood vessels, which regain flexibility. It thereby reduces the risk of obstruction or increased local blood pressure, and facilitates the placement of a stent or the expansion of the vessel with another balloon catheter.
The method, called intravascular lithotripsy (IVL), is already used by interventional cardiologists. Still, much work remains to make it easier to use, more cost-efficient, and ultimately democratize further this practice, whose clinical benefits have already been proven. This is at the core of FastWave Medical’s mission.
Given the rapid development of the company (having raised $12 million in just six months after its incorporation in 2021) and its progress in clinical validation stages, there is no doubt that it is poised to disrupt and expand an emerging market where only a few firms operate.
In this episode, we talk with Scott about medtech entrepreneurship, being a visionary in a highly regulated industry, and the importance of sharing experience and expertise to progress daily in one’s healthcare career.
An episode with one of the leading voices in the medtech scene, offering a glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery!
Timeline:
00:02:23 - Scott’s background in Medtech
00:07:34 - FastWave Medical’s mission in cardiac surgery
00:10:35 - Working principle of IVL
00:20:23 - Adoption in clinical practice
00:22:30 - What FastWave Medical does differently than its competitors
00:26:33 - Driving the costs of the surgical intervention down
00:27:44 - Towards additional medical indications for IVL
00:30:58 - Starting Medsider and podcasting before the iPhone
What we also talked about with Scott:
Stents
Balloon catheters
Atherectomy
Joovv
Shockwave Medical
CTO Plus
Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Miguel Montero-Baker
Venkatesh Ramaiah
As mentioned by Scott during the episode, we recommend looking at the IVL Science page on FastWave Medical’s website as well as The Catalyst Blog curated by Shockwave Medical, to learn more about IVL and its latest progress.
If you are yourself in MedTech entrepreneurship, do check out Medsider and the numerous resources and insights it offers, including interviews from other Founders and CEOs, a newsletter, and playbooks. You can also listen to the Medsider Podcast on all streaming platforms!
You can contact Scott via email and follow his activities on LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email!
And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! ⭐️
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
Because of ethical and medical challenges, early human embryo development remains “a black box” to us, as Prof. Jacob Hanna himself puts it.
Despite all the progress made in medicine over the past decades, there is still a whole lot to learn about the causes of miscarriages, infertility, or early developmental defects.
In 2023, Jacob’s group from the Weizmann Institute of Science published a pivotal paper in Nature that redefines how we study developmental biology, with the potential to accelerate our understanding of early human life.
Their achievement?
The creation of the first synthetic embryo model closely resembling a day-14 fetus, obtained “ex utero” without gametes and outside a womb.
A human embryo model derived from “naive” stem cells in the lab, which can be obtained from “adult” cells that make up our body (like skin cells for instance). A technology that could generate embryo models of ourselves based on a simple cell sample.
This work had an unprecedented impact on the scientific community and the general public, being named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 best inventions of 2023.
A breakthrough that raises important ethical, technical, and legal questions.
I had the honor of meeting Jacob for this episode of Impulse, with whom we discuss the functioning of this fascinating technology, its potential medical applications in the future, and the key societal questions it raises.
A conversation where we dive into the magic of human development, with a stellar scientist and advocate for responsible scientific research!
Timeline:
(00:02:58) - Jacob’s journey from his medical practice to studying developmental biology
(00:06:09) - Why we know so little about early human development
(00:08:45) - Jacob’s lab breakthrough in modeling human embryos
(00:16:20) - Reprogramming cells to their “naïve” state
(00:18:09) - Dealing with your research being put under the spotlight
(00:20:02) - The “recipe” to create human embryo models without gametes and outside a womb
(00:27:22) - Ethical considerations and how far we can go with this technology
(00:35:15) - Potential medical applications for the future
(00:38:05) - Jacob’s role as an adviser to the startup Renewal Bio
What we also talked about with Jacob:
Prof. Shinya Yamanaka (2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Prof. John Gurdon)
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
Embryonic stem cells
International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
Taledomide
We cited with Jacob some of the past episodes of the series::
#23 - Disrupting the smart wearables industry - Leo Grünstein - Spiden
As mentioned by Jacob during the episode, we recommend the book “The Master Builder” by Prof. Alfonso Martinez Arias, challenging the traditional thinking where cells (and not DNA) may hold the key to understanding life’s past and present.
Feel free to follow the Weizmann Institute of Science on LinkedIn.
You can contact Jacob via email and follow his activities on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook!
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email!
And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept posted on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
We are at a turning point for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neurotechnology.
We have all witnessed phenomenal progress in this field recently via images shared by Neuralink, showing paralyzed patients who can communicate with a computer through their own thoughts. Other fascinating applications, such as those being worked on by Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, enable paraplegics to regain an unprecedented degree of walking mobility.
These advancements are mind-blowing and illustrate the potential of these technologies to address conditions that have a major impact on quality of life.
What if we were to enhance the physical properties of these implants while making them more accessible in terms of costs to health systems? Where could this paradigm shift take us, and what prospects could it open up for treating complex neurological disorders?
This is what we explore in this episode with Carolina Aguilar, CEO of Inbrain Neuroelectronics, a company developing a cutting-edge neural platform based on graphene, promising to change the way we decode, modulate, and stimulate neuronal activity.
We talk with Carolina about:
How Inbrain Neuroelectronics' technology enhances the resolution of BCIs and their therapeutic potential
The stakes around BCIs and their promise in treating serious neurological disorders
The importance of focusing their development around therapeutic indications vs. aiming for human augmentation
The commercialization of these solutions through a value-based care approach and key success factors
Empowering women in science and business
An outlook on the future of brain therapies that bridges the gap between reality and science fiction!
Timeline:
(00:03:22) - Explaining Inbrain Neuroelectronics’ neural platform
(00:07:32) - The medical need for BCIs and the first indications targeted by Inbrain Neuroelectronics
(00:18:46) - Risks around BCIs and ethical considerations for the field to head in the right direction
(00:26:17) - Toward value-based commercial models for BCIs
(00:29:40) - Transitioning from Medtronic to an early-stage Medtech startup
(00:33:29) - Empowering women in science and business
What we also talked about with Carolina:
Neuralink
Elon Musk
Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation
Medtronic
ONWARD Medical
Precision Neuroscience
Paradromics
Synchron
Neurosoft Bioelectronics
We cited with Carolina some of the past episodes from the series:
#6 - Bringing back walking to paraplegics - Jocelyne Bloch - .NeuroRestore
As mentioned by Carolina during the episode, you can access Inbrain Neuroelectronics’ publications here and learn more about their ongoing research and therapy development efforts. You can listen to the Neurotech Pub podcast hosted by Matt Angle here.
Feel free to follow Inbrain Neuroelectronics activities on LinkedIn.
If you want to contact Carolina, you can reach out to her over LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]!
If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and updated on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
Many of us struggle with allergies, usually something we’ve been dealing with our whole life, either continuously or episodically.
Be it related to food, pollen, dust, pets, or many others, it’s quite a pain and it can take us away from many things we appreciate in life. And I deliberately include myself in this group.
Somehow it was engraved in my brain as a condition one needs to cope with, without much opportunity for improvement.
It turns out companies like Nectar Life Sciences are redefining the way we detect and treat allergies from the comfort of our homes.
Based on the latest science in this field, and backed by his extensive experience in consumer healthcare, Kenneth Chahine and his team are transforming the experience of allergy care for patients, offering a convenient and personalized approach to it.
In this revealing episode, we talk with Kenneth about:
The inconvenience of past approaches to allergy detection and treatment
How allergy immunotherapy works and can be delivered through a few drops delivered to the tongue
How Nectar Life Sciences enables personalized allergy immunotherapy for patients
The transformative power of preventing acute allergic shocks
Lessons learned from a serial healthcare entrepreneur at the interface of genetics, biochemistry, and intellectual property
A conversation with a tireless figure in healthcare entrepreneurship, shedding light on one of the largest chronic conditions globally and how it can be tackled in a modern way!
Timeline:
02:28 - Kenneth’s background at the interface of genetics, biochemistry and intellectual property
04:14 - The global burden of allergies as a chronic condition
05:53 - Origins of allergies
07:49 - Immunotherapy or how to train your immune system to be desensitized to allergens
09:43 - Detecting which allergens you are sensitive to
11:17 - How Nectar Life Sciences approaches allergy treatment
22:11 - Kenneth’s mindset toward solving complex healthcare challenges in new ways
26:01 - Opportunities beyond allergy care
32:16 - Kenneth’s advice to fellow healthcare entrepreneurs
What we also talked about with Kenneth:
Avigen
Ancestry
Anaphylaxis
Neurimmune
University of Utah
We cited with Kenneth some of the past episodes from the series:
15 - Propelling diagnostics through miniaturization - Nicolas Durand - Abionic
As mentioned by Kenneth during the episode, you can access Nectar Life Sciences’ Learning Hub here and learn more about Prof. Edwin H. Kim’s research there.
Feel free to follow Nectar Life Sciences activities on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok!
If you want to contact Kenneth, you can reach out to him over LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]!
If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and updated on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
We don’t need to look far in the daily news to understand the stakes and the importance of having efficient solutions to control and stop bleeding.
In the times we live in, where the world is crippled by a series of humanitarian catastrophes (some of natural origin, some of human origin), technological wonders from the medical field make me truly hopeful about the future, and about what we can achieve as humans.
One of them is the hemostatic gel - a gel that can stop bleeding - that Joe Landolina and his team at Cresilon created.
And its astonishing performance is easy to grasp: any bleed can be stopped within three seconds.
Compared to traditional methods that require several minutes, it can mean the difference between life and death.
There’s so much that impresses in Joe’s journey since the foundation of Cresilon: the fact that he developed the gel formulation himself, that he founded the company at 17 years old in his first year at University, or that Cresilon now represents the largest biotech manufacturing site in New York, and so much more!
Beyond these successes, this episode is an ode to biomimicry and the science of biomaterials. Joe reveals everything about the functioning of this revolutionary medical product, its ability to stop bleeding almost instantly, and what it changes in medicine for the treatment of superficial injuries, but especially for the most severe traumatic cases.
A surprising encounter with a prodigious entrepreneur, building his path on resilience and adaptability, with the long-term vision to transform bleeding control in humans!
Timeline:
02:23 - Joe’s background and founding Cresilon in his first year in college
06:15 - Cresilon’s mission and the technology at its core
08:42 - How the hemostatic gel from Cresilon compares to traditional bleeding control methods
10:40 - The explanation behind Cresilon’s hemostatic gel unique performance
16:06 - How the gel is applied and removed
21:44 - Marketing first the product for veterinary application before moving to human use
25:27 - Being the only biotech company with manufacturing capabilities in New York
34:15 - Setting up the company to become a large medtech player in the long term
What we also talked about with Joe:
New York University
Columbia University
Scar tissue formation
Fibrin
Extracellular matrix
Hurricane Sandy
American Veterinary Medical Association
Roche
Pfizer
Cutiss
We cited with Joe some of the past episodes from the series:
18 - The dark genome as the next revolution in drug discovery - Samir Ounzain - HAYA Therapeutics
Feel free to follow Cresilon’s activities on LinkedIn!
You will find here the TED Talk that Joe held in 2015, and here the Medsider podcast episode between Joe and Scott Nelson that we mention in this episode of Impulse.
If you want to contact Joe, you can reach out to him over LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]!
If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and updated on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
How would the world look like if men had the most efficient and reversible means of birth control?
The outstanding work that L.R. Fox and his team at NEXT Life Sciences are leading might bring a very tangible answer to this question.
Based on the pioneering work from Prof. Sujoy K. Guha and The Parsemus Foundation, they are developing one of the most promising male birth control methods medicine has ever known, under the name of Plan A.
As an American citizen who has grown under the Foster Care program, Fox (as he likes to be called) has witnessed firsthand the dramatic consequences that unplanned pregnancies can have on individuals and their relatives in the long term.
According to him, we have gone quite far already in terms of available options for women and men when it comes to birth control methods. But Plan A could be a revolution in the space, as it is completely hormone-free, painless to deliver and revert, and has an efficacy duration that is way beyond current standards.
And most importantly, it can redistribute the heavy responsibility of family planning from women to men.
In this episode, we talk about the science behind Plan A, where the technology comes from, how far is it from being available worldwide, and what it would change for society as a whole!
A fascinating conversation with a visionary founder, deeply led by the purpose of fostering a positive impact in the world, and with a strong social approach to entrepreneurship!
Timeline:
02:35 - Fox’s background and how he landed in the field of male contraception
06:16 - Experiencing firsthand the consequences of unplanned pregnancies
09:34 - The mission of NEXT Life Sciences
11:50 - The need, the science, and the functioning of Plan A
16:02 - How the Plan A procedure works and gets reverted
25:02 - Guaranteeing a 10-year efficacy claim
26:56 - Launching the first human clinical trials
33:55 - Making it accessible to the broadest population
38:17 - The philosophy of Fox and NEXT Life Sciences
What we also talked about with Fox:
Sexually transmissible diseases (STDs)
Condoms
Vasectomy
Reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance (RISUG)
Plan B
Public benefit corporation
We cited with Fox some of the past episodes from the series:
#6 - Bringing back walking to paraplegics - Jocelyne Bloch - .NeuroRestore
You can learn more about NEXT Life Sciences through their website, and feel free to follow their activities on LinkedIn!
As mentioned by Fox during the episode, you can learn more about Plan A on the dedicated website as well as on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok.
If you want to contact Fox, you can reach out to him over LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]!
If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and updated on the latest medical tech progress, subscribe here!
Lastly, don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
Wearables are a form of technology that has rapidly become a part of our lives over the past 15 years, with the introduction of devices from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, and others to the market.
Initially informing us about our heart rate and daily step count, they have evolved to incorporate increasingly sophisticated features, allowing us to track our sleep relatively accurately, monitor our overall physical activity, and sometimes even include recognized medical functions (such as the FDA-approved atrial fibrillation detection of the Apple Watch).
However, no device of this type allows for real-time quantification of molecules circulating in our blood or other bodily fluids, through optical methods.
And that's exactly the challenge that Leo and his team at Spiden have set for themselves: to create the most advanced wearable, capable of continuously and non-invasively measuring multiple biomarkers circulating in our bodies.
This could redefine our understanding of our own physiology and change our approach to medicine, by providing insights for the prevention, diagnosis, and monitoring of several conditions, that were previously inaccessible.
Since its creation in 2017, Spiden has been operating away from the spotlight, but Leo does us the honor in this exclusive episode to reveal the first secrets behind Spiden’s technology.
We discuss its functioning, its initial applications, who the future users will be, and also the incredible team of world-renowned scientists Leo has managed to bring together in the fields of optics, electronic engineering, and machine learning (three fields that were originally completely foreign to him) to achieve his vision.
A fascinating conversation about the future of personalized medicine with a bold and successful entrepreneur!
Timeline:
03:43 - Leo’s background as a serial entrepreneur from fintech to deep tech
04:56 - Why Leo found Spiden and works towards improving our health
07:14 - The mission of Spiden
11:00 - The technology behind Spiden
14:47 - The biomarkers that Spiden can track
19:02 - Target users of Spiden’s future wearable
22:28 - Designing a health-dedicated device
24:10 - Attracting world talents in fields you are not initially from
34:01 - The importance of in-person interactions in a scientific and multidisciplinary team
What we also talked about with Leo:
Continuous glucose monitoring (Abbott Freestyle Libre)
Bits & Pretzels HealthTech
Photoplethysmography (PPG)
Biohacking
Glucose Goddess
Whoop
Oura
Garmin
Huberman Lab
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
We cited with Leo some of the past episodes from the series:
#4 - Filtering the blood with nanoengineered beads - Lukas Langenegger - Hemotune
#11 - Turning the lab into a wearable platform - Esmeralda Megally - Xsensio
#21 - Transforming hypertension care with a bracelet - Jay Shah - Aktiia
You can learn more about Spiden through their website. Feel free to follow as well their activities on LinkedIn!
As mentioned by Leo during the episode, you can learn about the painful history of non-invasive glucose measurement through the book “The Pursuit of Noninvasive Glucose - Hunting the Deceitful Turkey” by John L. Smith.
If you want to get in touch with Leo, feel free to contact him over LinkedIn.
If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, you can contact me over LinkedIn or via email at [email protected]!
If you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms! 🙏
There’s now a bi-monthly newsletter around the podcast where you will be informed of the latest episodes and kept up to date on the latest medical tech progress, simply subscribe here!
And don’t forget to follow our activities on LinkedIn and our website! -
To discover the whole episode type "#23 - Disrupting the smart wearables industry - Leo Grünstein - Spiden" on your streaming platform.
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