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Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

November 2, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

00:00 / 01:02:00

Global Center for Medical Innovation and T3 Labs

This week we hosted experts from the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) and T3 Labs. These two non-profit organizations are dedicated to providing an ecosystem and an environment that start-up healthcare technology companies can use to develop prototypes for new devices, as well as early stage production for them as they build toward commercialization.

Executive Director for GCMI, Tif Wilson, and Executive Director for T3 Labs, Andrew Stevenson, came by to talk about how their organizations are working to expand and improve the ecosystem for emerging healthcare technology cmopanies.

The Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) is the Southeast’s first and only comprehensive medical device innovation center, dedicated to accelerating development, building businesses and improving health. GCMI opened its doors in April 2012 and to date has worked with over 40 different startups, clinician innovators, university tech transfer offices and academic researchers to design, engineer, prototype, and facilitate commercialization of a broad range of innovative medical devices.

GCMI’s core team of designers and engineers collaborate closely with startups, clinicians, researchers, new product development teams and medtech entrepreneurs to accelerate time to market while reducing costs. The independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has a robust and ever-growing network of experts, including intellectual property, regulatory, quality systems and investors, to help bring ideas from concept to market. In addition, through a close collaboration with our development partner, T3 Labs, medical device entrepreneurs and new product development teams have all of the critical resources they need to efficiently bring new products from an idea through GLP preclinical studies, all in Midtown Atlanta.

With 15 years of experience, T3’s mission remains – to provide high-value pre-clinical GLP (Good Lab Practices) compliant testing and training services to medical device, biologics, and pharmaceutical developers and manufacturers. We work with industry and academic sponsors to improve patient care by more effectively and efficiently developing and commercializing their devices and products. Contact them at (404) 251-0600.

T3 Labs is an independently-operated, privately-held, AAALAC accredited, GLP-compliant non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. In 2012, T3 became a wholly-owned subsidiary of a joint-operating company formed by Saint Joseph’s Health System and Emory Healthcare. Emory is recognized internationally as a leading academic medical center. By serving our industry and academic collaborators, T3 Labs is committed to supporting Emory/Saint Joseph’s tripartite mission: enabling discovery and innovation – via Testing; facilitating healthcare provider education – via Training; and enhancing patient-care – via medical product Translation.

Special Guests:

Tif Wilson, Executive Director of Global Center for Medical Innovation

MBA, Management & Strategy, Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Previous VP, Business Development & Strategy, ACell, Inc
2012 HBA Women in Healthcare Leadership Award Nominee

Andrew Stevenson, Executive Director of T3 Labs

MBA, International Business, University of Delaware, Lerner College of Business and Economics
Previous Research Scientist, University of Pennsylvania, Departments of Pharmacology & Radiology
Former Senior Scientist, Bristol-Meyers, Squibb
Previous Project Leader/Director, Abbott

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

October 26, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

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Genomics, Precision Medicine, and Big Data in Oncology

We sat down with medical oncologist/hematologist, Dr. Brion Randolph, of Cancer Treatment Centers of America stopped by to talk about the impacts of genomics, precision medicine, and big data in oncology. Dr. Randolph serves as the Chief Hematologist for the Cancer Treatment Centers facility located in Newnan, GA.

Randolph explained how genomics, or the study of DNA material of cancer cells to identify mutations that serve as “drivers” for their tumor cells. The information gained is used to find the genetic information that turns these cancer cells on and off. In some cases this data can reveal factors about the tumor cells that can be used when deciding what medication the physician should prescribe. Often, this genetic data can indicate that another medicine that was originally used to treat another form of cancer in another region of the body could be effective for this particular patient’s case.

We also discussed how oncology is advancing in its use of big data, enabling multiple centers and research studies to leverage results from around the community to advance their work and/or discover trends or commonalities. Dr. Randolph also explained how we still have a distance to go before we have a broad acceptance and participation in big data as organizations seek to protect and leverage their discoveries and results.

Special Guest:

Dr. Brion Randolph, Chief Medical Hematologist, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, GA

MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee
Doctor of Medicine, University of South Carolina College of Medicine
Residency, Baylor University College of Medicine
Fellowship, Baylor University College of Medicine
Board Certified, Internal Medicine and Hematology and Oncology

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

October 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

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healthcare technology — Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, Jay Shaffer, Tommy Cunningham

Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

We sat down with experts from two Atlanta area health technology companies, Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs. Joining us in studio were Lou Malice, Sam Zamarippa, and Tommy Cunningham. Intent Solutions is a start-up that is developing a device aimed at improving compliance with prescribed medication regimens, as well as helping to improve likelihood the intended person has access to the medicine.

In its early phase of development, Intent Solutions has positioned itself to be an effective tool for pharmaceutical research studies. In these studies, it is vital that participants adhere to the prescribed medication regimen in order to obtain the most effective and accurate test results.

The Intent Solutions device has a secure chamber that contains the pills for the particular prescription. Called “TAD” (standing for “take as directed”), the device utilizes fingerprint technology to identify the user before dispensing medication. Additionally, the TAD device is able to connect with the patient’s mobile device (and the prescribing entity) to share updates on efforts to access medication by unauthorized users, whether medication was dispensed, and it can send the patient reminders, prompting them to take their medication.

In this way, the TAD device facilitates medication research by improving compliance with the schedule the medication was intended to be taken on.

NFANT Labs has developed a device that uses sensors that can give a care giver visual feedback on a monitor regarding a NICU baby’s sucking patterns while feeding, a task that for many premies is challenging. Until now, the only way a practitioner could assess the sucking strength and patterns was to literally use a finger in the infant’s mouth.

The difficulty these young babies face is often related to a weak tongue, ineffective tongue movements, and uncoordinated swallowing timing. This predisposes them to consuming inadequate calories as well as creating the risk for aspiration pneumonia, both of which can lead to additional length of stay and even mortality.

The NFANT Labs monitor fits between the nipple and the bottle used to feed the child. It has a sensor that detects the up and down motion of the tongue, as well as negative pressure being generated by the suckling infant. It converts the data to wave forms on a monitor that the care giver can follow, allowing them to slow or pause feeding to allow the child to “catch up” with dispensed milk or to re-position them them to assess whether it leads to a more effective sucking pattern.

Special Guests:

Lou Malice, CEO of Intent Solutions and NFANT Labs

Sam Zamarippa, VP of Strategy and Business Development, Intent Solutions

Tommy Cunningham, Co-founder of NFANT Labs

Georgia Dental Association

October 8, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Georgia Dental Association

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Oral Health — Becky Weinman, Evis Babo, and Tom Broderick talk oral health

Georgia Dental Association

On this week’s episode we featured president of the Georgia Dental Association and practicing Savannah orthodontist, Tom Broderick, along with members, Evis Babo and Becky Weinman, both Atlanta-based general dentists.

We discussed the mission of the Georgia Dental Association, along with various initiatives the association is working on to foster oral health for Georgians such as the Mission of Mercy. With this program, members of the association from around the state join forces to contribute their time and resources to provide free dental care to citizens who are economically-challenged but that are in need of dental care.

As our guests described, in many cases these patients are able to get smiles restored with dentures or other procedures that allow them to more successfully apply for jobs they might not have been able to before. We also talked about how the association members are engaging providers in elderly residential and care facilities to teach them how to better meet basic preventive care needs.

The panel explained the importance of each of us establishing a “dental home” where we go for regular preventive care and assessment (ideally 2x per year). The reason for this, as Becky described, is that cavities and some other problems can develop and progress a great deal in a year’s time. By identifying and treating developing problems quickly, the treatment needed to correct these issues is typically very easy and comparatively inexpensive compared to advanced measures such as crowns or extractions.

Weinman, Babo, and Broderick also shared information about the fact that dentists utilize these regular visits to assess the patient for problems such as oral cancer, diabetes, and other health problems that have signs that can be seen in the mouth. In this way, the patient gains another provider who can help catch serious developing health problems and seek treatment while there is an opportunity to reverse them or treat them more easily.

Special Guests:

Tom Broderick, DDS, President of Georgia Dental Association

Evis Babo, DMD, of Peachtree Smile Center

Becky Weinman, DDS, of Buckhead Dental Associates

Telehealth

October 1, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Telehealth

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Telehealth

This week we sat down with Adrian Davis, CEO of MyIdealDoctor, a telehealth company. Adrian shared how he had spent the early years of his career in health technology and equipment sales and distribution. With the passage of the ACA he and several of his associates saw an opportunity to help meet a need for access to medical care, taking advantage of technology.

They launched the company to begin to help patients to be able to speak directly with a physician from wherever they are using phone, smart phone/mobile device, or via a computer connection. Their initial focus has been upon episodic patient needs centered around non-emergent complaints such as respiratory infections, minor cuts, sore throats, etc.

In many cases the physician is able to use the camera on the device, along with interview, to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication to treat the problem. Additionally, if the patient’s complaint is too severe or worrisome to be able to handle the problem remotely, they make recommendations to seek care in a nearby urgent care center or emergency department.

In this way MyIdealDoctor is able to have an impact on the volume of patients being seen in the urgent care and more importantly, in the emergency rooms, allowing them to focus on more acutely-ill patients.

The company has focused their initial service model on corporate health, providing their care model to businesses offering the service as a component of their employee health plans. MyIdealDoctor will be providing their service to the general population soon.

Special Guest:

Adrian Davis, CEO/ Co-founder of MyIdealDoctor

BS, Microbiology, University of Georgia
Co-founder/Partner, United Medical Enterprises
Previous GI/Ultrasound Territory Manager, Philips
Former IV Therapy Territory Manager, Baxter Healthcare

Pharmacogenomics

September 28, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Pharmacogenomics

00:00 / 01:06:00

Pharmacogenomics

This week on Health Connect South Radio we featured Bob Bean, CEO of Harmonyx, a technology company specializing in pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person’s genetic makeup.

As we have learned on previous episodes of the show, taking medications correctly is vital to achieving a positive outcome. In fact, incorrectly taking a medication or taking certain combinations of medications can actually make you very sick or even kill you.

Add to that this fact–our genetic code can affect how our body responds to a given medication we’re taking. For example, 30% of people who take Plavix, the popular anti-platelet medication to prevent stroke, get no effect from taking the drug due to a particular genetic mutation. Consider the money spent by 1/3 of patients taking this medicine and it’s literally doing nothing in their body.

Harmonyx employs a non-invasive cheek swab which collects a DNA sample which is then tested for that individual’s genetically-driven response to a prescribed medication. Depending on the results, it may be possible for the pharmacist and physician to identify another medication from that particular medicine family that will have the desired effect and/or avoid possible negative responses to the original med.

The test is available at participating pharmacies and can provide useful information for patients taking statin medication, ADHD meds, pain medication, and anti-platelet medication. The test will reveal if the patient’s body will respond as expected or if they may experience adverse effects due to the way their body processes the prescribed medication.

In this way the patient is able to get medical treatment that is likely to have the desired outcome while avoiding probable negative effects and/or spending money and taking a medicine that literally does nothing for them.

On this episode I also shared the conversation I had with Ebola survivor, Dr. Ian Crozier, who was a keynote speaker at the 2015 Health Connect South event. Ian was providing care to Ebola patients in Sierra Leone when he contracted the disease. He had the good fortune of being flown to Emory Hospital in Atlanta for intense specialized care. In spite of significant damage to numerous organs including kidneys, eyes, and even his brain, Ian survived and shared his poignant story with the attendees of this year’s event.

I was very pleased to get to meet him and speak with him for a few minutes.

Special Guests:

Bob Bean, CEO of Harmonyx

Dr. Ian Crozier, Ebola Survivor

Improving Patient Outcomes

September 16, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Improving Patient Outcomes

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Health Connect South Radio — Sara Bright, Gary Austin, and Jay Shaffer

Improving Patient Outcomes

On this episode we featured three organizations who are working on improving patient outcomes in several ways. We hosted Dr. Kim Dennis, CEO/Director for Timberline Knolls and her colleague, Sara Bright, Gary Austin, CEO of One Care, and Marc O’Connor of Curant Health came by to talk about their solutions.

Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center for young and adult women (ages 12 to 65+) with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Dennis joined us by phone and the center’s Atlanta-based outreach representative, Sara Bright joined us in studio to talk about how they help improve the outcomes for the women they treat.

Located in suburban Chicago, residents receive excellent clinical care from a highly trained professional staff on a picturesque 43-acre wooded campus. Women and families seeking Christian treatment can opt for specialized Christian-based therapy. For more information on Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, call them at 877.257.9611. They are also on Facebook – Timberline Knolls, LinkedIn – Timberline Knolls and Twitter – @TimberlineToday.

One Care is a form of social platform that is designed to help families who are trying to support loved ones who are dealing with a variety of health issues, particularly when there are a number of activities the patient needs to accomplish to optimize their outcomes by adhering closely to the care plan prescribed for them. This may include nutritional recommendations, exercise regimens, medication schedules, etc. The platform employs philosophies learned through Aubrey Daniels’ management and behavioral training philosophies.

Improving Patient Outcomes — Aubrey Daniels

The application interfaces with a variety of wearable technology such as the Fitbit, glucometers, and others. In this way, family members have the ability to coach and reward their loved ones when they complete the recommended actions, as well as check in when it’s seen they have missed a med or other action.

One Care has partnered with technology company, Curant Health. Marc O’Connor is Chief Operating Officer for Curant Health. Curant Health treats patients nationwide through its medication management protocols, including medication reconciliation and establishment of personalized medication regimens, and supports its provider partners and care coordination with its award-winning EHR, MedPlan™.

Curant’s healthcare professionals provide individualized care proven to improve the lives and reduce the overall healthcare costs of chronically ill patients.curanthealth.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurantHealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curant-health

Special Guests:

Dr. Kim Dennis, MD, CEO and Medical Director of Timberline Knolls

Doctor of Medicine, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
American Society for Addiction Medicine
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders

Sara Bright, MS, Professional Outreach Representative, Timberline Knolls

MS, Human Resources Counseling, Northeastern University
Integrative Health Coaching, Integrative Medicine, Duke University
Board Member and Founding Member, Friends of Camp Celo

Gary Austin, CEO of OneCare

Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Completed Advanced Performance Management Training Course, Aubrey Daniels International
Co-founder and past CEO, Clearwave

Marc O’Connor, COO of Curant Health

MBA, Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Member, Board of Directors, Atlanta Heart Ball, American Heart Association
Editorial Board Member, Specialty Pharmacy Times

Innovative Health Technology

August 17, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Innovative Health Technology

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Bailey Ernstes, Jake Kazlow, and Jim Sullivan talk innovative health technologies

Innovative Health Technology

On this episode of Health Connect South Radio we featured two Atlanta companies developing innovative health technology. We hosted Monitor Med Solutions and HealPros to learn about the respective problems their solutions solve.

Monitor Med Solutions was founded by several Georgia Tech students to create a device that would use bluetooth technology to give hydrocephalus patients real-time monitoring data regarding their intracranial pressure via their mobile devices. Bailey Ernstes and Jake Kazlow, two of the co-founders, joined us to talk about their project.

As Bailey shared, as many as 1:500 babies are born with hydrocephalus, an abnormally-high intracranial pressure caused by a disruption in the normal flow of cerebral spinal fluid. These patients require that a shunt be implanted that will facilitate modulation of the intracranial pressure and prevent the numerous neurological problems and even death that can occur when pressure rises or falls beyond certain limits.

The challenge for these patients and their families is that the shunt technology itself has not evolved much since its inception. And, the shunts fail at a rate of roughly 40% of the time, typically due to occlusion. In most cases, the only way the patients discover there is a problem is when they begin to show symptoms of increased pressure.

Monitor Med Solutions, an Atlanta-based start-up has developed a device that interfaces with the intracranial shunt and contains a bluetooth transmitter. This enables the user to get pressure readings via an app on their mobile device, potentially allowing them to seek care before neurologic symptoms occur and/or preventing unnecessary ER admissions to seek care.

Jim Sullivan is CEO of HealPros. This company saw a need for closing the gap in preventive care for patients with diabetes. The diabetic population is at risk for blindness due to retinal damage that is caused by chronically-elevated glucose levels. It can take years of asymptomatic progression of the retinal damage for visual changes to occur. Because of this, many patients do not bother to seek out the recommended annual exams that could identify problematic changes early enough to do something about it.

HealPros utilizes teleimaging capabilities coupled with on-site technologists who can do exams in a physician’s office or even a patient’s home. The company partners with health plans and physician offices to coordinate visits with patients and conduct the necessary eye exam.

They then communicate results to patient, doctor, and health plan company and can help facilitate getting access to appropriate advanced care if an abnormality is found.

Special Guests

Bailey Ernstes, CEO of Monitor Med Solutions

BS Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
National Merit Scholar
Campoamor Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient
Previous Research Assistant, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Jake Kaslow, Co-founder and CTO of Monitor Med Solutions

BS Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Jim Sullivan, CEO of HealPros

BA, MA, Economics & Finance, State University of New York at Binghamton
Business Professionals Course, Linguistics and Business Philosophy, The Aji Network
Former Analyst, Goldman Sachs
Previous Owner, Medical Imaging Specialists

Facilitating Clinical Trials

August 9, 2015 by angishields

Health Connect South

Facilitating Clinical Trials

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Facilitating Clinical Trials

Since we started Health Connect South Radio we have featured several research organizations who are doing research to uncover solutions to several illnesses such as Ebola, HIV, mitochondral diseases, diabetes, and others.

This week we featured two companies who are facilitating clinical trials through their respective solutions. Bethany Bray, CEO of AutoCruitment and Ryan Jones, CEO of Florence Healthcare joined us to share how they are working to help new medicines and devices become available more quickly to the community.

AutoCruitment is a technology platform that interacts with a variety of internet search platforms to acquire particular analytics data. The platform is able to identify internet users who are seeking clinical trials or even ones who appear to be seeking new physicians.

Bethany shared that as much as 40% of the cost of a trial comes from efforts to put out information about the study and recruit appropriate patients for it.

Once a potential patient is identified who might be a match for a clinical trial, AutoCruitment is able to display ads on healthcare related sites that individual visits that will alert them to the availability of the trial. The algorithms work to position the advertisements in what would be contextually-relevant places to avoid the “stalker” feel some cookie driven ads take on.

From the point the patient follows the ad, the process of providing their information and getting linked up with the prospective trial is straight-forward and elegant, making it simple for the patient and the respective trial.

Many clinical trials involve multiple sites for data collection as well as analysis. In spite of the technological advancements around patient data over the past decade, in clinical trials, much of the research data is collected or reported on paper documents.

The process of transmitting this data to the other sites that need to access it to move the study forward is cumbersome at best. In some cases it means analysts and study overseers must physically travel to the study locations to get access to or evaluate the data. In others it means shipping literally truckloads of paper documents to another site.

This logistical logjam is one of the greatest reasons why it can take as long as it does to complete a study, as Ryan explained. Florence Healthcare is working to tackle this problem by developing a secure technology platform that uses existing hardware such as faxes and scanners to be able to quickly and securely convert the paper data to digital forms that can be readily transmitted to the other study sites or evaluated by study reviewers.

Special Guests:

Bethany Bray, CEO of AutoCruitment