HealthTech: Targeting Alzheimer’s | Preventing hot car deaths | Cancer predictive tool
- ST. LOUIS, MO—A research team at Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis has identified potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer’s disease. The potential targets are abnormal proteins that lead to the buildup of amyloid in the brain, which contribute to the problems in memory and thinking.
- COLUMBUS, OH—Research being done at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The Ohio State University College of Medicine could lead to new hope for a deadly neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Only about 135 children worldwide are known to be missing the enzyme that produces dopamine in the central nervous system, which leads to the inability to speak, feed themselves or even hold up their heads.
- INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Eli Lilly and Co. is buying California-based diabetes biotech company Protomer Technologies. Protomer is developing technology that can sense sugar levels in the blood and automatically activate medication as needed throughout the day. The drugmaker said the deal could be worth up to $1 billion if the technology meets certain milestones.
- MINNEAPOLIS, MN and MADISON, WI—Flywheel, a cloud-based informatics platform for medical research and HealthMyne, a company that uses AI-enabled radiomic solutions to translate health research insights, announced a partnership. The goal is to combine the companies’ technologies to speed up research and advance clinical trial outcomes.
- KANSAS CITY, MO—Heatstroke kills about 40 children annually in the U.S. A teen inventor has advanced to a global competition for a device that attaches to a car seat and can detect when the temperature rises. The device then uses GPS and cellular technology to alert parents and 911 that a baby has been left in the car. The announcement was made at the national Invention Convention competition hosted by The Henry Ford.
- FLINT, MI—XLerateHealth has selected six healthcare startups to participate in its 2021 Flint cohort. The startups include Kalamazoo-based Adlore; Newton, PA-based DRS.LINQ; St. Louis-based Intuitool Devices, Inc.; Flint-based Isaab Innovations; North Beach, MD-based MyHelse; and East Landing-based Vern Health.
- ANN ARBOR, MI—Your risk of cancer may go beyond your family history. University of Michigan startup InheRET is developing a tool that more accurately identifies which people are at risk for developing inherited cancers based on more than standard family histories. The Inherited Risk Evaluation Tool (InheRET) applies an algorithm based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.