Issue #99 -The Next Era of Biomonitoring and Wearables

Happy FemTech Friday !  

​​Writing this from London! While I’m here, I’ll be visiting some of my favourite spots, meeting with founders, and recording podcast episodes. Can’t wait to share more updates in the coming weeks! 🇬🇧

Lately, I’ve been having interesting conversations with founders and noticing a growing trend in wearables like the Oura Ring, Ultrahuman, and that wristband Whoop band Funny enough :  my dad spotted athletes wearing one and asked me to order it for him!).

Marketing plays a big role in the success of these brands, but what really works? I’ve been exploring investing in a smart ring myself – Oura or Ultrahuman? After some research, I’ve found that Ultrahuman, a product made in India, offers better localized data for someone like me. But is the tech good enough? The app, not quite there yet. On the other hand, Oura has more refined app technology, but its data points are more US-centric.

I’ll keep you posted on which one I choose! 👀 

What’s also fascinating is how millennials like myself are investing more than ever in health and wellness. According to a McKinsey study, people aged 25-40 are contributing to a US$1.8 trillion global wellness market, with fitness and health becoming key priorities. Wearables, valued at over US$40 billion globally, are set to become as common as smartphones.

I recently met two founders in Bangalore who are working on Wearable health tech for seniors. With the emergence of new wearable health technologies, more patients can now receive the care they need from the comfort of their own homes. It’s exciting to see this space evolve and grow!

If you’re building wearable technology, write to me –

• Sports nutrition retailer Nutrabay has raised Series A funding of $5 million in a round led by RPSG Capital Ventures, with participation from Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited. This marks the first ever institutional round of funding since the company’s inception in 2017.
• Hepta Medical, a Suresnes, France-based medical device company, raised €5.7M in Series A funding.The round was led by BPI France with participation from M&L Healthcare and Clery IG.The company intends to use the funds for the 510(k) regulatory approval process for the first version of its microwave ablation platform for the start of its clinical trials.
• HDAX Therapeutics, a Toronto, Canada-based biotechnology company, held the first closing of a US$3.2M (CA$4.3M) Seed funding.
• Switch Bioworks, a San Carlos, CA-based biotechnology company developing low-cost and sustainable fertilizers, raised $17M in Seed funding.
• Venova Medical, a Los Gatos, CA-based company developing technology for the creation of percutaneous arteriovenous fistulas (pAVF) for hemodialysis access, raised $30M in Series B funding.
• Vesta Healthcare, a NYC-based virtual care provider, raised $65M in Series C funding with new debt financing.
• Create Wellness, a NYC-based company which specializes in creatine-based products, raised $5M in Series A funding.
• Abanza, an Orlando, FL-based company which specializes in advanced soft tissue repair solutions, raised $5M in Pre-Series A funding.The round was led by a family office specializing in medical device investments, along with private investors.

• A wearable heart monitor raises the detection rate of the dangerous irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation (A-fib) by more than 50%, a new study finds. Unfortunately, there was no increase observed in the number of strokes prevented after folks got the devices, the researchers noted. A-fib can create clots that can then trigger strokes.
• Could a simple blood test help predict a woman’s three-decade risk of heart disease?Yes, claims new research that found women with high levels of three specific blood markers had a greater than threefold increased risk for heart disease within 30 years, compared to women with the lowest levels.
• Endometriosis can be a painful, debilitating condition for many women, but new research suggests even more serious consequences: higher odds for heart attacks or strokes.Endometriosis occurs when uterine tissue that normally grows on the inside of the organ grows outside of it instead. Cysts, scar tissue and other conditions can infiltrate nearby organs, resulting in pain and troubles with fertility, according to the Mayo Clinic.
• Ketamine is becoming a popular depression drug, but doctors aren’t keeping in mind the danger it can pose to a pregnancy, a new study warns.Ketamine can be very harmful to a developing fetus and should not be used during pregnancy, researchers said.
• City living may be tough on couples wanting to conceive: New data shows that air pollution appears to be linked to lower fertility in men, while noisy traffic could harm the fertility of women. “If our results are confirmed in future studies, it suggests that political implementation of air pollution and noise mitigations may be important tools for improving birth rates in the western world,” noted a Danish team of researchers. They published their findings Sept. 4 in The BMJ.
• An AI-enhanced digital stethoscope can help doctors detect a potentially deadly form of heart failure that can occur late in pregnancy, a new clinical trial reports. The AI-driven stethoscope was 12 times more likely than traditional methods to spot heart pump weakness tied to peripartum cardiomyopathy, an uncommon form of heart failure linked to pregnancy, according to clinical trial results published Sept. 2 in the journal Nature Medicine.
•  In news that should reassure folks glued to their cellphones all day, a new international review finds no link between cellphone use and brain cancer. Commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), the review included 11 experts from 10 countries who sifted through decades of research — 5,000 studies published between 1994 and 2022 to be exact.
•  An experimental three-in-one blood pressure pill works better than layering on meds one at a time, a new clinical trial shows. After a month on the combo pill, 81% of patients had their blood pressure under control compared with 55% of patients receiving standard care, researchers report.
• Your cellphone might be harming your heart, a new study warns.People who regularly use a cellphone have a higher risk of heart disease, researchers found in a large-scale study. And the more time someone spends on their phone, the greater their risk for heart problems, researchers report.
• A sweat-powered finger wrap could make monitoring a person’s health as easy as wearing a Band-Aid, researchers report. The electronic wrap measures blood levels of sugar, vitamins, drugs and other substances by analyzing the sweat from a person’s fingertip, researchers reported Sept. 3 in the journal Nature Electronics.
• An overgrowth of gut microorganisms that produce methane could be a cause of severe constipation in many people, a new review finds.These gut bugs belong to a class of microbe called archaea, and when they flourish too well in a person’s gut they cause a condition called intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), researchers explained.
• A new brain imaging study has concluded that autism likely isn’t caused by faulty connections to the amygdala.A prevailing hypothesis of autism spectrum disorder has held that people with the condition have poorer neural connections in certain brain regions, including the amygdala.

• Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, completed the acquisition of Sonio SAS, a leading French ultrasound AI software company. The closing of the transaction was subject to applicable regulatory approvals, notably the approval of the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance. Following the completion of the transaction, Sonio will remain an independent company headquartered in France and will continue its commercial growth independently.
• Aidoc, a leading healthcare AI provider, introduced seven new AI solutions to the European healthcare market. These additions mark a significant expansion of Aidoc’s award-winning aiOS platform, which alerts radiologists and care teams to suspected urgent pathologies in medical images, ensuring rapid delivery of treatment to patients.
• NephroPlus has launched an innovative and impactful programme to address the challenges of hepatitis C infection in haemodialysis patients, particularly in low-resource settings. This initiative according to the nephron care provider underscores its efforts to improve patient outcomes and strengthening the health system.
• Hearzap, India’s leading hearing care provider funded by 360 ONE, has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Speech and Hearing Care, a player in the Bihar and Jharkhand regions. Funded entirely through internal cash flows, the deal underscores Hearzap’s solid financial health and strategic capital management. This acquisition will boost Hearzap’s revenue past Rs. 100 crore this fiscal year, securing a 30 per cent market share in key regions.

• The Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) included primary hyperoxaluria, a rare genetic metabolic disorder that affects kidney and other organ systems, under the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD), 2021, with financial assistance to be provided for transplants.
• In a significant move to enhance trade facilitation and streamline compliance with foreign trade regulations, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has announced amendments to the export obligation period for several import items. This is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to align with the Foreign Trade Policy of 2023, aiming to boost India’s ease of doing business ranking and provide greater clarity to importers and exporters.
• The National Medical Commission (NMC) has officially withdrawn its public notice dated August 16, 2024, regarding the discontinuation of all courses offered under the umbrella of the College of Physicians & Surgeons (CPS), Mumbai.

📳 – Quick Reads: 

• Young Girls Are Using Anti-Aging Products They See on Social Media. the Harm Is More Than Skin Deep: Young girls are buying up anti-aging products they see promoted on social media, with harmful effects for their skin — and their mental health.
• Everything You Need to Know About Insulin: Insulin can be a critical part of managing diabetes, but patients may not know all of the ins and outs of using the medication effectively.

See you next Friday, friends 👋
Navneet

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