Today's Healthcare Pulse
Abridge teams with Eli Lilly and Nvidia to expand AI scribe platform
Abridge announced a strategic investment from Eli Lilly and a partnership with Nvidia to build a foundation model for clinical conversations. The collaboration aims to broaden Abridge’s AI‑scribe services across more health systems and integrate with payers. The company already supports over 300 health systems.
Also developing:
AI-Built Intrabodies Target Alzheimer’s Within
University of Essex researchers used artificial intelligence to redesign antibody fragments, creating "intrabodies" that remain stable inside human cells. By adjusting electrical charge, they converted 672 antibodies into intracellularly functional molecules that bind disease‑causing proteins linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and motor‑neuron disease. The work, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates a scalable platform for targeting previously inaccessible intracellular targets. While promising, the approach still requires effective delivery methods and clinical validation before therapeutic use.
Subtle Antiaging Injectables Become Allergan’s Next Bet
At AMWC 2026, Allergan Aesthetics announced a strategic pivot toward “undetectable” hyaluronic‑acid injectables, emphasizing subtle, personalized maintenance rather than dramatic transformation. The company released a consumer study of 12,000 respondents showing over 70% prefer natural‑looking, reversible results. Allergan frames this...
Wireless Medical Device Compliance: Free White Paper
Wireless functionality is now standard in medical devices, but it adds a parallel set of regulatory hurdles across global markets. Manufacturers must secure CE RED, UKCA, FCC, and ISED approvals in addition to traditional device clearances, even when using pre‑certified...
Diabetes Eye Damage Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
New research published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology tracked nearly 770,000 older adults and found that type 2 diabetes patients with worsening diabetic retinopathy face a markedly higher risk of dementia. Those with the most severe retinal disease had...
Time‑Restricted Eating Lowers Testosterone and Improves A1C in Women with PCOS
University of Illinois Chicago nutrition professor Krista Varady reported that a six‑hour time‑restricted eating protocol reduced testosterone, lowered free androgen index and improved A1C in a six‑month trial of 76 women with PCOS, while participants lost an average of 10 pounds....
Series Highlights Lifestyle Medicine for Diabetes
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine unveiled “Project Remission,” a digital film series highlighting how lifestyle‑medicine interventions can lead to type 2 diabetes remission. The series features real‑world case studies, expert interviews, and implementation models such as group visits and dedicated...
FLAV-27 Reverses Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Mice, Study Shows
Scientists at the University of Barcelona Institute of Neurosciences have demonstrated that the novel compound FLAV-27 can reverse cognitive decline in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. The breakthrough, which targets the brain enzyme EHMT2 to reprogram neuronal epigenetics, offers...
EB-2 NIW Case Study: Neurologist From Colombia Approved to Expand Alzheimer’s Care in Underserved Rural Communities
Colombo & Hurd secured an EB‑2 National Interest Waiver for a Colombian neurologist specializing in Alzheimer’s disease, enabling him to expand affordable, non‑pharmacologic care in underserved rural U.S. communities. The petition was approved in just three days with premium processing...
Modified Immune Cells Target Cancer’s Metabolic Signature
Stanford researchers engineered natural killer (NK) and cytotoxic T cells to overexpress metabolite‑sensing G protein‑coupled receptors, most notably GPR183, enabling the cells to home toward tumor‑derived metabolic cues. In mouse models of triple‑negative breast and ovarian cancer, GPR183‑enhanced NK‑92 cells...
Alamar Biosciences Files Nasdaq IPO After $128M Series C and 100‑Hire Surge
Alamar Biosciences, the Fremont‑based proteomics company, filed to go public on Nasdaq after raising $128 million in a Series C round and adding almost 100 employees in two years. The move marks the firm’s transition from research‑focused labs to commercial sales of...
AI-Enabled Digital Health Startups Pull $14.2B in 2025, Outpacing Peers by 19% Premium
Digital health startups raised $14.2 billion in 2025, a 35% increase from the prior year, with AI‑enabled companies capturing 54% of the capital and enjoying a 19% premium on deal size. The surge is reshaping venture strategies as investors chase AI‑driven...
Childhood Trauma Linked to Elevated Risk of Simultaneous Physical and Mental Illness in Old Age
A new longitudinal study of 4,015 Chinese adults aged 45 and older shows that adverse childhood experiences dramatically increase the likelihood of developing both clinical depression and a chronic physical disease later in life. Participants with four or more childhood...
Perimenopause: A Cardiovascular Turning Point, Not Just Gynecologic
Perimenopause is not a gynecologic problem. It’s a cardiovascular turning point, and we’ve been treating it like a nuisance symptom. In fact, I’ve been teaching this in a deeper way lately, and the response has been eye-opening. The most dangerous...
Most Cancer Treatment Posts Spread Harmful Misinformation Online
Since I'm teaching misinformation today, here are some "fun" facts from a 2021 research article published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In a review of 200 widely shared cancer treatment articles on social media (Facebook, X, Reddit, etc),...
Interventional Cardiologist Roxana Mehran Elected ACC President
Roxana Mehran, MD, an interventional cardiologist and professor at Icahn School of Medicine, began her one‑year term as president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) at the ACC.26 conference in New Orleans. Mehran, a recognized leader in women’s heart health,...
MDO Editor’s Picks: Three Technical Talks at DeviceTalks Minnesota
Three Minneapolis‑area medtech startups—Person Health, Vail Scientific, and Peytant Solutions—will present technical talks at DeviceTalks Minnesota on May 4. Person Health is developing graphene‑based nanosensors for a non‑invasive breath test that detects early‑stage lung cancer. Vail Scientific offers a handheld breath...
Pig Liver Xenotransplant Shows Promise, but More Work Remains
Genetically modified pig livers have entered early clinical testing, with a Chinese patient surviving 171 days after transplantation. Researchers in China are exploring pig livers as auxiliary support, while a University of Pennsylvania team is evaluating extracorporeal pig livers as...
Kim Fisher on Why Food as Medicine Is at a Tipping Point — And What It Will Take to Get...
In this episode, Unity Stokes talks with Kim Fisher, Chief Impact Officer of Startup Health’s Food is Medicine Moonshot and Program Director of UC Davis’s Innovation Institute for Food and Health, about the rapid emergence of the food‑as‑medicine movement. Fisher...
New Paramedic Service Fills EMS Gap After Pa. Hospital Closure
The Aston Ambulance Authority launched a 24/7 paramedic service on March 24, covering Aston Township, Lower Chichester, Trainer and Marcus Hook. The new operation employs 17 paramedics, an EMS chief and a medical director, filling the pre‑hospital care void left by the...
Ensemble and Cohere Partner to Build First RCM-Native Large Language Model for Healthcare
Ensemble, a leading revenue cycle management provider, and Cohere are expanding their partnership to create the healthcare industry’s first RCM‑native large language model. Unlike generic LLMs that rely on heavy prompt engineering, the new model is fine‑tuned from scratch on...
What the UK’s Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Means for the MedTech Sector
The UK Department of Health and Social Care released a new Pandemic Preparedness Strategy that shifts pandemic planning from a reactive stance to a standing policy priority. It calls for scalable diagnostic capacity, stronger supplier resilience, and expanded strategic stockpiles,...
Revenue Cycle Elevates to C‑Suite Strategic Priority
Revenue cycle is the invisible backbone of every health system. It's finally getting the attention it deserves. New episode of Lifers this week: I sat down with Terri Meier (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Revenue Cycle at UAMS, 43-year industry veteran) live...
‘Should Never Have Been Prescribed’: Private UK Cannabis Clinics Face Call for Tighter Regulation
Oliver Robinson’s November 2023 suicide prompted a Manchester coroner to conclude that his privately prescribed medicinal cannabis probably contributed to his death. The inquest highlighted failures at Curaleaf Clinic, including reliance on outdated records and lack of coordination with NHS providers....
CDER Leadership Bios
The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has announced a slate of senior leaders, including Tracy Beth Høeg as Acting Director and Michael Davis as Deputy Center Director. The roster adds specialists overseeing regulatory policy, rare‑disease strategy, substance‑use...
HHS Reverses Biden-Era Tech Reorganization, Returns ONC Name
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has undone a Biden‑era restructuring, restoring the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to its original name. The chief technology, AI, and data officers are being transferred from ONC...
AZD5004
Elecoglipron (ECC5004/AZD5004), an oral small‑molecule GLP‑1 receptor agonist, completed Phase 2 trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity, meeting primary endpoints in the SOLSTICE and VISTA studies. AstraZeneca licensed global rights from Eccogene for an upfront payment of $185 million and potential milestones...
Lawmaker Looks to Award Grants for Veteran Suicide Prevention AI Models
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R‑PA) is drafting the Data Driven Suicide Prevention and Outreach Act to fund AI‑driven predictive‑model grants for veteran suicide prevention. The bill would award one grant per each of the VA’s 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks, targeting...
Mark Cuban Adds Support to Break Up Big Medicine Act
Mark Cuban has thrown his weight behind the Senate’s Break Up Big Medicine Act, which seeks to separate insurers, pharmacy‑benefit managers and providers that are currently owned by the same conglomerates such as UnitedHealth Group. The legislation would bar parent...
CCT Pledges Net Zero by 2050 as Industry Pressure to Decarbonize Intensifies
Cold Chain Technologies (CCT) announced a formal pledge to achieve net‑zero global emissions by 2050, focusing on Scope 3 emissions that represent roughly 80% of a pharmaceutical company’s carbon footprint. The company has already reduced landfill waste by 147 million lb, surpassing its...
Jimini Health Secures $17M to Scale Clinician-Supervised Behavioral Health AI
Jimini Health, a New York‑based behavioral health startup, announced a $17 million seed round, bringing its total capital to more than $25 million. The funding, led by M13, Town Hall Ventures and Zetta Venture Partners with backing from former CMS Acting Administrator...
ImmunityBio Strengthens Balance Sheet with $100 Million of Financing Transactions Including $75 Million of Non-Dilutive Financing to Support Global Expansion...
ImmunityBio secured $75 million of non‑dilutive financing under its existing royalty‑interest purchase agreement with Oberland Capital, raising total committed capital to $375 million. At the same time, Nant Capital converted $25 million of debt into common stock, reducing the company’s liabilities. The combined...
Annual Income Rises Posttransplantation for Adults with ESKD
Canadian researchers found that adults with end‑stage kidney disease experience a rebound in employment earnings after receiving a kidney transplant. Mean annual income rose from roughly CAD $45,600 (≈ $33,700 USD) in the transplant year to CAD $52,900 (≈ $39,100 USD) three years later, a gain...
Two Thirds of Investors Boosted Their Healthcare Allocation in 2025, CBRE Finds
In 2025, 68% of real‑estate investors increased their healthcare allocation, driving roughly $12.5 bn into the care‑home sector, which represented 79% of all healthcare investment. The surge was anchored by Welltower’s $6.5 bn purchase of Barchester Healthcare and a $1.5 bn acquisition of...
AI, Digital Twins, and Personalized Medicine Lead 2026 HealthTech
The 8 Biggest Healthcare Technology Trends To Watch In 2026 Healthcare is being transformed by AI, digital twins, personalised medicine and advanced diagnostics — all driving more proactive, efficient and patient-centred care. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/e86HpWFZ #Healthcare #HealthTech #AI #BernardMarr
First Humanoid Robot Gets FDA Clearance for Spine Surgery
World’s First Surgical Humanoid #Robot Achieves FDA-Cleared Precision in Spine Surgery by @StarSnap_1 #MedTech #Healthcare #HealthTech #Tech #TechForGood https://t.co/aks0DC51ns
Here’s How Republicans Are Trying to Pay for a War No One Wants
Republicans in the House are proposing to pull roughly $30 billion from federal health‑care subsidies to fund President Trump’s expanded Middle‑East war and a simultaneous ICE expansion. The plan would strip coverage from an estimated 300,000 Americans, bundling three politically sensitive...
Viral Research Reveals Immune Secrets for Vaccine Design
Here is my talk on how studying viral infections can teach us a lot about the immune system, and how we can use those insights to develop vaccines against viruses. "Night science moments" make science so exciting 🌓 @NightScienceIns @ItaiYanai...
FDA Standards Threaten Affordable Academic Gene Therapies
The scientists behind treating Baby KJ say the FDA is imposing standards that could make it too expensive for them — or any academics — to bring such bespoke therapies to approval. https://t.co/OrxMXBVev4
Biogen, with $5.6B Apellis Buy, Builds Out Immunology Offerings
Biogen announced a $5.6 billion cash acquisition of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, paying $41 per share—a 140% premium—and issuing contingent value rights worth up to $4 per share. The deal brings two recently launched products, the eye‑disease therapy Syfovre and the rare‑kidney drug...
FDA Hurdles Stall Academic Scaling of Custom Gene Editor
Baby KJ scientists hit speed bump in quest to scale custom gene editor. Stringent FDA requirements could prove stumbling block for academics https://t.co/HsaK7lSuh1 via @Jasonmmast
Okinawa’s Centenarian Boom Driven by Pre‑WWII Cohorts
The number of 100+ year olds in Okinawa has increased by 4283% from 1975 1975: 29 centenarians 2021 peak: 1271 centenarians Okinawa’s longevity story is generation-specific: people born before WWII had a clear mortality advantage While post-WWII cohorts have had worse mortality than mainland...
Healthcare Staff Can Maximize the Value of AI with High Performing Endpoints
Healthcare organizations are evaluating endpoint hardware to unlock AI‑driven efficiencies, weighing thin clients, traditional PCs, and emerging AI‑optimized workstations. Thin clients offer low power consumption, centralized management, and longer refresh cycles, while AI PCs deliver on‑device neural processing at a...
US VCs Embed in Chinese Labs, Courting Scientists Early
U.S. venture capital firms are no longer waiting for Chinese biotech assets to surface before investing in them — they’re moving upstream, embedding themselves inside labs and courting scientists before they publish their research https://t.co/7kOlGh0sbu
Calcium, Exercise, DXA Scans Prevent Costly GLP‑1 Surgeries
This is a very important study and I'm hearing from clinical experts in my network that the best prevention is calcium, weight bearing exercise and getting regular DXA Scans. Otherwise we're going to see a big increase in high-cost orthopedic...
Medtronic Wins CE Mark for OmniaSecure Defibrillation Lead
Medtronic has secured a CE mark for its OmniaSecure small‑diameter defibrillation lead, expanding the device’s European availability. The lead builds on the long‑standing SelectSecure Model 3830 pacing lead, offering a narrower profile without sacrificing durability. Clinical modeling predicts a 98.2% ten‑year...
AI Med Consult and 4D EMR Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance AI-Driven Patient Engagement and Practice Efficiency
AI Med Consult and 4th Dimension EMR announced a strategic partnership at the AACS Annual Scientific Meeting, integrating AI‑driven patient engagement tools with 4D EMR’s aesthetic‑medicine platform. The combined solution will feed real‑time interaction data into electronic medical records, delivering...
Bristol Myers Squibb Evolves and Expands Standing in the Gaap to Advance More Equitable Care in Multiple Myeloma as Program...
Bristol Myers Squibb announced the evolution of its Standing in the Gaap program, expanding its reach to address equity gaps in multiple myeloma care. The initiative will launch one of the largest U.S. multiple myeloma surveys, targeting more than 1,000...
New Standards Could Allow Patients to Selectively Share Health Info
New health‑IT standards are being rolled out to let patients selectively share portions of their medical records. The framework relies on data segmentation and computable consent, isolating sensitive fields while preserving seamless interoperability. Developed with input from Cambridge Health Alliance’s...
Concussion Protocols: What Providers Should Know to Diagnose, Treat, and Rehabilitate
Millions of Americans sustain concussions each year, yet up to half remain unreported and untreated. Dr. Al Cobb highlights five essential updates for providers: recognizing concussion as a brain‑wide and cervical injury, abandoning prolonged dark‑room rest, integrating graded exercise and...
Voices: Andrew O’Connell, Product Director at Maxwell TEC
Maxwell TEC’s product director Andrew O’Connell discusses how home‑care communication is evolving from simple reminders to AI‑driven, relationship‑based messaging, with SMS as the core channel for older adults. He explains that the company’s nanaCONNECT platform combines automated, context‑aware texts with...