Neurotech Takes The Stage At JPM 2024

It was my privilege to attend JP Morgan’s annual healthcare convention this week. I joined the three-day carousel of panel classes, personal conferences, press releases and networking occasions armed with 5 guiding questions on neurotechnology.

What’s going to business success seem like in 2024?

• Federal belief continues to develop: Neurotech corporations doffed their caps to the FDA’s management throughout varied facilities, and commented on a welcome evolution from prior eras. In a observe on enterprise fashions, Christian Howell of Cognito Therapeutics spoke to quite a few companies’ willingness to work with corporations early by way of quite a lot of packages (TCET, Breakthrough, NTAP, EPFP), in addition to the overarching concentrate on relationship constructing, actual world proof, and steady enchancment.
• Enterprise mannequin innovation: On the identical observe, David Maltz of Intervalent and Jenny Rooke of Genoa Ventures mentioned rising enterprise fashions for neurotech diagnostics, from knowledge productization to direct reimbursement performs, to distant therapeutic monitoring. Butterfly Community announced FDA clearance of its handheld ultrasound. Is 2024 the yr of tech-enabled care mannequin innovation in outpatient neurology?
• Storytelling and fundraising : Dr. Tom Oxley of Synchron remarked on a fundraising panel how studying to toggle between storytelling to med tech versus biotech buyers performed a key position in closing their $75m Sequence C in 2022. In a later observe, former TedMed COO Shirley Bergin pressured the significance of simplicity in storytelling. As buyers change into extra conversant in this house, the stress between complexity and readability in company messaging on medical impression, regulatory navigation and reimbursement technique will develop extra necessary.
• AI hype and knowledge thirst: Finally, reimbursement choices require regular proof constructing and knowledge technology in any respect ranges – enterprise, product, medical, economics. Andrei Georgescu of Vivodyne argued that for biotech corporations to leverage AI, the bottleneck is high quality, complicated datasets. Knowledge reuse got here up in quite a few panels; the vast majority of diagnostic workup occurs with out secondary use of knowledge, from ultrasound to eye exams and past. Ekaterine Kortkhonjia of JnJ Innovation known as for sensors and wearables that may speed up effectivity in human analysis whereas offering medical profit and producing novel real-world proof.
• Popularity-building part: Parexel’s CEO Jim Anthony commented on how massive medical analysis organizations and pharma corporations have been round for many years, in contrast to some years or months for newer corporations. He was talking to range in trials and the tempo of change, however I discovered it instructive for as we speak’s neurotechnology leaders, for whom demonstrating accountable management to regulators, company companions, and most people might be important to advancing new medicines and gadgets to the stage of human trials and past.
• Neuromodulation heating up. That is what a longtime market section seems like: Boston Scientific’s $3.7B buy of Axonics, a sacral nerve neuromodulator for incontinence; Medtronic’s FDA approval for deep mind stimulation in Parkinson’s and epilepsy; Nalu Medical’s $65m round.

What’s neurotech’s “killer app”?

• For JPM’s biotech attendees, a neurotechnology dwelling run can be a dependable diagnostic take a look at (like a set of biomarkers) for earlier detection of delicate cognitive impairment and/or Alzheimer’s illness.
• On the patron entrance, most neurotech corporations jostled for the highlight at CES amidst Apple’s VisionPro buzz. A VR in psychological well being panel moderated by Stanford’s Dr. Walter Greenleaf mentioned the upside for wearables that translate mind electrical energy into one thing individuals can expertise in a different way.
• Tarcan Kiper of Neo Auvra spoke of embedded and streamlined “neuropsychological and psychomotor assessments” that produce goal knowledge in VR. Sarah Hill of Healium summed up the patron attraction neatly: “You may truly see your emotions.”
• Mr. Maltz and Ms. Rooke spoke to the crossover potential and synergies between life science and wellness functions in areas like sleep, private cognitive optimization, and temper.

What’s neurotech’s impression in life sciences, by way of digital biomarkers and endpoints?

• Mr. Howell, citing a JPM survey of attendee pursuits, mentioned the highest two had been GLP-1’s, “ a remedy on the lookout for a illness,” and CNS (Central Nervous System) “a illness on the lookout for therapies.”
• Pharma’s resurgent curiosity in Alzheimer’s dominated the dialog in mind well being. With latest approvals, FDA has signaled their curiosity in a remedy for Alzheimer’s illness. With investor eyes on Eli Lilly’s new drug, it’s open season for fascinating neurotech-enabled analysis performs for digital biomarkers of cognitive well being. To wit, Startup Well being introduced a brand new Alzheimer’s Moonshot, launched with the Gates Basis and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Basis.
• Brent Vaughan of Cognito Therapeutics and Michael Notaras of Decheng Capital in contrast neurology drug improvement as we speak to the place oncology was 50 years in the past. Neurotech, by accelerating our understanding of neurodegenerative illness, and refining mechanisms of motion to work together with human organic methods will usher within the period of precision neurology.
• David Suendermann-Oeft of Modality.AI spoke to the technique working in massive, prevalent ailments, versus extra area of interest, or orphan ailments. Beth Hoffman of Origami Therapeutics contrasted oncology’s concentrate on destroying cells to neurology’s concentrate on preserving mind operate. On a separate panel, Alex Morgan of Khosla Ventures mentioned neurotech “is the place heart problems was a pair a long time in the past.”
• Biologically, crossing or in any other case sidestepping the bounds of the blood mind barrier got here up repeatedly. Some dialogue centered on bioelectronics skill to focus on particular areas of the mind, others about whole-brain simulation platforms to allow digital discovery. “It’s not mining, it’s prospecting,” famous a panelist. Another choice is ultrasound, whose latest media coverage doubled as JPM information for Insighttec.
• On the system degree, Marc Jones of Altoida pointed to healthcare deserts and innovation in outpatient neurology as key gaps to shut. BIOS announced a precision medication middle in Bakersfield, CA. Ms. Kortkhonjia identified how sensors and wearables held potential to enhance recruitment, monitoring, and effectivity of amassing real-world proof exterior of a lab or clinic. Rune Labs introduced a $12m raise for his or her Apple Watch Parkinson’s app.
• In response to an investor query following a VR and psychological well being panel, Marc Edwards of ViewMind spoke about how eye-tracking options in headsets may probably assist detect placebo results.

What’s the way forward for neuroethics?

In as we speak’s fast-paced, AI-driven world of change, figuring out and respecting boundaries in relation to mind implants, cognitive alterations, human testing, entry, privateness, security, off-label use, and different associated matters spans a crucial however under-discussed topic in enterprise circles. I attempted to carry it up the place I may.

Once I requested Dr. Oxley, he asserted the FDA’s competence in defending society, with management who’ve devoted their careers to neurotech-specific areas, stating their frameworks are “truly tremendous rational and data-driven.”

At a UPenn discussion board on Neuroscience Innovation, Dr. Anna Wexler responded with examples of her work as a full-time neuroethicist. Citing her need to maneuver past pure educational frameworks, she shared examples of direct engagement with startups and company companions, collaboration with affected person teams and product groups, and in the end, her objective of discovering new methods to scale efforts past one firm at a time.

What do extra individuals have to learn about?

In brief, neurotech and mind well being go far past what’s locked inside our cranium.

• Mr. Edwards was direct: Eyes are a part of the mind, providing potential to develop ultra-fine-grain measurement of cognition. For many people, as much as 90% of knowledge that goes into our mind goes in by way of the attention.
• Beth Rogozinski of Oncoustics spoke to the hyperlink between mind well being and the microbiome, sharing that 90% of serotonin is produced in our intestine.
• Abraham Heifets from Atomwise spoke about AI-enabled irritation analysis, and the way seemingly unrelated ailments, from psoriasis to IBD, to neuroinflammation and a number of sclerosis may maintain organic similarities.
• Different discussions — spanning human longevity and getting older, psychedelics, hashish, genetics and epigenetics, ache and musculoskeletal illness, cardiac care, ladies’s well being from fertility by way of menopause —invariably talked about some connection to neurology, cognitive biomarkers, and the necessity for higher mind well being measurement and knowledge assortment.
• A brand new federal company known as ARPA-H took the stage to evangelize public-private partnership alternatives in biotech and well being innovation. Modeled after DARPA, they provide accelerated funding and different business assist by way of devoted hubs for buyer expertise and personal capital.

Whereas there was lots I noticed, this recap is way from exhaustive, solely capturing a swath of the pertinent developments and discussions about mind well being on the convention this yr. Regardless of that, one takeaway was clear: 2024 might be a busy yr for neurotech.