Five digital health tech startups are sharing in $3.25 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), receiving stage-two funding from the digital and connected health accelerator program, ANDHealth+.
The investments in Eugene, Atmo Biosciences, Immunosis, Metabolic Health Solutions and Humanetix will fund further studies and scaling to tackle health issues spanning genomics and genetic testing, gut and metabolic health, immune deficiencies and improving clinical efficiencies.
ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn Le Grice said the MRFF funding will support the startups tackling major health issues such as gastrointestinal disorders, immune deficiencies and obesity, as well as provide streamlined genetic testing and counselling, and improved care management in the understaffed aged care sector.
“The funded projects will not only look at the commercial and clinical milestones these Australian health businesses need to meet, but provide expert support and advice, access to global partnerships and critical non-dilutive funding to ensure these solutions make it into the hands of patients, clinicians and care teams as swiftly as possible,” she said.
“Funding and support through grant programs is more important than ever. The MRFF funding paired with access to industry-led real-world experience and expertise is a crucial part of continuing to grow Australia’s digital health opportunity.”
The five startups are part of the third cohort of ANDHealth+ funded by the MRFF, having been in the program since August last year.
Here’s more on the startups involved and their plans.
Atmo Biosciences’ novel, ingestible gas-sensing capsule to provide unique insights into gut health and microbiome function. Its primary focus is improving the diagnosis of motility disorders; however, there are many potential applications, from IBS and IBD to liver disease and SIBO.
Atmo Biosciences will use the funding to advance its imminent launch in Motility, by further validating the benefits of this technology from both a clinical and cost saving perspective. They will also evaluate future clinical indications that leverage the unique features of its device and assess emerging needs in gut health.
Genomics company Eugene helps Australians make informed health decisions in areas such as carrier screening for pregnancies or assessing genetic risk factors in cancer or cardiovascular areas. Interpreting genetic test results and counselling patients is a key bottleneck in the implementation of genomics technologies to its full potential in healthcare.
By addressing this bottleneck in the value chain, Eugene helps patients get specialist support when they need it and helps clinics and doctors provide best-in-class genomics care to their patients. Through the ANDHealth+ program funding, Eugene will conduct a health and efficiency benefits study, and further scale its platform to allow greater variety and volume of genetic testing applications.
With the healthcare system facing workforce shortages and overwhelming administrative burden, caregivers, nurses, and clinicians have less time to dedicate to the delivery of care. Humanetix’s care management platform is simplifying care through technology and improving efficiencies in clinical workflows, with a globally patented artificial intelligent care engine.
Humanetix will use its funding for further impact assessment and gap analysis, informing deeper engagement with the sector to help deliver maximum impact to residential aged care and home care providers.
Immunosis is a clinical stage start-up company developing diagnostic products for patients with life-threatening immune deficiencies. A significant challenge for these patients is the lengthy time to gain an accurate diagnosis, reported to be nine years for the most common form of Primary Immunodeficiency (PID).
Immunosis’ goal is to reduce the time it takes to get a diagnosis and access treatment, ultimately saving the healthcare system time and money and improving the lives of these patients. The program funding will enable Immunosis to undertake further clinical studies in Australia and the US, map PID patient journeys in the years before and after diagnosis to demonstrate clinical utility and determine how impactful a faster diagnosis will be to the healthcare system.
Metabolic Health Solutions (MHS) provides a medical technology and software solution for healthcare professionals to measure and manage a patients metabolic rate through indirect calorimetry. These measures can inform long-term weight management strategies and monitor metabolic health.
MHS will use the funds to further develop their intellectual property strategy, to explore the clinical impact and workflow especially in concert with weight loss medication, and to improve the useability of their device. Startup Daily
