Healthcare AI Guy Weekly Newsletter | 5/30

Our Picks ✨

Highlights if you’ve only got 2 minutes…

1/

Google’s new medical LLM, Med-PaLM 2 scored 86.5% on the medical exam MedQA.

Not only that, but a panel of 15 human doctors preferred Med-PaLM 2’s answers over real doctor answers across over 1,000 standardized questions.

Does this mean docs will be replaced? No. But the combo of knowledge and precision between the two will create an unmatched duo. 😀 

2/

Hippocratic AI, a developer of a large language model for health care, raised $50mm in seed funding co-led by General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz.

This was a seed deal so Hippocratic AI is still very early on but they claim to outperform GPT-4 on 105/114 healthcare exams and certifications. Hemant Taneja, the CEO of General Catalyst, stated that “Hippocratic AI stands out for its safety, performance, and compassion.” Let’s see how this develops but it definitely won’t be the last healthcare-specific LLM to come to market. (Link)

3/

AI technology could save healthcare $360bn annually

A recent National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study led by individuals from Harvard University and Mckinsey estimates that wider AI adoption in US healthcare could lead to 5 to 10% in savings, translating into $200bn to $360bn annually. Slow adoption has been linked to a number of factors, including challenges to accessing data, integrating into workflows, collecting evidence to secure reimbursement, navigating regulation, and most importantly, building trust with clinicians.

The study estimated that those cost savings are attainable within the next five years “and would not sacrifice quality or access.”

And yet, despite the promise of AI, it has remained an under-deployed technology in healthcare. Healthcare has traditionally been a very slow-moving, heavily-regulated industry. My guess is healthcare will pose the same roadblocks in its widespread adoption of AI tech. (Link)

4/

A paralyzed man can walk again thanks to AI

Swiss scientists have recently helped a paralyzed man regain control over his lower body with the help of AI. They created a “digital bridge” between the man’s brain and spinal cord, bypassing injuries and allowing him to walk again.

The researchers captured the man’s thoughts and, using an AI “thought decoder” translated them into spinal cord stimulation, reestablishing voluntary movement again. He’s shown signs of neurological recovery, walking with the implant turned off! (Link)

5/

Elon Musks’ brain-implant company, Neuralink, has finally received FDA approval to initiate its first-in-human clinical study.

Neuralink is working on helping people with impaired vision see and solve many types of neurological disorders. The company holds the potential to empower individuals suffering from paralysis, enabling them to reclaim their independence by exerting control over computers and mobile devices.

Recently, they implanted chips in a monkey to play a video game with just his mind… (Link)

6/

Researchers use AI to find an antibiotic capable of killing a superbug

The BBC reported that a team of scientists from MIT and McMaster University have used AI to discover an antibiotic that can kill a superbug - a bug that’s capable of causing systematic risk.

The new drug, named Abaucin, fights the bacteria that can infect wounds and cause pneumonia, and apparently, the infamous superbug wreaks havoc in hospitals.

This isn’t just about another medical discovery. The AI managed to sift through thousands of molecules, hinting at a future where drug discovery is not only quicker, but also more affordable. (Link)

Tweets and Takes 🔔

News, podcasts, blogs, tweets, etc…

• VC firm, SingalFire shares where they’re most excited about healthcare AI across payors, providers, pharma, and patients (Link)

• Interesting thoughts on AI’s foray into healthcare and clinical workflow (Link)

• Opinion piece suggesting AI chatbots can step in to replace therapists (Link)

• Renowned investor, Vinod Khosla, predicts an AI PCP doc will be practicing medicine in 5-6 years (Link)

• Mayo Clinic article highlighting debate on LLMs vs. clinician judgment (Link)

• Apple plans AI-powered health coaching service, Quartz (Link)

• Tweet on how it’s very tough for AI to replace radiologists (Link)

Venture Capital Deals 💸

Spotlight on latest capital raises and investments in healthcare AI…

• Hippocratic AI, a developer of a large language model for health care, raised $50mm in seed funding co-led by General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz. (Link)

• BenchSci, a Toronto-based provider of AI solutions for preclinical life sciences R&D, raised $70mm in Series D funding. Generation Investment Management led, and was joined by insiders Inovia Capital, TCV, Golden Ventures and F-Prime Capital. (Link)

• Optain, an AI retinal imaging technology, launched out of the partnership between Northwell and Aegis Ventures with $12mm in funding. (Link)

AI Images of the Week 🤖

Funny memes and pics from around the web…